Events

Oakshire Inspires Benefit for WaterWatch of Oregon

Tuesday, June 30, 2026
4 to 7 p.m.

Oakshire Portland Beer Hall
5013 NE 42nd Ave.
Portland, OR 97218

WaterWatch will again team up with our friends at Eugene-based Oakshire Brewing for another daylong Oakshire Inspires benefit for WaterWatch at Oakshire’s Portland location on Tuesday, June 30th. Throughout the day, 10 percent of Oakshire’s food sales at the Portland Beer Hall will go to WaterWatch, along with one dollar from each pint sold.

WaterWatch staff and board members will be onsite at the Portland Beer Hall in the Cully-Concordia neighborhood from 4 to 7 p.m. to connect with attendees about our work to preserve the natural streamflows of our state’s rivers and streams, and talk more about our campaigns to preserve groundwater, remove the Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River, and our dam removal work in the Rogue Basin.

WaterWatch at the Portland Bridge Swim

Sunday, July 12, 2026
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cathedral Park
Beneath the St. Johns Bridge
N. Edison St. and N. Pittsburg Ave.
Portland, OR 97203

The Portland Bridge Swim returns to the Willamette River on Sunday, July 12th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. as participants make the 11-mile swim in the Willamette from Sellwood Riverfront Park to Cathedral Park beneath the St. John’s Bridge. WaterWatch will be at Cathedral Park throughout the event to talk with attendees as swimmers pass beneath all 12 of Portland’s Willamette River bridges along the way.

Paddling Across Time — A Hayes River Journey

Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2026
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Hopworks Brewing
Powell Mothership Location
2944 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland, OR 97202

In conjunction with the Lower Columbia Canoe Club, WaterWatch is thrilled to present Portland adventurer Lee Sessions, who has ventured to the Far North on more than 35 canoe expeditions in pursuit of a lifelong passion for paddling and rediscovering the routes of early explorers, as he presents “Paddling Across Time,” a presentation that follows Lee and his crew as they recount their 2025 self‑supported canoe expedition down Nunavut’s remote Hayes River — a seldom traveled route north of the Arctic Circle in Inuktitut, Canda’s largest, northernmost, and newest territory.

Drawing on research and interviews with past travelers, Lee and his team explore how motivations for undertaking northern journeys have evolved over time. Their own experience — six paddlers navigating a challenging Arctic river — offers a contemporary lens on the pull of wilderness, the meaning found in shared effort, and the deep connections forged through travel in the North. The Hayes also has a special connection with famed Oregon explorer Frederick Schwatka.

Join us for this very special event at Hopworks Brewery on Powell Blvd. Tuesday, Sept. 13th. The presentation will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.