Greetings!

As fall arrives, the Council is embracing the changing season and the beauty that it brings. The turning leaves and cooler days have served as a great reminder of nature's rhythms and our shared responsibility to protect the places, wildlife, and communities that make our watershed special. We hope you can join us in caring for the Slough this season — we are grateful that you are part of our community!

Just Released: Our FY26 Annual Report

Each year, CSWC prepares an annual report, highlighting the progress of our programs over the last fiscal year. Our newest annual report provides stats from FY26 (July 2025 through June 2026). We are excited to share it with you!

You Can Still Apply for Free Yard Trees!

CSWC has partnered with Portland Parks and Recreation's Urban Forestry program to give away free yard trees to Portland residents! Any Portland resident can apply for up to 3 yard trees.

Trees are not only a great source of shade on hot summer days, but also provide habitat for wildlife, help improve air quality, and more. You can help the watershed today by planting a free yard tree!

You're eligible if:

• The trees will be planted at an address within Portland city limits
• The trees can be planted in a front, side, or backyard
• You will allow Urban Forestry to check on the trees during the summer as part of a study

New This Year: Slough School Volunteer Training

Interested in volunteering with Slough School this school year? Slough School is the Council's K-12 education program that provides in-class lessons and field trips for students at Title 1 schools in the Watershed.

We are planning a training session to give our volunteers a better understanding of the topics we cover on our field trips and how best to support students. We are hosting a training on October 19th from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm at Whitaker Ponds Nature Park.

If you are unable to attend the training, you can still volunteer. Just let Volunteer & Program Coordinator Liz Coll know that you're interested in volunteering with Slough School at Lizzy.coll@columbiaslough.org.

Slough Map Now Available in Vietnamese

Our Slough Map offers information on parks and natural areas in the watershed, including accessibility, paddling, parking, biking, and more. You can find maps in English, Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian, and now also in Vietnamese on our website. Thank you to Oregon State Parks for funding this map project!

For the Love of the Slough 2026

We're excited to announce our end-of-year fundraising campaign, For the Love of the Slough!

Launching November 15th, anyone who donates to CSWC will be entered for a chance to win awesome raffle prizes from 20 local businesses. Business partners include Stoller Wine Group, Patagonia Portland, Westward Whiskey, Woo-woo Wellness Studio, and La Patroncita, just to name a few!

Save the date: We're holding a Slough Bingo Fundraiser on December 11th at Double Mountain's Overlook Taproom from 6-8 PM!

If you or your business has a raffle prize you'd like to donate to CSWC, we are still accepting in-kind donations until October 15th! Contact our Development Manager, Maya, to coordinate.