We are so excited about the results of our 20th Annual Watershed Wide Event on Saturday, March 3, 2018! It was a beautiful sunny day, with many community partners and groups joining together. Everyone got their hands dirty to leave a lasting legacy improving the health of the watershed from Boring down through Milwaukie. We did this through planting native plants, removing invasive species, and even salvaging native plants.
Sara Walker, Kitty Creek Crew Leader, by Bruce MacGregor
Bert and Ernie plant a tree, by Sam Friedman
Chelsea Wiater marks a new native plant at Tideman Johnson Park, by Bruce MacGregor
Teamwork at the ivy pull, by Bruce MacGregor
Rebecca the thundercloud wins the costume contest! By Sam Friedman
Dino boy plants a tree, by Bruce MacGregor
Teamwork doesn’t seemwork by Bruce MacGregor
Young girl with bare root plants, by Bruce MacGregor
Residents of our watershed love their urban creek-and the 20th Watershed Wide Event was an incredible testament to the spirit of grassroots community activism and ecological restoration.
Here’s what we accomplished together:
-450 volunteers came to help!
-6,400 native plants were planted
-1.5 trailers of ivy removed (and acres of other invasives!)
-100 plants salvaged (to be replanted after a construction project at next year’s Watershed Wide)
-Tons of great costumes-you rock!
-40 pizzas eaten
-Sunny weather and an all around great day!
Thanks again for being a part of it-and we look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events! Check ’em out HERE (this is always being updated so check back often!).
HERE is the link to all the photos on Facebook, tag yourself and your friends! If you have more photos for us, please email them to us at intern@jcwc.org, and we’ll add them!
This event began in 1999 after former Governor Kitzhaber created the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds to prevent the listing of coho salmon on the Endangered Species List. One of the biggest threats to coho and other salmonids in the Metro area–and throughout much of Oregon–is high stream temperature. Nineteen years later, our organization and many other public and non-profit agencies have made huge investments in reforesting streams, wetlands, and other natural areas to provide much-needed shade in Portland. As our climate continues to heat up, stream shading becomes ever more important in the effort to cool our streams so they can continue to be salmon-friendly. This is especially important because Johnson Creek is the only free-flowing stream in Portland that has a population of salmon.
Check out this quick video about the event by Clackamas County HERE.
Thanks to all of the groups who came out to participate: Rotary Club of Clackamas, Portland General Electric, Grant High School, Springwater Community, Otter Scout Den, Eastridge Church, Boy Scout Troop 740 (Coming for their 8th year!), Arcadis Design and Consultancy, American Heritage Girls 0613, Bullseye Glass, Angeli Law, Girl Scouts, Treecology, Cub Scout Pack 6, and New Seasons Woodstock.
Thanks to our amazing photographers and videographers Bruce MacGregor, Carol Caz Zyvatkauskas, David Pickar, Gary Wolff, Lee Deutsch, Dakota Hufford, Alexio Avila, Miranda Beck, William Floor, Sam Friedman, Lloyd Vivola, Michael Pouncil, and Sherry Klein.
And a big huge thanks again to our partners for making this event possible: The Mintkeski Family Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation, Clackamas County’s Water Environment Services, Portland Parks & Recreation, City of Gresham, Friends of Trees, East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Crystal Springs Partnership, Friends of Tideman Johnson, Friends of Powell Butte, Freeway Land, Overland Park Coalition, SOLVE, and Green Lents.
