Willow River Clean Up Report!

Brian & Peter,

The Willow River Clean Up IV was a huge success! We had a surprisingly great turnout being that the event was rescheduled twice and was in November in Minnesota! There were about 40 people in attendance. Luckily the day was perfect day too; 70s and sunny. What more could you ask for? The previously rescheduled date was the previous Sunday, which turned out to be cold and rainy. I've been lucky to get such good weather for the events.
Our main goal for each year is to scour the climbing area, access trails, and overlook for trash. Last year we broadened our scope to include the beach and surrounding areas where there’s a significant amount of traffic during the summer and fall months. In addition there are multiuse trails for hikers and cross-country skiers that need routine maintenance throughout the year. For the past couple years we’ve helped maintain these trails by pruning branches, clearing brush, picking up litter, etc. The past couple years have seen a significant growth of climbers at Willow River as well as attendance at the clean up event, which is great! It is nice to know that our user group is respectful and conscious of the park and impact that we have on our playground.

Every year, I try to include a new project for the clean up. This year the park needed to divert an existing multiuse trail around a new campground being constructed. We needed to clear a 12-foot wide swath of trail running 300 yards through a dense thicket of brush and trees. Luckily for us, the terrain was fairly flat and we hand enough manpower to bust through fairly quickly! Local companies like Peace Coffee and Rush River Brewery provided enough hydration and incentive for nearly 40 volunteers!

The event wrapped up with a raffle. Everyone received at least a couple pieces of swag, which was provided by 21 sponsors ranging from cases of beer, jackets, shoes, restaurant certificates, sunglasses, and much more!
The goal of these events is to improve relations with the park in hopes of improving climbing access. Currently, there are imposed climbing hours for the park. Climbing is permitted (365 days and 24/7):

• Monday to Thursday: all day
• Friday: until noon
• Saturday: no climbing
• Sunday: until noon

It has been mentioned numerous times by different park officials that our user group, at least since the clean ups, are the most generous and helpful in regards to donating volunteer hours to the park. The first 3 years, we removed 500 lbs of trash each year from various parts of the park. There are large amounts of scrap metal littered in the woods. Surprisingly, the climbing area is typically clean as we monitor ourselves and practice the art of “climb and clean” before we leave.

Rock climbing has given me so many memories and adventures over the years. I hope to continue this tradition every year, since it is where I started climbing 10 years ago.

Thanks for your continued support!

Phaydara Vongsavanthong