Hello Folks,
Happy March! It is nice to see the growing light every day, and slightly warmer temperatures. This all comes after a very intense time of ice and snow for much of our region.
Two weeks ago, all along the Willamette freezing rain descended and coated the landscape. Trees everywhere were victim to the ice, which broke trees and branches of all sizes, covering the ground, streets, power lines and more. For seven days my family and I were without power, and for others it was even longer.
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A few days ago I got on the water between Wheatland and St. Paul, and saw that many trees along the river met the same fate. While the event was intense, there is some good to come from the fallen trees and branches. To some degree they will provide habitat for a range of species, and will of course enhance our riverside campfires! |
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Later this month we will officially mark the beginning of Spring. We look forward to reemerging from Covid sometime this year, and have a host of opportunities for you to work with us along the river. Stay tuned, and THANK YOU for all of your support! |
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Travis
Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
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NEW! Virtual Education Series: 3/18 @ 6:00pm |
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On Thursday, March 18th from 6:00pm - 7:00pm, grab your favorite beverage and tune in to connect, learn and sip with your river community!
Thanks to last month's epic ice storm, we had to reschedule our first Happy Hour "On The Willamette" virtual gathering, so this March we're featuring the same line up as before- come join us!
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This month we'll dive into the Water Trail's beginnings, including the fascinating story of the visionary Willamette Greenway, including how it started, what it led to, and where it is today. We'll also highlight a few special Willamette Greenway sites that you can enjoy today.
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Volunteer as a River Guardian |
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We are hosting two "trashy" events with small groups this month. |
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CORVALLIS
WHAT: Trashy Thursday
WHEN: 3/18, 9:00am - 12:00pm
WHERE: Orleans Natural Area
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PORTLAND
WHAT: Trashy Tuesday
WHEN: 3/16, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
WHERE: SE Portland
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While we have small group volunteer opportunities this month, we are still coordinating individual volunteers or “QuaranTEAMS,” as in your friends and/or family with whom you have been quarantining, and providing clean up opportunities in certain areas in need of extra attention. |
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For safety’s sake, WR program coordinators will work with each individual or QuaranTEAM to check out supplies, target a specific river segment or park, and connect volunteers to our partnering agencies, such as our City, County and State Parks partners, to ensure trash is compiled in one area for pick up, and that the areas cleaned are clear for entry. We ask that all volunteers sign accompanying waivers, and document and report their results via email so that we can track where cleanups are taking place, and how much debris is being removed. |
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If you would like to volunteer please contact:
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Fishing Line & Tackle Recycling Stations |
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Installation of 12 monofilament and tackle recycling stations will commence over the next month in areas from Corvallis, Eugene, Springfield and upper Willamette rural communities on the McKenzie and Middle Fork tributaries. This program is part of a larger statewide effort started in 2004 by ODFW in partnership with other groups and volunteers to collect, recycle, and properly dispose of tackle and line waste found in and around angling locations. Individuals can recycle their line and tackle at each station. |
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Whether fishing or just recreating near the river, visitors who see line and/or tackle wrapped up in the bushes or just lying on the ground, can carefully collect it and dispose of it in the KORC station tube. Volunteers will empty these regularly, and report findings to ODFW and WR. Our goal is to reduce the presence of line and tackle waste to help create a healthier and safer habitat for fish and wildlife that live in and around the waterways, as well as a safer space for people and their pets to recreate. |
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Restoring Floodplain Forests |
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81,225 is the total number of native trees and shrubs that our contractors are getting into the ground this month between two of our mid-valley restoration sites, Willamette Mission State Park and Gail Achterman Natural Area.
We offer our thanks to the Arbor Day Foundation and their Columbia Basin Tree Planting partnership which has made this possible!
Currently we have 25,975 new plants installed at Willamette Mission, with the remaining 55,250 destined for Gail Achterman Natural Area. Willamette Mission represents the largest tract of intact, reproductive floodplain forest in the Willamette Valley. Restoration of the park is important because land conversion and development in the early 20th century cleared native vegetation and opened the site to noxious weeds, which inhibit natural regeneration of these important forests.
Our restoration activities, bolstered by the support of numerous partner organizations, are improving habitat complexity and water quality through flood interaction with the restored forest. When completed, both projects will restore apprximately 982 acres of habitat. Endangered Species Act listed Chinook and steelhead, and a multitude of important and at-risk wildlife species that occupy the Willamette, will benefit from this work!
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Oregon’s legislative session is in full swing! Willamette Riverkeeper continues to work on several bills with key partners. Below are a few key bills to get to know as they all have the potential to impact the river. |
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We are watching the “Beaver Bill” (HB 2844) to remove beavers from the list “predatory animals” in Oregon. Beavers are important to our river for many reasons, including water security, fire resilience, carbon sequestration, salmon habitat, and more. Currently, private landowners are allowed to kill beavers in unlimited numbers at any time of year, with no reporting requirement or oversight from the State as a result of the predatory animal designation. This bill would allow Oregon to regulate beaver management on private lands, gather data on the amount and locations of beaver killings. This is important information to understand beaver habitat.
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We are watching several Plastics Bills to ban single-use and polystyrene (foam) takeout foodware, and sweeping new legislation to reform and modernize our plastic recycling system to better manage our existing plastic waste, and encourage the markets for better sustainable packaging alternatives. We also support banning the expansion of plastic “chemical” recycling as very little of the old plastic becomes “new” plastic, the facilities pose health risks, and this tactic does not solve the problem of too much plastic in our lives.
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We are watching the Mega-Dairy Moratorium bill, seeking to cap the size of large dairies in Oregon at 2,500 cows. There are hundreds of regulated “concentrated animal feeding operations”, or factory farms, in the Willamette River Basin. While many are “medium” or “small” size, the trend towards very large factory farms continues, posing threats to our water quality.
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We are watching several River Surfing Bills to restructure the Oregon State Marine Board makeup to include a broader representation of environmental, scientific, recreational, Tribe interests – including the Department of State Lands and the Department of Environmental Quality – and increasing transparency, to set a boat weight limit of 4,000 pounds, and to study excise taxes on wake boat sales.
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As always, we welcome you to attend public hearings (virtually) and to submit comments on any of these issues we are engaging in! Please contact us to discuss where, when, and how you can plug in to help the river. |
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NEW Video: Artificial Waves on the Willamette |
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Watch this new video about the impact of artificial waves generated by "wake boats," produced by a local citizen. It makes the case about how these craft are very different than all other power boats. WR does not oppose power boats, and we even have one we use regularly. We do oppose wake boats in certain areas. |
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Digital Downloads Now Available! |
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GREAT NEWS! Now the Willamette River Water Trail maps are available as a $12 digital download from the Willamette Water Trail website store! Your purchase will support Water Trail stewardship, improvements and education efforts- including a new mapping project being undertaken by Willamette Riverkeeper.
Hard copies of the Upper Water Trail map (Springfield to Albany) are permanently sold out, while hard copies of the Lower map (Buena Vista to the Columbia) are still available for sale.
Willamette Riverkeeper will be remapping, redesigning, and reprinting the Willamette Water Trail maps into one comprehensive guide, available (hopefully) by the end of 2021.
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The native plant Howellia aquatilis was federally listed as threatened in 1994, and was thought to be extirpated from Oregon since 1935 until its last sighting in Benton County in 2002. Howellia has not been seen here in Oregon since. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to prove this species still exists in the Willamette Valley. If there is not reason enough to explore the nooks, crannies, backchannels, sloughs, and ponds associated with the Willamette River, this one takes the prize. Yes, prizes for any verified sighting; please photograph it and send the latitude / longitude coordinates to restoration@willametteriverkeeper.org. We know this is more difficult than finding Waldo, but would like to believe it is not mission impossible.
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An internet search will reveal many more pictures and the necessary detail to identify the species, there is too much to list here, but best time to look for it is June – August when its distinct flowers are in bloom. Howellia’s late season emergent white to lavender flowers, with five petals in a slightly cleft corolla, help distinguish it from other aquatic plant species. |
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Plants are 10 – 70 centimeters long, rooted, with narrowly linear, usually opposite leaves less than two inches in length. This annual plant prefers habitat that has shallow water late fall to early spring, which then dries up in late summer providing the necessary opportunity for seed production. Join us in the hunt for Howellia! |
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