The Buzz: July/August 2025 Newsletter
This is The Buzz - Mosquito Fleet’s monthly e-newsletter!
Read on to learn about what’s going on at Green Anchors, plus upcoming events in July and August!
Kayak Lending Library Refresh
Thanks to the generous support of donors and friends (like you!), we’ve been growing our collection of kayaks, paddles, and safety gear, and secured an additional shipping container to store it all. We’ve been hard at work getting everything organized! If you have any used kayaks or gear you’d like to donate, please feel free to let us know by emailing mosquito@mosquitofleet.us.
Upcoming Events
Sunset Paddle
Tuesday, July 22 | 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Fleet HQ (Green Anchors in St. Johns)
Join Mosquito Fleet for a Sunset Paddle! We’ll enjoy the sunset on the water together and keep our eyes out for evening critters on the banks of the river. Folks of all kayak experience levels are welcome to join. There will be an optional Kayak Lending Library Orientation after the paddle - stick around if you wanna learn how to access the Fleet’s gear throughout the summer!
Click here for the registration form link.
BIPOC Sunset Paddle
Wednesday, July 30 | 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. | Fleet HQ (Green Anchors in St. Johns, PDX)
Join Mosquito Fleet for a Sunset Paddle by and for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC)! We’ll enjoy the sunset on the water together and keep our eyes out for evening critters on the banks of the river. BIPOC folks of all kayak experience levels are welcome to join. There will be an optional Kayak Lending Library Orientation after the paddle - stick around if you wanna learn how to access the Fleet’s gear throughout the summer!
Click here for the registration form link.
Morning Paddle
Friday, August 8 | 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | Fleet HQ (Green Anchors in St. Johns, PDX)
For the early birds, join Mosquito Fleet for a Morning Paddle! We’ll enjoy a calm paddle on the Willamette. Folks of all kayak experience levels are welcome to join. There will be — you guessed it — an optional Kayak Lending Library Orientation after the paddle - stick around if you wanna learn how to access the Fleet’s gear throughout the summer.
Click here for the registration form link.
Check out the Fleet Calendar here!
Events and News From Our Friends
2025 Canoe Journey
Seattle area | July 27th, 28th, and 31st
Fleet Team member Lee will be paddling with the Suquamish Tribe in 2025’s Tribal Canoe Journey. This annual event, which first took place in 1989, is a celebration of tribes from across the Pacific Northwest, with paddlers traveling from tribe to tribe over days and even weeks, culminating in one big potlatch at the journey’s final destination. This year, the potlatch is being hosted by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
Canoe families will be arriving in Suquamish on Sunday, July 27th; canoes will depart for Port Gamble early on the morning of Monday, July 28th (if you’re interested in spectating, see details here). The final landing at the mouth of the Elwha River will take place on July 31st. For more information, visit the Paddle to Elwha website here.
Register for Budding Roses Summer Camp
Portland area | August 4th through August 15th
Registration is now open for Budding Roses summer camp, a FREE program for middle school-aged youth to learn, express themselves, and engage critically with the issues they care about most; the Fleet had a blast working with Budding Roses campers last summer on a mini-art workshop. This summer’s session runs from August 4th through August 15th. To learn more and register, click here!
Paddle for Democracy
Portland area | August 10th
Portland Indivisible (a local chapter of the national Indivisible group) is hosting a protest float on our beloved Willamette on Sunday, August 10th. Paddlers will depart from Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade; folks who prefer to support from dry land will be gathering around the Morrison Bridge. Register and learn more here.
Free the Snake Flotilla
Western WA area | August 15th through August 16th
Way back in 2017, the Fleet had the honor of paddling in the Free the Snake Flotilla, a beautiful event calling for the removal of four outdated, low-value dams on the Lower Snake River. This year, we’re very excited to return, and we hope you’ll join us! This two-day gathering and call to action is set for August 15th and 16th in Lewiston, ID, featuring speakers, food, live music, a film screening, interactive art, and more. Campsites are available in Hells Gate State Park. This is a gorgeous area; if you can swing the trip (it’s about a 6-hour drive from Portland) we highly recommend it! Learn more and register here.
RAPP Events
Seattle area | July and August
As always, our friends at River Access Paddle Program have great events lined up for our Seattle homies to check out, including a First Timers paddle on Monday, July 21st and a Pollution Reporting Educational Paddle on Thursday, August 14th. Check out their calendar here.
Help get medical equipment to Gaza
Global | Ongoing
Trusted friends of the Fleet have alerted us to a local fundraising effort in support of a Portland physician who will be traveling to Gaza this month. The physician is raising funds to secure a piece of diagnostic equipment called an ultrasound probe, an alternative to bulky, expensive imaging devices, capable of identifying internal injuries. Ultrasound probes cost about $5,500. If you’re interested in contributing, reach out to us at mosquito@mosquitofleet.us.
Become a Monthly Donor!
As a small grassroots organization, Mosquito Fleet appreciates any and all financial support we receive from the community. Recurring donations are particularly helpful to ensure we can continue providing free services and programming to the community. If you’re able to support the Fleet monthly at any amount - $10, $25, $50 - click below!
You can also support the Mosquito Fleet in style with custom gear courtesy of Worx Printing Co-Op, a worker-owned union co-operative print shop! Worx provides this service at no cost to us, so your purchase will directly benefit the Fleet’s work in 2025 and beyond. The Fleet appreciates your support!