Hello All -
I hope you are doing as well as can be and are managing to have a bit of fun this summer, perhaps enjoying the outdoors or some other pursuit. Here at WR, we’ve continued to stay engaged in our work, even in an altered format. Realistically, we are still able to get a lot done for the river.
In a few days I will join a wonderful group of folks who will paddle the entire river - celebrating what is there, and highlighting what needs to be done. Given everything we had to cancel this year in terms of events, this will provide a great way for all to connect to the river.
|
|
We plan to celebrate the many recreational opportunities along the river, and its wonderful natural habitat. We will also highlight things that need to get done to improve the river’s health. In addition, we will celebrate some of our volunteers who have given a lot, and continue to engage with the river. In all, it will be “187 Miles of Wonder.” We will have multiple ways to follow the trip, so stay tuned. We start on August 8th!
|
|
|
Help us inspire others and engage the community in our "WONDERful" adventure by telling us what YOU find "WONDERful" about the Willamette, and we'll share it in our social media. Share with us at
info@willametteriverkeeper.org
.
|
|
|
In other news WR now owns Ash Island’s upper tip (see below). Thanks to everyone who helped us secure this property. It will be beneficial to wildlife, and it will provide a low impact campsite for paddlers. Thanks to everyone who answered the call to help us make this gain for the river!
|
|
Stay well!
Travis Williams
Riverkeeper & Executive Director
|
|
|
Ash Island Acquisition Secured
|
|
We are thrilled to share that WR closed on the upper end of Ash Island. This property will provide valuable habitat for wildlife, and a Water Trail campsite for paddlers. This 9.5 acre property is 1.5 miles upstream of Roger’s Landing in Newberg. Generally this stretch of river has very little in the way of low impact campsites, so for those traveling through it can make a useful campsite between San Salvador and Champoeg State Park.
|
|
Thanks to all of you who contributed at every level! It is clear that WR has a membership that believes in protecting special places like Ash Island, and we appreciate your generosity and interest!
|
|
|
A big thanks to our Board Member Bart Rierson who made a connection to the owners several years back, who at that time were not ready to sell. Over time we kept in touch with them, and in the last year WR staff inquired again, the owners were willing to sell to WR, and we agreed on a price. While WR is not a land trust, we have a commitment to protecting habitat for the long term and providing low impact recreation opportunities along the Willamette River. We are also filling a critical gap on a stretch of river that is too often overlooked. With a light management touch, we will be able to better protect the property, and help improve the Leave No Trace principles we adhere to.
Our properties at Norwood Island, the Sanctuary at Lambert Bend, and now Ash Island will help protect the river for the long term.
If you would like to know more about our effort to protect habitat and provide more public access, contact
travis@willametteriverkeeper.org
|
|
Mussel Research Brings New Discoveries
|
|
While our summer plans for studying freshwater mussels in the Willamette River system were altered, we have continued with some targeted surveys at a smaller scale.
Overall there is a dearth of data about where freshwater mussels in the Willamette exist, with a relatively scattershot assemblage of observations complied over the decades on the mainstem Willamette and its tributaries. You may recall that two years ago, the WR team snorkeled about 120 miles of river. This year we plan to complete the gaps in that work, and do work on key tributaries.
Last week Travis and Celeste Mazacanno, an Advisory Board member and colleague, surveyed portions of the Molalla River and the Coast Fork Willamette. Both tributaries yielded Western Pearlshell Mussels!
|
|
 |
On the Coast Fork Willamette, south of Eugene and Springfield, the two traveled 8 miles, and for the first 2/3 of the trip found only two shells. After additional searching, a large fresh shell was seen. A bit of snorkeling led to the discovery of a wonderful mussel bed
(WATCH VIDEO)
. These Western Pearlshells were using the bedrock as home, taking refuge from the flow below long shelfs of rock.
|
|
|
|
After miles of scraping the canoe over small rapids and gravel bars, one area with unique substrate and flow on the Molalla yielded a small assemblage of mussels. It was one unique spot on a 7 mile stretch of river.
|
|
|
|
Our overarching goal is to add data on where mussels occur in the system to better understand their distribution and overall health. Our work will continue this month at a few more sites in the system. Hopefully next year we can gear up again with our wonderful volunteer force to gain additional insight and knowledge about these cool animals!
|
|
Aquatic Invasive Species Beware
|
|
Willamette Riverkeeper has been awarded grant funding from the Oregon State Weed Board to survey and remove noxious aquatic weeds from the Willamette River this summer. For this particular project, we are focusing our efforts on ODA-designated class “A” weeds that are on the cusp of spreading, requiring an
E
arly
D
etection and
R
apid
R
esponse (EDRR) approach.
These efforts truly began a few years ago when one of our stalwart volunteers discovered a huge patch of
yellow floating heart
in Dodson Slough near Eugene. This summer our restoration team and partners are conducting systematic surveys of more than 128 miles of the mainstem Willamette River from the Beltline (RM 178) in Eugene to Roger’s Landing (RM 50) in the Newberg Pool. Our survey team will be searching the mainstem, alcoves, sloughs and backchannels for yellow floating heart as well as all the usual suspects like
water primrose
(Ludwigia sp
),
purple loosestrife
, various types of
knotweed
,
Brazilian waterweed
and
yellow flag iris
.
|
|
If you see any of these new class A “EDRR” invaders, please
email our restoration team
so that we can respond quickly to these new threats to the Willamette River’s natural ecosystems.
The Oregon State Weed Board Noxious Weed Grant Program is administered by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
|
|
Our legal team has continued to try to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to get records for our March 2020 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The Corps has been busy doing its own PR,
but so far has not provided Willamette Riverkeeper with any records.
We also submitted public comments to the Oregon Department of Agriculture on bad rules implementing a bad bill. HB 2347 allows an astronomical increase in the quantity "maintenance" dredging in agricultural channels and eliminated a permitting system. Since most of these agricultural channels are in wetlands, and the Willamette River Basin's wetlands have already been decimated, we asked ODA to take a stronger position on removal of dredged materials, and oversight and reporting of the program. We also asked ODA to start to envision a way to not rely on dredging, but to encourage landowners to work better at stopping channel sedimentation in the first place.
Finally, many folks have asked us about the Portland protests and pollution of the Willamette River from munitions. We are working with several groups to build resources on this issue, and encourage you to contact
eli@willametteriverkeeper.org
if you have information. Willamette Riverkeeper
and Northwest Environmental Defense Center
just sent a letter to state and local agencies
asking them to conduct sampling from munitions at the demonstrations.
|
|
In the coming weeks WR will be completing official comments regarding the
Cleanup of Willamette Cove
. In our 20 years of work on the Portland Harbor Superfund site, Willamette Cove stands out as a unique property.
The cove has highly contaminated soils due to its past industrial use and related pollution. Much of this was known when the Metro Regional government purchased the property with bond funding in the late 1990s, yet a few years after the purchase the Oregon DEQ discovered a much higher level of contamination.
Due to this, additional study was conduced, and an Environmental Assessment completed. There are multiple possible cleanup options, and WR is currently evaluating these. Generally WR believes we must remove toxics to the highest degree possible, and provide opportunities for habitat restoration. Further, this site is unique in that it can afford a degree of public access. Stay tuned for more news on this individual site, one of many individual cleanup sites in an 11 mile stretch of river. Hopefully in the next 18 months we will see active work at multiple other sites along the river.
|
|
Willamette River Fest: 8/15 - 8/22
|
|
One such activity is the
PaddleCross Challenge
, an independent, virtually recorded experience! Get ready to rumble down your favorite rapids from Springfield to Eugene in Alton Baker Park. Race it or paddle it just for fun, you can register to compete against other participants or just join in the challenge and paddle to the finish! Youth race for free with a registered parent.
Participants can complete the route as many times as they want to improve their timing, or earn a chance to win something from the Willamette River Festival Finishers Prize Cache - a collective of goodies sponsored by Willamette Valley businesses and paddlesports vendors. Additionally, the first 50 finishers will receive a special PaddleCross Challenge patch!
Everyone who has officially registered
and completes the route will receive a special digital finisher’s recognition. Final 1st-3rd place race finishers will be announced online August 22, 2020.
What are you waiting for? Get ready, set, now... PADDLE!
|
|
Volunteer- Be a River Guardian
|
|
Many of our natural areas have unfortunately been hit really hard with the lack resources to address adequate housing and sanitation issues associated with the Covid crisis. The effects on the watershed have been staggering across many urban communities on the Willamette River. Several volunteers from local ministries, Benton County street outreach teams and even campers joined together with Willamette Riverkeeper and Corvallis Parks twice in the last 2 weeks to remove over 55 yards of garbage and hundreds of needles from a seasonal drainage area (leading straight into the Willamette).
|
|
As we begin to open more volunteer opportunities using Covid-safe guidelines, we hope you’ll join our River Guardians program efforts, in collaboration with other community partners, to help clean up OUR river, and bring our communities together to help solve this problem.
|
|
|
Join us for a Trashy Tuesday or Trashy Thursday near you. Space is limited, and masks are required. See details below.
|
|
PORTLAND
Where:
Kelley Point Park (land)
When:
Tuesday, August 4th
EUGENE
Where:
D Street Ramp to Alton Baker (river)
When:
Tuesday, August 18th
|
|
|
Make a donation between
NOW
and
August 30th
and you will be entered to win
one of TWO amazing Grand Prizes (a combined value of $3,500) or one of THREE runner up prize packages!
|
|
|
(Above: Our intern, Graham, describes it best "Ewwwwww!")
|
|
Well, this is a difficult subject for some, but let’s get to it.
Occasionally along the river, especially this year with an abundance of people getting outside along the Willamette and its tributaries for the first time, we are seeing evidence of pretty poor practices. From cutting trees for firewood, to leaving garbage behind, all of these violate the basic code of ethics that all river visitors should have. We’ve even seen diapers left along the shoreline - for real.
|
|
Worst of all is how people don’t seem to understand how to poop in the woods. There is NO Poo Fairy who will magically clean up after you! All of you reading this understand how to do things right. What is important is to help communicate the basic principles to the general public. It might be your neighbors taking a trip, friends who are new to the outdoors, and those who have never been exposed to the right info. If you think some folks in your world might benefit, spread the word through
Leave No Trace
!
|
|
(Above: Thank you for helping to recreate responsibly!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
