Snacking on the Job With Reynolds High School

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On Friday students from Reynolds High School’s after-school outdoor club came out to Beaver Creek for their very last time this year. Since these students have been such hard workers in frequently less-than-desirable weather, we decided to spend most of the beautiful sunny day actually exploring the creek we have been working on for the whole year.

While some students were looking to see what kinds of macroinvertebrates and minnows they could find in the creek, others spent some time looking in the fresh mud for any kinds of animal tracks. They found a few raccoon tracks and one suspiciously large dog-like track (unfortunately this was not a sign that wolves have returned back to western Oregon, but was probably a track from the black lab that lived nearby), and they mixed up some plaster of paris and made some pretty awesome casts of the tracks.

We then all went on a pleasant short hike to look at all of the recent spring growth and learn about the local flora. Reynolds teacher, Ms. Wilson, taught us all about the shrubs, forbes, trees, and grasses we came across including their ethnobotany. As a large percentage of the plants she pointed out were edible, what started as a short hike quickly turned into a deliciously wild salad bar. Plants we nibbled included: Indian Plum (aka Osoberry), miner’s lettuce, stinging nettle (yummy AND thrilling), garlic mustard (good to eat, especially since its horribly invasive), licorice fern root, and Salmonberry flower petals (note we would only pull off the petals of the flower to eat, the rest we left to develop into a berry). In sampling all of these wild edibles, we made sure to be careful not to overindulge and take too much from the native plants so we didn’t injure them or negatively affect their numbers.

In thanks to the earth for its nurturing meal, we ended the visit to Beaver Creek by planting some plants along the stream bank. The indian plum, salmonberry, and elderberry we planted will hopefully grow into nicely tall plants that will not only positively influence the watershed but also be a source of food for animals, including future SOLVE Green Team explorers!

An Afternoon with Reynolds High (alliteratively)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Last Friday at Beaver Creek in Troutdale, a small yet spunky set of psyced students successfully situated shrubs and saplings stream side. Such service will supplement the surroundings by strengthening the shore, staving sediment, and supplying succeeding shade for subsequent souls.

Super job Reynolds High students!

Reynolds High School: Extreme Streambank Restoration

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Members of Reynolds High School’s Outdoor Adventures Club came out last week to Beaver Creek in Troutdale to help out with planting native plants on a reed-canary grass infested terrace. The terrace we were planting on was down a steep embankment, but Reynolds High School students were more than happy to carry down plants, shovels, coffee bags, and their classmates (when help was needed) down the 20 foot near vertical face. Some of the more adventurous ones with a little mountain goat in their blood were happy to even plant cedar trees on the steep slope so that their roots could prevent further erosion on the bank.

If steep banks weren’t enough, with the recent daylight savings change, the sun set before they were finished planting and coffee-bagging the plants, but did Reynolds High School students care? No they just kept on working until the job was completed and until they could barely see any more.

We appreciate all of their hard work, and we look forward to working with them at Beaver Creek in the future!

Reynolds Raiders to the Rescue!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Reynolds High School students joined us for their first visit to Beaver Creek yesterday.  This awesome group of volunteers are working once a month after school to help out Beaver Creek while also learning about stream restoration!  Many of the students have already volunteered at Beaver Creek in the past or live very close by so they were pretty connected to this little piece of nature.

Students worked together as a team to save baby native trees and shrubs that were planted by volunteers last year.  These plants were getting overtaken by invasive Armenian(formerly known as Himalayan) Blackberry.  If it wasn’t for the Reynolds students, these plants would not have survived.

THANK YOU Reynolds High School!

Here’s to a successful school year!

Thank you Green Team students, teachers, sponsors and supporters for successful year!

East Side Students Reflect on a Year with Green Team

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Students from SOLV’s Green Teams on the East Side joined together last week to share their experiences and the lessons they have learned over the past year.  Hosted at Clackamas High School, students were able to hear about each others’ research and time spent at the creek. 

Lori Hennings of Metro joined us to talk about the importance of stream and wetland restoration, not only for the health of the waterway but for the wildlife it support as well.  Lori shared some wonderful insight on habitat fragmentation, supporting bird habitat and the importance of native planting. (Video of her presentation will be up soon.)  Check out all of the different ways you can volunteer with Metro!

Kellen and Kourtney from Clackamas High School started off the student presentations with results from their macroinvertebrate surveying at Rock Creek, as well as reflection on the importance of invasive plant removal and native planting.  Austin joined us to represent West Linn High School and their work with stream bioengineering at Abernethy Creek.  Reynolds Natural Resource Academy students Cir, Tyler, Cody and Brittney shared their perspective on garlic mustard removal and why it is so important to remove invasive plants.  Heather, Cristy and Emily presented on behalf of Gladstone High School and they shared some very interesting findings about the water quality of Rinearson Creek. 

THANK YOU to all of the stellar students and teachers we have had the honor and privilege of working with this year!  It has been one of our most successful Green Team years ever and we are so glad you all were able to share it with us.

Thank you to the following sponsors, partners and friends who attended the summit and for supporting our work:

• Metro
• Johnson Creek Watershed Council
• Friends of Trees
• Rinearson Coalition
• Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District
• State Farm
• Parrott Creek
• City of Gladstone
• Clackamas River Basin Council

A muddy reflection…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Seniors from Reynolds Natural Resource Academy joined us for their last time out at Beaver Creek last Friday.  These students have worked so hard to restore a large section of Beaver Creek visiting the site monthly as both juniors and seniors.  Back when they were juniors and visiting Beaver Creek for the first time some students were afraid to even get their shoes muddy… this is no longer an issue!  Students celebrated their hard work by painting a muddy “war paint” on their faces!  These students are indeed true warriors for their watershed.  We cannot thank you enough Reynolds Seniors!

Student reflections:

Coming to SOLV gives me something to look back at during the years of Reynolds Natural Resource Academy.  The things we did here were really impactful.  We got to do so much.  We planted trees.  We protected them.  We even go to save habitat for fish.  Now they can still live and spawn in Beaver Creek.

Never did I think I would have a snail poop on my paper.  Never did I think I would plant trees for fun.  Never did I think I could really make a change for the environment.  Reynolds Natural Resource Academy and SOLV join forces to drive the stake of nature into our hearts.

My lovely SOLV experience.  Miles and Meghan our SOLV leaders taught us so much, from plant to water bugs.  What plants are native and invasive.  How plants help the water and dirtiness.  The power to take out blackberries and garlic mustard.  I learned a lot and enjoyed the time to put in healthy earth.  I will continue to SOLV!

Fun in the sun, fun in the rain all to help the environment.  Getting rid of the unwanted invasives.  Planting new natives to grow tall; provide shade to the stream; stopping erosion.  Smelling all the garlic mustard, but feeling proud of removing them.  Two years of working with amazing people, all to change the world

Reynolds Battles Garlic Mustard

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday this week, students from Reynolds Natural Resource Academy fought hard against a new and somewhat unfamiliar invader; Garlic Mustard.

While Garlic Mustard is a relatively new invader to the Columbia Gorge and Willamette Valley, it is prolific in the midwest and east coast.   This Early Detection and Rapid Response weed is allelopathic, meaning its roots release chemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants on the forest floor including any tree saplings.  SOLV volunteers and East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District are working hard to contain and control Garlic Mustard along Beaver Creek before it becomes a widespread invasive (like Reed Canary Grass).

From the Oregonian:

Garlic Mustard crowds out native plants and wildflowers in the forest understory. And it releases chemicals into the soil that kill fungus vital to native plants. That, in turn, can cause problems for native wildlife and healthy streams.

Unlike invasive plants such as Himalayan blackberry, English ivy and Scotch broom, garlic mustard looks unobtrusive. The springtime rosette of leaves grows into a stalk with small, white flowers in early May. The seed pods explode, and one plant can produce thousands of seeds. Seeds are picked up by passing humans and animals, spread by mowing and washed into drainages.

Where the seeds land, they almost invariably grow.

April is the ideal time to pull Garlic Mustard since this is a month before it flowers and starts to produce seeds.  Students pulled up and bagged Garlic Mustard including roots.  If any part of the plant is left on site, including just a single leaf, it will regenerate and produce seeds.  Students ended up filling 15 large SOLV bags!  Thank you Reynolds Natural Resource Academy!!

Reflections on the creek

Students from Reynolds Natural Resource Academy take some classroom time to artistically reflect on their restoration site, Beaver Creek.

"I learned that every season of the year has its beauty. Even winter when everything seems dead" Junior, Reynolds NRA"

 

Black Capped Chickadee

Beaver Creek Bioengineering

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Water levels at Beaver Creek in Troutdale have been at extreme highs in the past few weeks; Reynolds Natural Resource Academy students who have come out to the site in the past few weeks can attest to this.

Water has receded and students were able to continue their work this week, planting on eroded banks and bioengineering for bank stabilization with willow and dogwood stakes.  The technique the students used is called fascine bundles, or wattles, which are bundles of live and dead plant material.  The live plant material is taken from plant species which root readily, like willow and dogwood; the bundles are prepared and placed in a shallow trench near the creek.  Students harvested willow and dogwood already growing at Beaver Creek and assembled the stakes, or branches, into bundles, fastened with twine.  Students dug trenches on the eroding banks, inserted the bundles and covered them again with remaining soil.

These fascine bundles will really benefit the creek as they root, further stabilizing the eroding banks and providing plants to push back water when the creek floods.  Reynolds students worked alongside Timber Lake Job Corps members, who are working with SOLV on some projects this season.  Job Corps members are from the Forestry and Fire Fighting trade and have been exceptional in the quality and quantity of the work they have done in just a few days.