People & wood ducks will appreciate you

By Logan Lauvray

New observation decks, Wood Duck nesting boxes, new friends, and growing trees—you’ll find them all at the North Clackamas Park planting this Saturday. And if you arrive by 9:00 am, you’ll enjoy plenty of coffee and morning goodies, too! You’ll find a map and other details on our Portland-Vancouver calendar.

Friends of Trees is partnering with North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District, North Clackamas Urban Watersheds Council, and others to host our second community planting of the season at North Clackamas Park this weekend. The planting is part of the Mt. Scott Creek Restoration Project, a project supported by a Metro Nature in Neighborhoods Capital Grant and Clackamas County Water Environment Services on behalf of Clackamas Service District No. 1.

At our first North Clackamas Park planting on Dec. 8, 2012, 40 volunteers helped plant more than 1,200 native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. Some of the species included Oregon white oak, Douglas spiraea, western sword fern, and slough sedge. In addition, volunteers led by local resident and watershed advocate Dick Shook installed several Wood Duck nest boxes. Since then, new observation decks have been completed.

This project has helped increase the large woody debris in the steam channel to provide crucial side-channel habitat for smaller fish and allow passive recreational opportunities along the creekside. This Saturday we’ll plant around the new observation decks and increase the diversity of native species planted in December.

I’m looking forward to a great day of planting at the park. If you’ve planted with us before, please join us again. If you haven’t, come on out. I’d love to see some new faces at the planting!

-Lauvray is Green Space Initiative Manager for Friends of Trees.