Diving deeper: Popular group ‘loots’ the Deschutes River to pull trash, find and return lost items

(Updated: adding video, comments from looter)

Good news: The message is getting out, and stretches of river are cleaner

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- If you've ever lost something in the Deschutes River ... you may have a chance at getting it back.

Loot The Deschutes is a popular group in Central Oregon, for locals and tourists alike. It's the unofficial "lost and found" of the Deschutes River, run by surfers, divers and scavengers who aim to get junk out of the river -- and call it treasure.

The group was started in 2017. Lled Smith, a looter, says he and two others started the group after noticing how many items were in the river.

"I would just be walking across the river with my board to go surf, and there would be stuff in the water," Smith said Thursday.

More than 267,000 people floated the Deschutes River in Bend last summer between Memorial and Labor Day weekends. With that many people comes a lot of trash -- and lost items like sunglasses, phones and jewelry.

Smith says people will often message the group on Instagram, asking for its help in finding a lost item. He also tells NewsChannel 21 there are more and more people getting the same idea -- except that others are instead keeping the treasures they find.

Smith goes out almost every day, searching for treasure. He's created a map for people to pinpoint where they think their lost item is.

But he picks up a lot along the way.

NewsChannel 21's own Carly Keenan got to 'float-along' with Smith Thursday, to see how the process works. By the end of their short hunt, they collected an array of items: a gas cap, old tire, golf balls, sunglasses and more.

River usage last summer increased 30% from the summer before. The river has taken a hit from that many people, but organizations have worked to repair it and educate the public.

Loot The Deschutes goes on trash dives a few times a week, cleaning the river. Smith says it's in better condition now than ever before.

"I can go cruise down the river and not see a thing," he said. "Especially down by the Old Mill District. It's really clean through there right now."

Smith added that the popularity of the Instagram account has helped.

"I say, 'Don't bring bottles on the river --look what happens to a bottle' -- and all 500,000 people hopefully see that post, so they're not going to bring a bottle next time."

Hoping to make a difference -- and have fun doing it.