seasonal natural interest

Join West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District in helping clean up and restore McCarthy Creek:

Saturday, September 22

9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Meet in parking lot at NARA NW, 17645 NW St. Helens Highway (Hwy. 30)

Register at: http://www.solv.org/get-involved/events/mccarthy-creek-clean

McCarthy Creek flows into the Multnomah Channel and eventually into the Columbia River.  It's an important tributary but it's been a dumping ground of trash and debris from householdsand roadway accidents in the west hills for many years.  All of this debris harms fish and other wildlife habitat.  We want to restore water quality and habitat so that cutthroat trout, salmon and other native wildlife such as red-legged frogs can thirve again in the creek.

Beside picking up trash and debris, we'll be removing invasive weeds such as ivy, vinca and herb Robert from the areas around the creek.

We need your help!!

Fall is the perfect time to plant native plants in your garden! Once established, native plants need little care and water.  Select from a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants in all price ranges for every spot in your garden! Knowledgeable staff and volunteers are on hand to answer your questions.  The Friends of the Tualatin Hills Nature Park sponsor this event, with proceeds going toward future park improvements and environmental education programs.  Admission: FREE.

Vaux’s swifts are likely to use the Chapman Elementary School chimney as an evening roost during their fall 2012 migration. Grab a seat on the school lawn or in neighboring Wallace Park to observe the birds gathering overhead. On most evenings during September, Audubon volunteers will be on hand to share information about Vaux's swifts.

Please visit the Portland Audubon website for information about parking and public transit options, the natural history of Vaux's swifts, best times to arrive and more.

Background: Every year in late August, one of Portland’s most spectacular natural events begins: Thousands of Vaux’s swifts gather in the city as they prepare to migrate to Central America and Venezuela.

Migrating swifts often use chimneys as roosts (places to sleep), and they are likely to return to the same roost year after year. One swift population has been returning to the Chapman chimney since the 1980s, and it is the largest known roost of migrating Vaux's swifts in the world.

Volunteer with SOLVE to help native trees survive summer’s hot sun! SOLVE and its partners are working to enhance sites throughout the Portland-metro area. Volunteers will be assisting with site maintenance by removing invasive plants, mulching, and watering native plants. Over time, this work will improve water quality, create wildlife habitat, and store carbon to slow climate change. SOLVE will provide all tools and gloves for this project. 

• When: Every Saturday this summer from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, rain or shine!
• Where: Portland-metro area Team Up sites
• Click here for more information
• Register here for all volunteer events (view map or list)
• For questions contact: morgan@solv.org or 503-844-9571 ext. 332

Nan Laurence, a senior planner for Eugene, explores how downtowns can represent a community’s ideals and aspirations. Join her at Milwaukie’s Riverfront Park – where a Metro nature grant is helping launch a major transformation – to talk about the changing character of downtown activities, urban forms and public spaces. This program kicks off a special series of The Conversation Project, with Oregon Humanities and Metro unplugging this summer to bring some of Oregon’s most fascinating thinkers to voter-protected natural areas. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy; Metro will bring the pie. Conversation is free, no registration required. Co-hosted by the City of Milwaukie.