Donna Erwin receives a "Certificate of Appreciation" from Mayor Jim Kight.  Donna was honored for her contributions to historic downtown Troutdale's First Friday Art Walk and Troutdale Bite & Bluegrass Festival.  Jan. 27, 2009

A Bluegrass Festival (Troutdale Bite and Bluegrass) was held 2006, 07, and 08 in Troutdale to introduce visitors to the area and promote bluegrass music, but also to educate the public about AMR’s River Rescue Team efforts on the Sandy River in Troutdale, and the dangers of swimming in the Sandy River.  The river rescue program began in 1999 after the City of Troutdale began discussions about closing Glenn Otto Park permanently.  This was in response to many drownings over a very short time period.  The Sandy River at Glenn Otto has a history of drownings, the most recent being May 17, 2009.

In 1999AMR proposed a pilot project to staff the park with highly trained lifeguards and river rescue technicians. Since the inception of this program, there has been no drowning at the park during the summer months under AMR's watch ! The AMR River Safety Program is accredited thru the USLA (United States Lifesaving Association) which develops national standards on life guarding and open-water rescue.  The local AMR team is the only team in the Pacific NW that holds an "Advanced Agency Accreditation".  AMR staffs the Sandy River Beach in Troutdale with technicians every day from 10am to 8pm, Memorial Day to Labor Day, and annually records many river rescues.  This event benefits river safety. Learn more about AMR and local river safety programs by following this link