Willamette Riverkeeper director Bob Sallinger dies

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Bob Sallinger, the executive director for Willamette Riverkeeper who spent the bulk of his life working on conservation and environmental concerns, died suddenly, KOIN 6 News confirmed.

On their Facebook page, the organization said, "Willamette Riverkeeper is deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our Executive Director Bob Sallinger. As we grieve alongside Bob‘s family, we also honor his immense contributions to the broader environmental community, and will continue to impart his spirit in our work toward the protection, restoration and conservation of river habitats and water quality across the entire Willamette watershed," the Saturday post said.

Sallinger was also the founder of Bird Conservation Oregon and was an adjunct law professor at Lewis and Clark.

In September, Sallinger was one of the sources for a KOIN 6 News story about the problems pirated boats on the Willamette River cause.

For years, he and other advocates have bemoaned the problem boats, because it’s often those same vessels that end up half submerged, or even on the riverbed floor.

“A lot of these vessels that are ‘camping,’ eventually they go to the bottom. That becomes a public liability. It’s the taxpayer that ultimately deals with the habitat, the pollution, the contamination,” Sallinger said at that time.

Before his time with Willamette Riverkeeper, Sallinger was the director of conservation for Portland Audobon.

KOIN 6 News will have more information as it develops.