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Fifty volunteers from three Portland nonprofits cleared several tons of concrete debris along the Willamette River’s east shore near the Duckworth Dock on Saturday, Oct. 11. Human Access Project director Willie Levenson estimates that the crew—whose members also come from Solve and Hands on Portland—cleared between 10–20 tons of rubble over two hours, exposing for the first time in decades a natural pebble beach.
Though the beach is still quite rocky, before/after photos provided by HAP show demonstrable improvements. The Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock grants non-motorized river access on the Eastbank Esplanade north of the Burnside Bridge commemorating the late All-Star Trailblazer and his love of boating and fishing. Gone are fallen tree branches,discarded rebar and other manmade trash, removed bucket brigade-style by volunteers, or—in the case of driftwood logs, concrete chunks and large natural rocks—rearranged to make the bank more level for visitors.
The project fits HAP’s long-term mission to improve and change Portlanders’ relationship with the Willamette River. HAP worked with Portland Parks and Recreation to promote Duckworth Dock as a safe area to swim on the Willamette in 2022, after it worked to end motorized access in 2020. HAP prevented the dock from being moved to Swan Island in 2016, after repairs it filed for with the City of Portland were finally approved. HAP’s summer River Hugger Swim Team encourages community building by swimming and reconnecting Portland to its heritage as a river city (the group also released a limited edition lager with Steeplejack Brewing in July).
The new Duckworth Dock-adjacent beach doesn’t have the sandy turf of its cross-river rival Poet’s Beach, but the tri-org volunteer group’s work is already a marked improvement for the area.
“With some sweat and teamwork, we’re turning what was once an industrial dumping site into a living, breathing community asset — with people power — a place where anyone can wade, swim, or simply enjoy the river,” Levenson said in a statement.
