Vancouver, Wash. –  Volunteers will celebrate national Make a Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 27, by picking up discarded cigarette butts from Clark County and Vancouver parks and by removing English ivy from a county park.

Clark County and the city of Vancouver will coordinate the eighth annual “The Butt Stops Here” cleanup. Volunteers will meet at 9 am in the Bud Van Cleve Community Room at Luke Jensen Sports Park, 4000 NE 78th St. After a brief orientation, volunteers will break into small groups and fan out to parks throughout Vancouver and unincorporated Clark County.

Gloves and trash bags will be provided, but volunteers must have their own transportation. At 11:30 am, volunteers will return to Luke Jensen Sports Park to weigh bags of cigarette butts and enjoy lunch, provided by Blind Onion Pizza. Volunteers can sign up online at https://bit.ly/DifferenceDay.

Since the first The Butt Stops Here cleanup in October 2011, volunteers have removed more than 105 pounds of cigarette butts – each butt weighs about one-tenth of an ounce – from our parks and public spaces. More than 4.5 trillion cigarette butts worldwide are discarded as litter each year, making them the most common litter in the world.

Clark County Public Works also will partner with the Vancouver Ivy Near Elimination squad and Portland Parks and Recreation for the 15th annual No Ivy Day. Volunteers throughout the region will remove non-native English ivy from various parks, trails and green spaces.

Volunteers are needed to remove ivy at Tenny Creek Neighborhood Park, 3105 NE 91st St., from 9 am to noon Saturday, Oct. 27. Volunteers can sign up online at http://bit.ly/NoTennyIvy.

Remember to dress for the weather and wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes for both events. Youth 13 and younger can volunteer with a parent or guardian. Teenagers 14 to 17 years old need to have signed minor consent forms to volunteer without a parent or guardian.

More information on Clark County Public Works’ volunteer program is available on the county’s website, www.clark.wa.gov/public-works/volunteer.

CONTACT
Dora Hernandez
Volunteer Program assistant
Public Works
360.397.2285 ext. 1679
dora.hernandez@clark.wa.gov