The Peak View Newsletter April 22nd, 2024
Rose Young
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New! Thursday, May 9th – Imagining Marys Peak Webinar
7:00 pm
This final lecture of the 3-part Liz & Bob Frenkel Spring Webinar Series presents Julia Johanas from the U.S. Forest Service and Dave Eckert introducing the concept of a Marys Peak Interpretive Master Plan that will help visitors and stakeholders appreciate how we impact Marys Peak and to envision a future thriving Marys Peak. Through this plan, Marys Peak can be transformed with positive human impacts on this ecologically and culturally thriving special place.
In addition to the option of watching the webinar live, registrants will automatically receive the webinar recording by May 12th.
To register for this free webinar, click on:
https://bit.ly/2024frenkelseries3
Sponsors: Marys Peak Group Sierra Club, Marys Peak Alliance of AFRANA & Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
Today! Monday, April 22nd - 2024 Corvallis Earth Day Tour - Resurrection of a Lost Creek
Join us on a short hike to see a creek that was previously blocked, buried underground, tilled, poisoned, commercially planted and harvested for well over 100 years and has been recently resurrected.
This 3-mile guided hike will illustrate how the landscape of a former camas/tarweed field at the western edge of the Missoula Floods zone was transformed in 1848 into the earliest colonial farm within Benton County, Oregon. That transformation included significant changes in the above and below-ground water flow, to meet the needs of the new agricultural practices. As a result, the headwaters of the North Branch of Dunawi (Kalapuya term for elderly wise woman) Creek disappeared. That former farmland is now part of the city-owned Bald Hill Natural Area on a 57-acre field east of the North Ridge of Bald Hill. In 2016, members of the Marys Peak Group and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition partnered with the City to resurrect this seasonal headwaters creek and return it to a hydrologically, ecologically and culturally-functional waterway. This tour will reveal the landscape and cultural history of the creek, show how the creek was resurrected, and provide a vision of how the site may evolve over the next few decades. Two miles of the hike are on a paved path and one mile is on off-trail, uneven field soil that may be wet or muddy. Elevation gain is minimal.
This year, the MPG Outing Leader is Mary Beth Downes and the Tour Guide is Dave Eckert.
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Registration required! Contact the outing leader to reserve a spot and obtain further details. Leader: Robert White, rlw...@gmail.com
Silver Falls State Park is one of Oregon’s most well known places for a good hike. The North Rim Trail was recently completed and provides excellent views of the Falls, plus shorter hiking options. This hike is just under five miles with about 550 feet of elevation gain. The North Rim Trailhead is at the North Falls Day Use area. There is ample parking plus new restroom facilities.
We will descend to the Canyon Trail past Twin Falls. The route continues downstream to the Winter Falls bridge. We will cross the bridge and then ascend to the Rim Trail. During our scouting we were impressed with actually seeing water flowing over the Winter Falls. Once we reach the Rim Trail we will head towards North Falls Trailhead. We will continue to Upper North Falls for a nice view. At this point we reverse direction and head to the North Falls Trailhead. However we will take the new North Rim Trail from this point. The new trail is around a mile long and well done. Some may want to photograph North Falls from the new observation point. We then continue on to our starting point.
The 5 mile hike is rated as moderate. Trekking poles may be helpful for steep and narrow portions of the trail. Bring good boots or shoes, water, and a lunch. We will eat our lunch at an appropriate location.
The group is limited to 12 participants. We will meet at the North Rim Parking lot at 10:20 for a 10:30 departure. Travel time from Corvallis to the new parking lot is about 1.25 - 1.5 hours. The turnoff for the trailhead is 0.5 miles past the North Falls Trailhead. There is a daily parking fee of $5.00 per car if you do not have an annual pass. Daily passes may be purchased online or by the machine at the new carpark—credit cards only.
Announcements:
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2023 Champinefu Lectures are Now on YouTube
Closed-caption recordings on the first two Champineful Lectures are now available on YouTube.
Willamette River: Ancestral Highway
Fire is Life: Living in Relation with Indigenous Fire Practices of Western Oregon
Joe Scott (Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians), winner of the 2023 Indigenous Place Keeping Artist (IPKA) Fellowship, was the presenter. He discussed how he is connecting local indigenous people to the sacred fire resources and practices that have sustained people of this place through the seasonal round since Time Immemorial.
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The three 2023 Liz and Bob Frenkel Environment and Hiking Spring Series webinars are now available on YouTube with closed caption subtitles.
Reviving the Wetlands at Finley National Wildlife Refuge
This webinar will entice both those who have never been to Finley and those who have been there many times to visit the refuge with new eyes and new expectations. A high level of wetland restoration work has already established the Finley Wildlife National Refuge as a significant wildlife refuge that also attracts thousands of visitors each year. This webinar will show you a mature restoration site and how you can best enjoy it. Presenter: Jarod Jebousek is a wildlife biologist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife currently focusing on the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program for the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex. His office is at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge ten miles south of Corvallis.
Reviving the Wetlands at Herbert Farm Natural Area
Owens Farm/Jackson-Frazier Wetland Complex
and Events Dept., Meredith Petit, Director, Corvallis Parks and Recreation Dept.; Ellen Tappon, President, Alliance for Recreation and Natural Areas (AFRANA)
Each webinar presents a very different view of Kalapuya or indigenous placekeeping from the perspective of the Kalapuya. These webinars in ascending order will open the eyes to non-Kalapuya residents. Please take the opportunity to watch them and then share the links with your colleagues, friends and family members:
Shawala
Champinefu Webinar Series 2022: Shawala - Birthplace of William Hartless - YouTube
Kalapuya Seasonal Rounds and Their Removal from Corvallis
Champinefu Webinar Series 2022: The Kalapuya Seasonal Round at the Confluence - YouTube
Indigenous Placekeeping
Champinefu Webinar Series 2022: Indigenous Placekeeping in Corvallis and at the Confluence - YouTube
1) Newcomers to MPG outing events, please view the GENERAL OUTING POLICY on our MPG website http://oregon2.sierraclub.org/marys-peak before pre-registering for or attending an outing.
2) Contacting Marys Peak Group: Marys Peak Group contact information is obtainable at http://oregon2.sierraclub.org/marys-peak Listed are the Executive Committee members and the Administrative and Program Coordinators.
3) Facebook: Marys Peak Group – Sierra Club is on Facebook. Check out MPG’s Facebook page to view pictures of past hikes and events, and learn about upcoming opportunities. Post pictures from hikes and outings you participate in! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marys-Peak-Group-Sierra-Club/159377960779
4) Minutes of the MPG Executive Committee can be viewed at the aforementioned website by clicking on the About Us/Ex Comm Meeting Minutes tab or by clicking on MPGMinutes_Jan2024 for the minutes of the last meeting on January 4th, 2024.
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OSU Forestry Recreation Updates: