The site of the Salmonberry Trail route near Buxton on April 18, 2018. Photo: Chas Hundley
The Salmonberry Trail Foundation plans to host a cleanup day on the planned site of the Salmonberry Trail in Buxton and a discussion on race in the outdoors on June 19, coinciding with Oregon’s soon to be newest official state holiday, Juneteenth, which commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States.
House Bill 2168, passed by the Oregon Legislature in early June and sent to the desk of Governor Kate Brown on June 7, will establish Juneteenth as a state holiday beginning in 2022. The Governor is expected to sign the legislation.
Beginning at 10 a.m., the thirty-minute discussion portion of the event will be led by Matthew “Mista” Ruddy, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, followed at 10:30 a.m. by the trail work portion of the project.
“We are happy to have Matt Ruddy supporting our work to help ensure that the Salmonberry Trail delivers on the promise of equal access to the outdoors,” said Salmonberry Trail Foundation Board Member John Vogler in an email.
Beginning 10:30 a.m. and lasting until 2 p.m., participants will clear invasive species from the railroad tracks on the Port of Tillamook Bay-owned right of way, cut small trees and other vegetation, and remove trash.
Participants must RSVP to the event by emailing [email protected] and filling out a waiver.
Participants will meet at the intersection of Highway 47 and Fisher Road at a nearby parking area. The GPS coordinates for the area are listed as:
45°41’18.5″N 123°11’45.1″W
45.688483, -123.195870
Participants are asked to wear gloves, long sleeves, jeans, and boots, and bring hand tools such as rakes, pruning saws, hedge clippers, or loppers. Power or “swinging” tools are not wanted at the event.
Participants must bring their own water and lunch.
Once work begins after a safety and information briefing, participants will divide into two work crews, with one remaining near the gathering site on Fisher Road and the other headed a short distance away to clear tracks on the Salmonberry Trail route elsewhere.
The Salmonberry Trail Foundation (STF) is a nonprofit organization formed to serve as a fundraising, public relations, and supporting nonprofit for the Salmonberry Trail and the Salmonberry Trail Intergovernmental Agency.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
