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Inspiring and supporting voluntary stewardship of the Marys River watershed.
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Ecology Tap Talk: Old Tree Legacies Reveal Frequent Fire on the McDonald-Dunn Forest
Location: Common Fields, 545 SW 3rd St,
Corvallis, OR 97333
Date: Monday, September 15th, from 5:30 PM to 7:30
PM, talk starts at 6 PM
Come learn about the history of fire in our local forests! Charles Drake, a Master's Student in Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, will share
findings from his research in the McDonald-Dunn.
The Ecology Tap Talks series is supported by the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund. Common Fields generously donates 10% of food and drink proceeds to the Marys River
Watershed Council to support our ecological restoration and environmental education work.
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Restoration at Martin Luther King Jr. Park
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The Marys River Watershed Council (MRWC), in partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the City of Corvallis, is collaborating on important ecological
restoration efforts at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park. This project focuses on improving wetland, riparian, and upland habitats, enhancing both the environmental health of the park and its value as a community green space.
Current efforts include:
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At Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, USFWS has already completed one round of herbicide spraying on invasive reed canary grass, and MRWC will complete a second treatment this fall.
Visitors will begin to see the difference between areas of native wetland plants and invasive grasses thanks to these efforts. The next steps for this restoration project include regrading parts of the site to improve water retention and strengthen habitat
connectivity as part of the larger park project slated to break ground in 2026. These restoration activities, paired with ongoing maintenance, will ensure the area remains healthy and resilient for the long term. Currently, MRWC’s wetland restoration efforts
are made possible by a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB).
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Restoration efforts in the riparian area began with the USFWS removing large invasive trees and shrubs with heavy equipment. The debris was then piled in nearby fields, where crews
from the City of Corvallis and the Community Services Consortium are chipping it for dispersal. Once the removal of larger invasives is completed, the City of Corvallis will utilize a masticator to chip up the smaller invasive species, such as blackberry and
young English hawthorn saplings. Removing these invasive species will make room for native plantings along the streambank. This will create a resilient and sustainable canopy to support the many wildlife species that depend on the shade and food sources.
Some native species planting is planned for the winter of 2026, with more planned following the machine work in 2026.
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Underplanting of ash trees
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The
emerald ash borer (EAB) has been a large topic of concern across the state, and MLK Park is no exception. The park's ash trees play a critical role in providing shade and protecting the stream, but when EAB reaches this
area, the impact will be devastating. To prepare, we will be planting native species under the existing ash canopy. This proactive underplanting will ensure a smooth transition if ash trees must be removed, preventing gaps in shade cover and habitat protection.
Our work with EAB is supported through the Oregon Department of Forestry Urban Community Forests grant. This grant enables MRWC to expand underplanting efforts throughout our watershed, engage the community in learning about the effects of EAB, and partner
with the Community Services Consortium to safely remove infested trees once the pest infects them.
These restoration efforts extend beyond planting trees; they aim to revive natural processes, enhance climate resilience, and deliver lasting benefits for wildlife
and the community. MRWC is also working to ensure ongoing maintenance through strategic partnerships to keep these ecosystems thriving for years to come. Through its collaboration with the City of Corvallis, USFWS, and the Community Services Consortium, MRWC
is making a tangible difference in reconnecting people, land, and water, right in the heart of our community.
We are deeply grateful to our funders whose generosity makes this work possible. If you’d like to support these efforts, please consider donating to help us continue restoring and protecting our watershed.
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An update on our Youth Watershed Council
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Our first stop was at a local landowner's property, where the students helped remove invasive sweet cherry trees (Prunus
Avium). Armed with hand saws and loppers, they cut down the small trees, piled the brush, and stacked the logs. Then, we got to see Aubrey, our Restoration Project Director, demonstrate how to safely fell a large cherry tree with a chainsaw,
which is always exciting.
Next, we visited our project site in Shotpouch Creek on a nearby tributary. Here, we had many stakeholders present to guide the students through building a
post-assisted log structure (PALS). During this project, we had NOAA scientists, Chris Jordan and Dawn URycki, a representative of the Van Eck landowners from Pacific Forest Trust, and staff from the Marys River Watershed
Council. Chris taught the students how to build a PALS and use the post pounder, then let them loose to design and build their own! As the professionals collected and gathered woody materials for the students, they built two more PALS. The students had full
control over the process and did a great job! They got to play in the small creek, move logs around, get a little muddy, and learned a lot in the process! We are hoping to go out and build more PALS along this tributary in the near future.
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Youth Watershed Council Student Highlight - Sullivan Montfort
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Hi there, my name is Sullivan Montfort. I'm a Junior at Corvallis High School and have been a Youth Watershed Council volunteer for two years. This summer, August 13th
- 21st, I and 11 other high school students went to
Toolik field station, a research station for the University of Fairbanks. We landed in Prudhoe Bay then drove down to Toolik. It sits high above the Arctic circle and was around 50° Fahrenheit (or 10° Celsius) on average
the whole trip. Along with 11 other high school students, I had the opportunity to visit this station and chat with many professionals such as scientists, helicopter pilots, chefs, and parts manufacturers. I was able to go to this research station because
of a program called
Trio: Upward Bound, a college/post-secondary education readiness program. It's designed to help students who are first-generation college students or students from a lower socioeconomic background.
Overall, I would rate the experience a 10/10. The area was absolutely beautiful; the plants and animals that live in the tundra are completely different from what you can find in Oregon. Personally, my favorite part was speaking with the researchers and scientists.
I've always found that learning something from an expert is the most fun because they are so passionate about what they are doing. I also really like learning about their paths through life and how they got where they are, especially since Toolik is such a
unique place to be working. The group and I were able to take a tour of an oil field, visited the Arctic Ocean, climbed a tower with a member of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), hiked through an old river bed in search of fossils, watch
a trapped Arctic ground squirrel get tagged for research, and learned about macroinvertebrates and fish in Toolik Lake. My favorite activity was learning about the Macroinvertebrates, just because it's something I have experience with through the youth watershed
council. If you know a high school student, or are a high school student, I would highly recommend looking into TRIO. They have lots of trips similar to this and they cover all costs.
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Come celebrate Hispanic heritage at this year’s Festival Latino. With musical acts, art and history exhibits, activities for children, and plenty of food vendors, this event hosted by the
Linn-Benton Hispanic Advisory Committee offers fun for the whole family. Stop by to support the local Hispanic community and embrace Latino culture.
If attendance in person is not possible, the event will be streamed live on
Facebook from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Venga a celebrar la herencia hispana en el Festival Latino de este año. Con
presentaciones musicales, exhibiciones de arte e historia, actividades para los niños y una gran variedad de puestos de comida, este evento organizado por el Comité Asesor Hispano de Linn-Benton ofrece diversión para toda la familia. Pase para apoyar a la
comunidad hispana local y disfrutar de la cultura latina.
Si no es posible asistir en persona, se puede conectar en vivo a través de
Facebook de 12 p.m. a 5 p.m.
Marys River will have a booth set up at Festival Latino and would love to see you! We will have some fun activities and information on watersheds!
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