The photos showed a number of U of O logo items, like a tote bag and flip-flops, as well as a cooler that was labeled Lambda Chi Alpha – left behind along with tents, bottles, sleeping bags and trash.
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REDDING, Calif. (AP) The National Forest Service says workers have cleaned up a half-mile-wide swath of trash left behind by about 1,000 campers after an annual trip to a California lake by fraternity and sorority members.
Park officials later found 90 abandoned tents, sleeping bags, coolers, trash bags, and University of OR gear, per OregonLive.
Photos of the trash were posted on social media showing tents, coolers, bags, flip-flops, cases of beers, and black garbage bags scattered across the park.
The giant mess left at Slaughterhouse Island over the weekend is now almost gone, thanks to the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and volunteers.
This particular houseboating trip (obviously) wasn’t officially sanctioned by the school, but Oregon VP of student life Robin Holmes said that the national office of one fraternity was suspending all of its activities “until the situation is addressed”.
Phyllis Swanson, a spokesperson for Shasta-Trinity National Forest, told Willamette Week that she estimates around 1,000 people were on Slaughterhouse Island over the weekend, with “60 houseboats plus some patio boats”.
Forest Service officials said the area has been a popular college party spot for decades and trash has been left behind before, but never this bad. “One opportunity we see is we’re possibly going to send a crew down to be a cleanup crew as well as other community service projects in the Shasta area as well as donating and fundraising for the Wildlife Nature Reserve there”, Anderson said.
Holmes’ statement also said the university is investigating and will take action when they learn who is responsible. It is one the University of OR does not sponsor OR condone in any way.
The University of OR has put out a statement saying it is looking into the incident and will take action as it sees fit. We are partnering with the University of OR, and the International Headquarters of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, to investigate this situation.
The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity said it’s working on a restitution project that would benefit the Shasta community.
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The Forest Service will begin talks to educate universities whose students visit national parks, but first local Forest Service staff will start to set up campgrounds for the Memorial Day weekend. “We’re low on resources and now we have to pull people from other programs to help with the clean-up”.
