Vancouver, Wash. – Volunteers will celebrate national Make a Difference Day Saturday, Oct. 28, by picking up discarded cigarette butts and removing English ivy from parks and other public spaces.

Clark County and the city of Vancouver will coordinate the seventh annual The Butt Stops Here cleanup. Volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Bud Van Cleve Community Room at Luke Jensen Sports Park, 4000 N.E. 78th St. After a brief orientation and refreshments, volunteers will break into small groups and fan out to parks and public areas throughout Vancouver and unincorporated Clark County.

Gloves and other supplies will be provided, but volunteers must have their own transportation. At 11:30 a.m., volunteers will return to Luke Jensen Sports Park to weigh bags of cigarette butts and enjoy lunch, provided by Blind Onion Pizza. Volunteers should sign up at www.clark.wa.gov/public-works/volunteer.

Since the first The Butt Stops Here cleanup in October 2011, volunteers have removed more than 100 pounds of cigarette butts – each 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 Parks also will partner Saturday with Portland Parks and Recreation for the 14th annual No Ivy Day. Volunteers throughout the region will join forces to remove non-native English ivy from various parks, trails and green spaces.

Volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday at Tenny Creek Neighborhood Park, 3105 N.E. 91st St. Refreshments, tools and training will be provided. Volunteers should sign up at www.clark.wa.gov/public-works/volunteer.

This event will continue an ongoing effort to remove English ivy at Tenny Creek Neighborhood Park. Volunteers pulled more than 30 cubic yards of ivy from the park between June and September.

Remember to dress for the weather and wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes for each event.

###

CONTACT
Karen Llewellyn
Volunteer Program coordinator
Public Works
360.397.6118 ext. 1627
karen.llewellyn@clark.wa.gov