educational course

Wetlands wildlife explorations

Want to explore the natural wonders of Smith and Bybee

Wetlands but don't have a boat? We've got you covered! NW Discoveries provides boats, paddles and personal flotation devices while Metro naturalist James Davis offers tours featuring the wetlands' wildlife and natural history. Expect to see big birds like bald eagles, osprey and great blue herons.

Canoe and kayak tour

8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 8

Select a solo or tandem kayak or two-person canoe. Two adult canoers can add up to two children to ride in the middle. Registration and payment of $25 per adult (ages 14 and older) and $5 per child (ages 5 to 13) accompanied by paid adult required two weeks in advance. Register and pay online by visiting www.oregonmetro.gov/calendar. Find your event by searching or browsing and then follow the instructions.

Animal tracking workshop

10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25

Oxbow Regional Park is a tracker's paradise in spring, when beavers, otters, fox, mink, mice and deer leave their stories in the sand. With practice, beginners can learn to read the ground like an open book. Seasoned tracker Terry Kem covers basics of track identification and awareness skills needed to watch wildlife at close range. Suitable for all ages. $5 per vehicle ($7 per bus) fee. Registration and payment of $11 per adult required in advance. Register and pay online by visiting www.oregonmetro.gov/calendar. Find your event by searching or browsing and then follow the instructions.

Drop-in family fun at Blue Lake Natural Discovery Garden

1 to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, June 1 through Sept. 1

Gather ideas to make your yard pesticide-free, safe and fun for kids, songbirds, lakes and streams. All ages can explore an active worm bin, dig for "fossils," discover, rub and sniff plants, find the softest leaves, and see what wildlife have to say about natural gardening. Come for the garden and stay to enjoy the park's many recreational activities. Free with $5 per vehicle ($7 per bus) fee, free for bicycles and pedestrians.

Learn to identify many plants native to our area under the skilled tutelage of Sage Jensen. The session will include classroom and field activities. Sage will lead a field excursion to Oaks Bottom. Participants will learn the top 25 native trees and shrubs as well as a few wetland plants. Come geek out with Sage and enjoy the wonderful world of the Plants of the Pacific NW.

This Saturday, May 11th http://solv.org/get-involved/events/native-plant-identification-workshop

For more information contact Morgan Parks at morgan@solv.org or call 503-844-9571 

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse will be kicking off its 2013 Second Sunday Series on Mother's Day, May 12.

Garden Historian and Humanities WA speaker Joan Hockaday will be presenting The Lewis and Clark Wildflower Discoveries in the Cathlapotle Plankhouse. She will discuss the lasting legacy of Lewis and Clark in the exploration of the American West, and the contributions that Native Americans have made to the expedition and western science. This presentation will speak to the question: "What do we discover today from Lewis and Clark's daily accounts about our early Washington landscape, natural history and native peoples?"

Guided tours of the Plankhouse and children's activities will be available from 12-4pm. Those feeling up for it can also join Joan on the trail after the talk to explore some of the plants along the adjacent Oaks To Wetlands Trail.

The Cathlapotle Plankhouse is a modern Chinookan Plankhouse built to interpret the Chinookan village of Cathlapotle that once existed on what is today Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge property. At the time Lewis and Clark visited Cathlapotle, it had 14 large plankhouses and over 900 people living there. The modern Cathlapotle Plankhouse is used to provide educational programs to youth and the general public through our Lifeways, Landscapes, and Wildlife Interpretive Program. To learn more about the plankhouse visit www.ridgefieldfriends.org or contact Sarah Hill at Sarah_Hill@fws.gov or (360) 887-4106.