WATERSHED COUNCIL NEWS

Transcription

1 Siuslaw P.O. Box 422 Mapleton, Oregon, Fifteen Years of Restoring Habitat and Enhancing Community Back in the mid-1990s diverse, and at times wary, local stakeholders were brought together in response to the creation of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. Among the many lofty goals was to develop local planning and voluntary actions for salmon recovery. In 1996 and 1997, the Siuslaw Watershed Council became a formally recognized organization through the efforts of the dedicated members, many of whom are still active today. This year we are celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Siuslaw Watershed Council. In this spirit, for my Coordinator Article, I decided to look to a few of our long time members, leaders, and partners for their perspectives on the SWC s journey over the past 15 years. Here are their observations: 1 Dave Eisler, Walton Landowner, Current SWC Executive Committee Vice-Chair and Former Chair I joined the Siuslaw Watershed Council back in 1996 when watershed councils were just forming. I would have to say that with each successive year our council has grown and improved as an organization. Today we are among the better known and respected councils in the state and I expect that we will continue well into the future to provide excellent restoration and educational opportunities to our Siuslaw watershed community. August watershed@siuslaw.org WATERSHED COUNCIL NEWS Through the (Council s) grassroots efforts, it is exciting to have become a state, national, and international example recognized not only for onthe-ground work, but also our atthe-table work. Cricket Crowder Large woody debris, placed as part of a collaborative restoration project, functions in West Fork Creek and begins to restore natural stream processes. Community Economy Environment Johnny Sundstrom, Deadwood Landowner, SSWCD Chair, and Siuslaw Institute Director In only 15 years the Siuslaw Watershed Council has grown from an idea to an international inspiration. As a member of the RiverPrize-winning Siuslaw Basin Partnership, our work in Australia and Russia has been both rewarding and significant. There are now eight Public Salmon Councils on the Pacific Coast of Russia, all modeled in some ways on the Oregon example and the Siuslaw success. Cricket Crowder, Mapleton Resident, Watershed Educator, and former SWC Executive Committee Chair I have always been appreciative of the Council s focus on community and our willingness to work with all the players in the watershed. Through the grassroots efforts, it is exciting to have become a state, national, and international example recognized not only for on-the-ground work, but also our at-the-table work. Steve Elliot, Middle Siuslaw Landowner, former SWC contractor, current SWC Executive Committee Member and former Chair Thanks to the Siuslaw Watershed Council, I have seen positive changes to the riparian area where I live from programs the SWC has implemented. large woody debris (LWD) has begun to hold gravel where the creek used to be bare rock, and native trees and shrubs have taken hold and added complexity to what used to be alder and salmon berry. Continued on Page 2

2 Paul Burns, Siuslaw National Forest-Central Coast Ranger District Fisheries Biologist Through our partnerships, over 60 miles of streams on the SNF and many miles on private lands have been treated with large wood and we can be proud of the extensive youth education efforts such as the Watershed Camp and more. Nancy Nichols, Deadwood Landowner and Executive Committee Treasurer We bought our property along Deadwood Creek just before the Siuslaw Watershed Council was formed. The Council was just what we needed to learn how to manage our property and access programs that have helped us improve salmon habitat. We have learned so much from speakers at Council meetings. Happy Birthday Siuslaw Watershed Council! Siuslaw Watershed Council Tel: Fax: STAFF Coordinator/Executive Director Liz Vollmer-Buhl Aquatics Project Manager Jean-Paul Zagarola Education Projects Manager Newsletter Editor Mizu Burruss Office and Program Specialist Financial Assistant Ginger Cloutier Restoration Crew Wrin Wells Albert Wells 2012 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Chair: Gus Gates Vice-Chair: Dave Eisler Secretary: Wesley Voth Treasurer: Nancy Nichols Representatives: Jim Grano Ray Kinney George Uriona Dave Cramsey Steve Elliot 2 I came to the SWC in 2004 as a very part-time Monitoring Coordinator.Since that time, as my positions with the SWC have changed and grown, so has the Council. Our members and partners continually amaze me with their ability to stay true to their diverse stakeholder positions, while listening and considering the other positions. Additionally the level of collaboration, multi-tasking, juggling, and hard work that our partners, members, and staff dedicate to implement our many on-the-ground restoration, monitoring, and education projects is impressive. The work of watershed councils is not easy, it at times tries peoples patience as we move through the consensus process or cooperate on collaborative projects with sparse funding. The results though, both in the strong partnerships formed in the process and in the on-theground outputs, are rewarding. Whether you are a new member, or an original member, pat yourself on the back for a job well done and prepare yourself for the work ahead. Another way that we are marking our 15th Anniversary is on Saturday, September 15th at the Florence Events Center with local food and beverages, live music, a silent auction, and more. See the event flyer within this newsletter for details. We hope that you will join us in the celebration. Thank you, Liz Vollmer-Buhl Coordinator/Executive Director In Memoriam Sally J. Owens, 63, of Deadwood, passed away June 6, 2012, after a long illness. Sally was born Jan. 14, 1949, in Eugene and was raised in the Deadwood area, where she lived most of her life. Sally was very active in her community and will be greatly missed by those who knew her. She was a Siuslaw Port Commissioner, and partner and coowner of Don Wilbur Limited, with her father Don Wilbur, of Deadwood. She was also a member of the North Coast Fish Habitat and served on the Siuslaw Watershed Council, Mapleton Commercial Area Owners and Siuslaw Estuary Partnership, and was a trustee of the Deadwood Pioneer Cemetery. Over the course of Sally s many years of service to the Siuslaw Watershed Council she enriched the Council s meetings, projects, and membership with her thoughtful contributions.

3 Memories of Summer 2012: Siuslaw Watershed Exploration Camps Week One: Introductory Camp Favorite moments from Intro Camp this year: Seeing campers catch and hold their first crawdad, lamprey, and red-legged frog; how the creek bank looks after Intro Campers planted 100 willow stakes; the pile of cut scotch broom growing taller as campers cleared the invasive plant; campers holding their breath as they pretended to be a diving bird; the smile on a camper s face as she held up the fish she caught. Week Two: Intermediate Camp Favorite moments from Intermediate Camp this year: A group of campers trying to tempt the largest trout in a shady hole out of its hiding place for a moment, making a dent in moving a large pile of streambed simulation rocks into a culvert replacement, catching a tailed frog tadpole, determinedly cutting the largest scotch broom to be found, sacrificing dry clothes in pursuit of a red-legged frog, fighting mightily against wind and tide to kayak the last mile to the Port of Siuslaw. Week Three: Advanced Camp Favorite moments from Advanced Camp this year: Moving a mountain of rock into a culvert at Whittaker Creek; exploring the barn at 5 Mile Bell and finding/examining owl pellets; creek exploration and studying freshwater mussels; facilitating the development of campers own restoration plans for 5 Mile Bell; exploring the Siuslaw River by kayak and seeing old Siuslaw Indian weirs; backpacking in to Siltcoos Lake; listening to a camper play his homemade didgeridoo; telling ghost stories around a campfire in a thunder and lightning storm in the rain; learning how to build emergency shelters. Intro campers planting willow stakes in the bank of West Fork Creek Inter campers working to move a large scotch broom plant after cutting it down Advanced campers on a kayaking adventure on the Siuslaw estuary Watershed Camps are made possible by the generosity of many organizations and people. The Siuslaw Watershed Council and Watershed Camp staff would like to extend a sincere thank you to the following for their contribution to this year s camps: Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Western Lane Community Foundation, Honeyman State Park, Florence Area S.T.E.P., Siuslaw School District Transportation Department, Vanessa and Stecher Buss, Jim Grano, Kyle Johnson, Andy Marohl, Megan Green, Marisha Reavis and Paul Burns (USFS), Lauren Hesse, Liz Vollmer-Buhl, Ginger Cloutier, Satori Fincher, Alicia Holloway, Abigail DeYoung (Siuslaw SWCD), Deborah Yates and Rhonda Black (Umpqua SWCD), Johnny Sundstrom (Siuslaw Institute), Leo Poole (BLM), Caleb Mentzer, Charley Dewberry, Ray Kinney, John Spangler (ODFW), Billy and Kaki Burruss, Gus Gates (Surfrider), Campers and their families Thank you for helping to make this valuable opportunity for area youth possible! THANK YOU! 3

4 Volunteer Spotlight Satori Fincher has been volunteering for the Siuslaw Watershed Council for approximately five years. Over the course of that time she has volunteered in the office, helped to prepare the SWC newsletters and postcards for mailing, helped prepare for the SWC Watershed Exploration Camps, and helped with the set-up and distribution of thousands of native riparian plants during the SWC s annual Native Plant Distribution. When she is not helping out at the SWC Satori is a student at Mapleton High School. Thank you, Satori! Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program Update We have just completed another successful month of the VWQMP here at the SWC, thanks to our hard-working and dedicated volunteers. Data was collected on August 21st and 22nd at all of our current 11 monitoring sites. Our next VWQMP event will occur on September 20th. We monitor water quality parameters, such as dissolved oxygen (DO), to understand how ecosystem quality may be affecting our health and the health of all other organisms. DO is a measurement of the oxygen content of water which is dependant on current temperature and atmospheric pressure (level of elevation) and may fluctuate throughout the day. Salmon need cold, highly oxygenated water for survival. 4 Welcoming New Staff Members to the Siuslaw Watershed Council The Siulsaw Watershed Council is pleased to introduce two new people that have recently joined the SWC team. Aquatics Project Manager Jean-Paul Zagarola joined the SWC in July as the Aquatics Projects Manager. Jean-Paul was raised in Georgia but moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2003, where he quickly fell in love with the region and made it his permanent home base. He obtained a bachelor s degree in environmental sciences at Portland State University and then, for nearly three years, worked on a number of salmon and steelhead monitoring and habitat projects with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, mostly in the northern coast range. Later, Jean-Paul went back to school to the University of North Texas for a master s degree in the biological sciences where the bulk of his time was spent conducting research on watershed management topics in the southern Patagonia region in Chile and Argentina. Jean-Paul is now excited to be back in the rainy coastal mountains to not only work for the Siuslaw Watershed Council but to go hiking, biking and kayaking through these forested watersheds. He is also looking forward to again taking advantage of the rich resources the region has to offer through salmon fishing, berry and mushroom collecting, and maybe someday occasional elk and deer hunting. Restoration Crew Leader Wrin Wells grew up on the Siuslaw River and was always on the docks or paddling around the river in his kayak. If he wasn t to be found there, then he was commercial fishing alongside his dad for tuna, salmon or crab. Since then, Wrin has worked in the timber and utility industries. In April of 2012, Wrin began work at the Siuslaw Watershed Council as the Restoration Crew Leader. He really enjoys working outside in so many beautiful places and settings throughout the Siuslaw Watershed. His hobbies include boatbuilding and restoration, archery hunting, and fishing. Wrin and fellow restoration crew member Albert Wells will be traveling the watershed, helping maintain restoration work to ensure its success. We thank the BLM for their cooperation. In order to continue our partnership, we are required to include: The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

5 Get to Know Your Leadership Board and Executive Committee Gus Gates Executive Committee Chair and Leadership Board North Coastal Lakes and Siuslaw Bay Representative Gus was born on the Siuslaw River near Tide and grew up on his family s small farm in the upper reaches of the South Slough. Gus attended his first Siuslaw Watershed Council meeting at the age of 14 with his father and has been fascinated ever since. He first got his feet wet in watershed restoration efforts with the Forest Service as a junior in high school under the tutelage of Paul Burns, Lynn Hood, and Charley Dewberry, inspiring an interest to study fisheries at OSU. After graduating in 2003 from Oregon State University with a bachelor s degree in fisheries and wildlife science and a specialty option in ecological restoration, he moved to the south coast to explore the mighty Rogue and Chetco Rivers, as well as work with ODFW in marine fisheries. Additional professional positions include stints doing snorkel surveys, shellfish aquaculture, tropical ecology field work in Costa Rica, watershed conservationist with the Siuslaw SWCD, community organizing on marine reserves, and now his current position of the past 4 years as the Oregon Policy Manager with the Surfrider Foundation. Gus has been an active member of the SWC for six years, and has served on the Executive Committee the past three years, with the past two spent as Chair. In his free time, Gus enjoys kayak fishing, surfing, mountain biking, agate hunting, gardening, and volunteering. Wesley Voth Executive Committee Secretary and Leadership Board Middle Siuslaw Representative Wesley comes from a family proud of its Oregon pioneer and Quaker/Mennonite roots. His best schooling came from his father, a wildlife biologist at Oregon State and then George Fox College. He was a farm worker from the age of 8 to 22 on Willamette Valley truck farms, and after graduate school worked as a pastor, social worker, and then a public school teacher in Hawaii for 16 years, moving back here in 2003 with his wife Susie to live out the remainder of his years on the Siuslaw. Wesley and Susie have five children and one grandchild, all of whom love to come to this wonderful place. He has been active in the Watershed Council from the time they arrived, serving on the Leadership Board and then the Executive Committee. Wesley also contracts with SWC, visiting and following up with landowners who have planted riparian trees and shrubs received under our Native Plant Distribution. He has a small business, Owl Feather Freelancing, with a mail contract for the Mapleton area. He also writes for the Siuslaw News, and raises bees. Wesley s particular passion is local, organic and especially wild food. Billy Burruss Leadership Board Agriculture/Ranching Alternate Billy has been interested in and involved in the Siuslaw Watershed Council since moving to the area. He grows vegetables at Merrywood Farm in Deadwood. He started the Deadwood Farmer s Market and the Union of Deadwood Independent Gardeners (UDIG), which produces a community supported agriculture (CSA) weekly box of vegetables for subscribers. He is committed to ideals of local sustainable agriculture and supporting Food for Lane County with fresh produce. He and his wife, Kaki, enjoy canoeing, hiking, and family dinners. Ray Kinney Executive Committee Representative and Leadership Board Representative from the Siuslaw Soil and Water Conservation District Ray and family first moved to Deadwood in 1978 to build a log home on contract. The local community and environment sparked continued desire to live here for the duration. Involvement in an early watershed conservation group, Forest Matters, lead to a long effort to increase natural resource conservation, and public and aquatic health in midcoast watersheds by involvement with the Siuslaw Watershed Council and the Siuslaw Soil and Water Conservation District. 5

6 Calendar of Events Please check our website at for more information Wednesday, August 29 SWC General Meeting 6:30-8:30 PM, Mapleton Grange, E. Mapleton Rd, Mapleton Thursday, September 6 SWC Technical Team Meeting 9:30-11:30 AM, Siuslaw Watershed Council office, Upper U.S. Forest Service Compound, Mapleton Monday, September 10 Siuslaw SWCD Board Meeting 6:30 PM, Contact SWCD for information ( ) Wednesday, September 12 SWC Executive Committee Meeting 5:30 PM, Siuslaw Watershed Council office, Upper U.S. Forest Service Compound, Mapleton Wednesday, September 26 SWC General Meeting 6:30-8:30 PM, Mapleton Grange, E. Mapleton Rd, Mapleton Monday, October 1 Siuslaw SWCD Board Meeting 6:30 PM, Contact SWCD for information ( ) Thursday, October 4 SWC Technical Team Meeting 9:30-11:30 AM, Siuslaw Watershed Council office, Upper U.S. Forest Service Compound, Mapleton Thursday, October 4 Siuslaw Stewardship Group Meeting 1:00-3:00 PM, Siuslaw Watershed Council office, Upper U.S. Forest Service Compound, Mapleton August SWC General Meeting, Wednesday, August 29th 6:30-8:30 PM Agenda will include: Perspectives on the proposal for spring chinook in net pens in the Siuslaw Appreciation for volunteers and organizational partners with cake during the refreshment break Reports: Chair, Executive Director and Tech Team Open mic and announcements Saturday, September 15 Celebrate Siuslaw Salmon Marking the 15th Anniversary of the Siuslaw Watershed Council 6:00-9:00 PM, Florence Events Center 6 SIUSLAW WATERSHED COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP FORM Type of Membership: Landowner Community Member Industry Government Agency: Tribal: Name: Today s Date: Mailing Address: Town: State: Zip Code: Telephone: I would prefer to receive the newsletter electronically. Please check any of the following: Tax-deductible membership enclosed ( $25 supporting, $10 regular, $0 students). Additional tax-deductible donation enclosed! Amount $. Please direct to: Wherever it can be used the most General Fund Water Quality Monitoring Siuslaw Water Trail Summer Camp Native Plant Distribution Research Endowment Outreach Events and Road Signs Dirk-Edmunds Fund Other Program (list here) Please check here if you do not wish to be acknowledged in our newsletter. I am interested in volunteer opportunities with the Siuslaw Watershed Council. If you are interested in planned giving (remembering the SWC in your will) please contact the SWC office for more information. Thank You!

7 Celebrate Siuslaw Salmon marking the 15th Anniversary of Siuslaw Watershed Council *Habitat Restoration *Education Programs *Economic Opportunity *Water Quality A Local Organization achieving National & International Recognition Silent Auction: Charters, Wine Professional Services Fishing & Boating gear Firewood, Local Art & much, much more For more information and to inquire about tickets, fundraiser@siuslaw.org Thanks to support from 7 Saturday, September pm Doors open at 5:30 Florence Events Center Dinner Tickets: $20 advance/$25 at the door Local Surf & Turf and Organic Farm Fare Thanks to Knee Deep Cattle Co., Nicani Fisheries, & Whiskey Creek Organics Local Wines & Brews - 1st drink free with ticket Live Music Tickets at SWC Office in Mapleton

8 Summer and Winter Plants Need You Year-Round As we all know, plants grow well here in the summer. This means that invasive or aggressive plants will be encroaching on your native plant seedlings. It is important to cut and clear away the plants that are competing with your native plants and the native seedlings that you put in over the past winters. Before you start mowing, cutting, or grubbing, check the flagging on your plants. Mowers and brush-cutters seem to have an appetite for unmarked seedlings. While you are out there marking and releasing the plants, you may find that they need an extra drink of water or that they need plant protection. Tubes, poles, and beaver-fencing ( cages ) are still available, contact the SWC office for more information. Release assistance may also Vaccinium Ovatum, Evergreen Huckleberry be available, call the SWC office to be added to the list. Looking forward: Saturday, February 9, 2013 will be the Free Native Riparian Plant Distribution. The mailing with the plant list and information will go out in November, but you can start preparing now. Look around your riparian area and see what plants are doing well. These are the plants that you may want to consider requesting for the next Free Native Plant Distribution for your riparian zone. Also note where you have gaps or just a thin buffer for the creek. Consider adding more shade-providing trees or shrubs that will also provide song-bird habitat and food for terrestrial and aquatic organisms. The Siuslaw Native Plant Distribution is made possible by a Coast Range Stewardship Fund Grant and business and individual contributions. Siuslaw Watershed Council Mission Statement The Siuslaw Watershed Council supports sound economic, social and environmental uses of natural and human resources in the Siuslaw River Basin. The Council encourages cooperation among public and private watershed entities to promote awareness and understanding of watershed functions by adopting and implementing a total watershed approach to natural resource management and production. S iuslaw Community Economy Environment WATERSHED COUNCIL P.O. Box 422 Mapleton, Oregon, watershed@siuslaw.org What s Happening in Your Watershed?