green living

Over the last two months the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church and volunteers have been working very hard on revitalizing the portion of Fairview Creek on the Church Property. In September – in conjunction with “No-Ivy Day” we cleared over 350 sq. feet of English ivy, Blackberry and other invasive plants throughout the site. During our second visit in October, the Rain Garden was expanded to over double its original size, and sheet mulching was started in preparation for the Pollinator Garden that will be planted in the spring.

However, this time at Smith Memorial, we will be planting three small planting areas in the restoration area (on the bank above Fairview creek). Species will include: vine maple, Oregon ash, tall Oregon grape, sword fern, thimbleberry, red elderberry, snowberry, red osier dogwood, Pacific ninebark, and willow species. We hope to plant 358 plants at this planting event! Come out, and help protect your Watershed!

Are you wanting to get out of the house? Or learn ways you can help the environment in your Neighborhood? Two Saturdays a month, staff from the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, neighborhood organizations and volunteers will travel to different sites around the watershed to do restoration and management of invasive species, and we always need more volunteers!

Join the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, the Wilkes community, and volunteers to clean up the beautiful, two-acre Wilkes Creek Natural Area. The Watershed Council, SOLV and the Wilkes community have been restoring this site since 2003, removing weeds and litter and planting hundreds of native plants. The Columbia Slough Watershed Council will be working with the Wilkes community in the coming years to ensure that this natural area continues to thrive with community stewardship activities.

Tools, gloves, and snacks will be provided, but participants should come prepared for all weather conditions.

Frustrated by stubborn weeds in your yard or garden?Learn how to identify, eradicate, and prevent common gardenweeds - and stop them from invading our precious natural areas -in this workshop series hosted by the 4-County Cooperative Weed Management Area.

Frustrated by stubborn weeds in your yard or garden?Learn how to identify, eradicate, and prevent common gardenweeds - and stop them from invading our precious natural areas -in this workshop series hosted by the 4-County Cooperative Weed Management Area.

Tired of seeing English Ivy take over natural areas and push out native plants? Wish it could be used to make something both beautiful and useful? You’re in luck! Rewild Portland will be holding a special ivy pull and ivy basketry workshop during Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge's annual celebration, BirdFest. The restoration event will be on the Saturday, October 13th, on the Carty Unit of the Refuge. From 9am to 11am, join the folks from Rewild Portland as they pull English Ivy and help restore refuge habitat. From 12 - 4, they will be teaching workshop participants how to turn the ivy pulled into artful and utilitarian baskets. Both the pull and the workshop are on a drop in basis, so feel free to join for the pull, the workshop, or both!