The rain date for the event is September 19th.
Volunteers are needed on foot or in boats to clean up a nine-mile section of the Rock River, from Mud Creek Road to the Castle Rock State Park boat landing. Boaters, fishermen, paddlers, river landowners, scout groups, service organizations, and individuals are requested to help sweep the river and pick up trash as well as sort the recyclable items from the waste. Students can earn community service hours for participating.
White Pelican Canoe & Kayak Rental Inc. will be providing a limited number of free canoes for use for the sweep and will also provide free shuttle service from Castle Rock boat landing back to Kiwanis Park before the event for those with their own canoes or kayaks. Anyone interested in using a canoe or shuttle service is asked to contact White Pelican at 815-263-4088 for details and registration requirements.
All participants must register at one of three sites and sign a liability waiver for the event:
- Kiwanis Park (123 N. 2nd St, Oregon): For those using paddle craft or working along the shore on foot. Those on foot will walk or drive to areas accessible from shore.
- Lowden State Park boat landing: (Route 2, North of Oregon): Motorized boats, canoes, & kayaks
- Castle Rock boat landing (South of Oregon): Motorized boats
Volunteers will be at each site to register and assign participants to a portion of the river. Gloves, trash bags, and water will be available for participants. They are encouraged to wear long sleeves, long pants, and old shoes or boots, and to bring a reusable water bottle to the event to reduce waste. Water jugs will be available at all three starting points for refilling water bottles. Life jackets must be worn by all volunteers in boats.
Several drop-off sites for trash will be located along the cleanup route, where crews from the Oregon Park District and the Solid Waste Management Department will pick it up and take it back to Kiwanis Park to be sorted for disposal or recycling. Butitta Automotive will recycle any waste tires collected from the river.
The 2026 Oregon Area Rock River Sweep is sponsored by the City of Oregon, the Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department, the Oregon Park District, Oregon Fire Protection District, White Pelican Inc., Butitta Automotive, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The Oregon Sustainability Plan, which was adopted by the City in 2024, included hosting cleanup events. The Committee decided to restart the River Sweep to bring the community together and to help preserve the beauty of the Rock River. For more information, contact Steve Rypkema at rypkemas@gmail.com or Mel Cozzi at mcozzi@cityoforegon.org.
