Can you donate to support our enhancement and education efforts at Garden Lake Park? Your support is needed to plant LARGER trees and to install the BEST signage at the park. Volunteers are putting in long hours to prepare the signage, finalize the design and organize the July 4th dedication ceremony for the Youth Legacy Nature Pavilion at the Garden Lake Park. Call the Coast Fork office at 767-9717 for more information.  Donations made to “Coast Fork Fund, McKenzie Watershed Alliance” are tax-exempt.

March 25th Council members turned out at LCC to hear the well known environmentalist Bruce Newhouse discuss how the nature of the Willamette Valley has changed over time, including the history of how our landscapes evolved over time, how they were managed by the natives, and how we do it now. He discussed some large scale efforts (such as the Oregon Conservation Strategy), midrange efforts (Watershed Council planning) and some on-the-ground projects as a great overview on management efforts for the valley. Also, Tom Andrade of the Oregon Department of Forestry provided a brief Update on the Oregon Forestland-Urban Interface Fire Protection Act (Senate Bill 360).

Orin Schumacher, Lane County Public Works, spoke on Mosby Creek Road Maintenance at the February 25th Council Meeting. He addressed concerns about the impact of road maintenance activity and outlined Lane County’s efforts to minimize impact on the Mosby Creek riparian zone.
Pam Reber, Council coordinator,  reviewed the status of several reaches of Mosby Creek as outlined in the just completed Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Aquatic Inventory. The report covered 37 km of Mosby Creek stream habitat—one of the largest free-flowing tributaries of the Coast Fork Willamette River.

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Several tree planting parties occurred during the month of February at Garden Lake Park to help get the park planted for the July 4th dedication ceremony for the Garden Lake Youth Science Pavilion.

Earth Day:  What A Celebration! There were 52 volunteers who gathered on April 22nd at Garden Lake Park to weed and mulch recent plantings and the paths that wind around the ponds!  Volunteers included 37 students and two teachers from Creswell High School, nine EPUD employees, plus Coast Fork staff and volunteers.  Temperatures were ideal as everyone worked hard to help make the park look great for the upcoming dedication ceremony for the soon to be completed Ron Petitti Pavilion for science education

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Saturday, July 4th

Creswell’s 4th of July Celebration — Dedication of Garden Lake Ron Petitti Pavilion

Join the Coast Fork Watershed Council and the Creswell community for a very special July 4th celebration when the Garden Lake Ron Petitti Pavilion will be dedicated.  The Council welcomes all volunteers who would like to help us table at this exciting event.

Between 2006 and 2009, the City of Creswell, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council, and hundreds of volunteers have conducted a habitat restoration project on 11 acres of the park. Their combined efforts have resulted in removal of invasive blackberry, Scot’s broom, and English ivy species plus 2,300 native species plantings and 40 lbs. of native seed to increase native plant density and diversity. These plants will mature, without being taken over by invasive species.  This will preserve open space near Creswell and create more shade on Hill Creek and Garden Lake ponds, which will improve the riparian habitat.

The Garden Lake Park pavilion will feature interpretive signage illustrating the sustainable design aspects of the pavilion, ecological aspects of the park, historical significance of the area, and ongoing restoration efforts taking place in the park. It is intended to allow park visitors to understand the environment and act as environmental stewards. The rooftop solar panel to generate electricity for lighting is intended to educate the public about renewable energy sources.

The pavilion, which is expected to be completed by June 15, will be dedicated to the memory of Creswell’s late mayor Ron Petitti, who donated hundreds of hours of his time to Garden Lake Park’s transformation from water-filled former gravel pits to an invaluable community resource.

The pavilion project itself began after the city was awarded a $50,000 Youth Legacy Grant by Oregon Parks & Recreation Department, the Marines donated labor estimated to have a value of $60,000, EPUD donated the solar panels and other community members and organizations have contributed cash, materials, and labor.

July 10 – 19 Bohemia Mining Days Celebration

at Cottage Grove

The Watershed Council will be tabling during three days of this event!  Please call the office at 797-9717 to see how you can represent the Council and be part of this exciting community event.

Wednesday, June 10th 6:30 – 8:30 pm

How Innovative Environmental Education Benefits

Students, Community, and the Watershed

Plus: Impact of Recent Plantings on the Riparian Zone in Two Parks

Cottage Grove Community Center, 700 E. Gibbs St.

Learn firsthand about the success and impacts of the quality environmental education programs in place in the Coast Fork Watershed.  This presentation will review the STREAM (Students Trained in River Enhancement, Awareness, and Monitoring) Education Program in Cottage Grove. Plus hear about the Restoration Stewardship activities of the UO Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) in East Regional and Garden Lake Parks.

Stephanie Schroeder, Walama Restoration Project executive director, current STREAM students, and teachers Eric Cullander and Gail Hemsoth will describe how the STREAM program incorporates basic geography, stream health, and water quality curriculum into classrooms, teaches important skills to students, and benefits our community.

Kevin Horan, ELP restoration stewardship project manager, and three undergraduate students will discuss their assessment of the impact on the riparian zone of recent plantings in East Regional Park and Garden Lake Park.

Saturday, May 16th 8 am – 2 pm

Fourth Annual Watershed Cleanup in Cottage Grove

Join the Coast Fork Watershed Council, the City of Cottage Grove, and SOLV who are partners in organizing the Fourth Annual Watershed Cleanup, Saturday, May 16th from 8 am – 2 pm. This event is part of Cottage Grove’s Oregon 150 celebration and our goal is to reach “Oregon 150 Volunteers!”

Volunteers should gather at the Cottage Grove Community Center, 700 E. Gibbs, where registration, gloves, snacks, bags, safety info, and a free drop-in yoga session will be available from 8 – 9:30 am. Everyone then will be directed to a location that needs help with the cleanup. Pre-register if possible and donations for prizes are welcome! Please call Teresa Cowan (942-1185) or Pam Reber (767-9717).

Following the cleanup, everyone who registered is invited to join in a free celebration lunch and raffle for prizes from local businesses at 1 pm in Prospector’s Park by the Dr. Snapp House (360 S. River Rd.).  Businesses which have donated for the raffle and event so far include Fleur De Lis Patisserie, Garden of Ink, Backstage Bakery, Cascade Home Center, Kalapuya Books, Cottage Grove Sentinel, Kool Beanz, Rosebud Consignment, Cosmo Cafe, Schweitzer’s Western Ware, The Flower Basket, Candela’s, Mystical Closet, Farmhand Feed and Home Store, The Book Mine, Big Stuff Barbecue, Espresso Barn, Shady Oaks, Shoestrings, Abraxas Video, Paiges in Time, Julie Knurowski, Umpqua Bank, Costco, Safeway, Walmart, and Jerry’s Home Improvement Center.

There will be free recycling at the Umpqua Bank parking lot, thanks to B&B Scrap Metal and Indigo Cat Computers. Bring scrap metal, aluminum, glass, paper, and e-waste (computers, etc.) for a rare opportunity to recycle downtown.

We will be picking up trash in parks and neighborhoods, pulling up ivy and blackberries, and sprucing up our great city by working outside with community members. The Cottage Grove Urban Forestry Committee and the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council Invasive Species Group will be focusing efforts along the Coast Fork River.  The Friends of Mosby Creek will tackle ivy along the Row River bike path.

Other volunteers will help clean up city parks and public areas.  There’s still time to volunteer for a specific activity or adopt an area that could use a good cleanup or other improvement.

Sunday, May 17th

Mt. Pisgah Arboretum’s Wildflower Festival & Plant Sale 10 am – 4 pm

We’ll have a table there. Stop by and see us!

Saturday, May 30th

Volunteers’ Raft Trip

Sign up early for our annual volunteers’ rafttrip on the beautiful Coast Fork.  Contact the Council office at 767-9717 to sign up.

Have you seen our new newsletter, called Restore?  View the Spring 09 and  Winter 09 issue on our website! Would you like to receive our monthly eNewsletter?  Contact Coast Fork Outreach to put your  name on our mailing list.

More than 30 community members met to consider future planning for the Garden Lake Park Pavilion project.  Creswell and a  host of community organizations, including the Coast Fork Council,  successfully applied for a State Park Youth legacy grant to build a science/nature pavilion in Garden Lake Park just for youth.  Interpretive signage will be installed at the park.  Attendees brainstormed on three areas:  pavilion design, park signage ocntent, and dedication ceremony.  Everyone involved with the project has committed to having the pavilion completed befofre a July 4th dedication ceremony.  Please see the Creswell Chronicle’s write up of the initial meeting for more details.

More than 20 attendees viewed the OPB video “The Silent Invasion” January 27th to learn what damange invasive species are doing to Oregon and  the Coast Fork Watershed.  Tania Siemens, Invasive Species Coordinator for TNC/OSU Sea Grant and Pam Reber presented a pilot program proposed for the Coast Fork to fight invasive species, called the Early Detection/Rapid Response (EDRR) project.  View presentation PowerPoint.  To learn more about invasive species, visit the Oregon Invasive Species Council website.

Join the Cottage Grove Urban Forestry Committee to help remove invasive species!
Volunteers meet midmorning on Sundays, just downstream of the Harrison Bridge on River Road in Cottage Grove.
To check dates and times, contact Julie Knurowski at 953-5672.  Julie is a member of the Coast Fork Technical Committee.