Feb. 13 City Club meeting, High Water Mark

[Nick Houtman]

The Marys River surged over its banks in January and reached its highest stage in almost 75 years of monitoring. Flooded roads caused detours and isolated area residents while water covered farm fields and lapped under homes. These events were of particular interest to members of the Marys River Watershed Council (MRWC), which has been focused on water quality, fish passage and education since its founding in 1996.

At the Feb. 13 Corvallis City Club meeting, Thom Whittier, Chair of the MRWC’s board of directors, will discuss the historic events of the past month and the council’s work to make improvements across the more than 190,000 acres drained by the Marys River and its tributaries. With citizen volunteers, area landowners, a part-time staff of three and cooperating agencies and nonprofit organizations, the Council has helped to restore natural habitats and educate thousands of school children about river ecology and management.

Whittier has been a member of the Council’s Board since 2008 and works for the USDA Forest Service in Corvallis. He had a front-row seat of the January flood. His home in Corvallis abuts the Marys River.

Attendance is free. Lunch is $8 for members, $10 for nonmembers. To register, send email to nickho...@aol.com by Feb. 9 with "City Club Feb. 13" in the subject line.