MCWC Welcomes New Watershed Restoration Specialist - Trevor Griffiths

Greetings! As the new Watershed Restoration Specialist for the MidCoast Watersheds Council, I wanted to say “hi” and introduce myself.

I was born and raised in Pacifica, CA. - a beach town near San Francisco. However, after eight years in this state, I now call Oregon my home. I’m an active and outdoorsy person. I like to hike, bike, surf, play soccer, camp, and fish. I also enjoy slower paced activities like gardening, cooking, and reading. I am passionate about protecting and preserving the natural world and plan to use that passion to help the MCWC continue to work toward our mission of “improving the health of streams and watersheds of Oregon’s central coast so they produce clean water, rebuild healthy salmon populations, and in turn support a healthy coastal ecosystem, economy, and culture”.   

I have a bachelor’s of science degree in Ecohydrology from the University of Nevada, Reno and approximately 10 years of experience in ecological restoration and botany. I have worked as field tech, nursery manager, botanist, independent contractor, crew lead, and project manager on wetland mitigation, riparian planting, in-stream habitat, vegetation mapping, and meadow restoration projects. I’ve done this work from Portland to SanFrancisco, from the coast to the Great Basin and on many of the beaches, rivers, mountains, and rangelands in between.

I’m excited to be living back on the coast, as are my partner Alicia and son Leopold, and to have the opportunity to contribute to the good work being done out here. I look forward to getting to know the area better and connecting with the local community. If you would like to reach out to me with questions, comments, or suggestions, you can contact me at my email address or phone number below. Otherwise, I hope to see you around the watershed.

Sincerely,

Trevor Griffiths

trevor@midcoastwc.org

(541) 265-9195

Salmon on Trees: Council Coordinator featured in Oregon Coast Today

"Salmon and people aren’t that different. We all need cool, clean water to survive. The actions we take to restore salmon habitat — replacing bad culverts, placing large wood in streams, planting native trees and shrubs — all do more than just restore salmon habitat. These actions restore the natural systems and processes that give us idyllic images of cold-water streams rushing through lush, green mountain terrain. We are focused on salmon, but the work we do touches everything that lives on the landscape" -Evan Hayduk

Oregon Coast Today columnist Paul Haeder joined MCWC Council Coordinator Evan Hayduk, Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District Interim Director Jen Hayduk, and their beloved pup Tahoma for some planting of Little Lobster Creek's seasonal floodplain wetlands. In the process, the group talked about salmon, large wood, beaver, blue carbon, and work ethics. As Haeder's column name suggests, this is truly a Deep Dive into the world of restoration! 

Sit back and enjoy reading the full article here: 
https://www.oregoncoasttoday.com/deep-dive/fish-do-grow-on-trees

Yaquina Estuary Restoration Project Begins

This summer through early September, those who travel Elk City Road upriver from Toledo will notice equipment in the tidal marsh across the Yaquina River. MCWC and partners will be working to restore a 55-acre site owned by The Wetlands Conservancy, called Y27, so that juvenile salmon and other important estuary species can thrive here.

The basis of this work surrounds research undergone in the Salmon River estuary near Lincoln City that showed that after most of the marshes were restored, coho that spent extended periods of time in those habitats as juveniles accounted for 20–35% of the adults returning to spawn a few years later. To an even greater degree, more than 50% of the returning adult Chinook salmon had also spent more time as young salmon in the nutrient rich and protected waters of the estuary (for more information on this, see: http://www.midcoastwatersheds.org/coho-lhd). 

While fish habitat is the main reason we’re expanding the restoration work that was done in 2001, we’re also removing more of the dikes and creating new tidal channels so the site can store more water during floods, accumulate more sediment to keep up with sea level rise, and restore forested tidal wetland habitat.

To learn more about the project, check out its coverage in the local news: https://www.thenewsguard.com/community/yaquina-estuary-restoration-project-will-begin-this-summer-providing-benefits-to-salmon/article_e96e8324-b7cf-11ea-90d9-4f6e1f4aba20.html

In addition, project updates will be shared on our website as work progresses, at: http://www.midcoastwatersheds.org/restoration-projects

Introducing the "Blue Heart Chronicles"

While there are a myriad of reasons one may be feeling blue at this moment, local artist Duncan Berry and filmmakers Richard Wright, Myrl Wright, and Lisa Voelker, have created a series of seven-10 minute You Tube videos called the Blue Heart Chronicles that may help flip the script with beautiful imagery of the Salmon River watershed at the northern bounds of MCWC's working area.

In the series, "we utilize a dynamic combination of arts and sciences to take you on a deep dive into the liquid operating system of our planet. And in the process we take you from the surface of the sun to the bottom of the Mariana trench, revealing the surprising, the hidden and the beautiful, stitching together the story of life on planet earth, with a liquid blue thread, says Duncan.

While the first episode will debut in early July, the video below that introduces the series is jam-packed with the same amazing imagery and fascinating factoids.

Pre-covid, MCWC had planned on coordinating a volunteer Restoration Work Party on June 13th at the Tamara Quays and Pixieland restoration sites with Salmon-Drift Creek Watershed Council and the US Forest Service. We envisioned spending the day pulling invasive species so native plants can thrive, continuing the long history of restoration in the Salmon River Estuary with our community, and marking our second year participating in the regional Orca Action Month with Whale and Dolphin Conservation. While that is now off the table, we hope the Blue Heart Chronicles may help those that would have otherwise liked to volunteer to still feel connected to the Salmon River and Cascade Head area. 

Salmon River Estuary Restoration 

Restoration work first began at Pixieland and Tamara Quays in 2007, after lands of a former theme park and trailer community totaling 97 acres were acquired by the US Forest Service in order to fulfill management goals within the 1974-designated Cascade Head Scenic-Research Area. In addition to removing the structures associated with their former land uses, actions took place to restore the natural tidal hydrology and vegetation of the sites.

As a whole, the Salmon River Basin has seen restoration of estuarine marshes more complete than in any other Oregon estuary. While diking and drianing of most of the marshes in the estuary took place in the 1960’s to convert them to livestock pastures, restoration projects reversed the unintentional ill effects to salmon of these actions by removing dikes and re-establishing of native marsh vegetation and tidal channels that provide crucial habitat at vulnerable life stages. 

You can learn more about this amazing endeavor on our website: http://www.midcoastwatersheds.org/coho-lhd

and here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/siuslaw/landmanagement/resourcemanagement/?cid=fsbdev7_007294

MCWC Council Coordinator Wins Award for Fish Habitat Conservation Work

Evan Hayduk, Coordinator of the MidCoast Watersheds Council (MCWC) since 2016, has earned the Fish Habitat Section of the American Fisheries Society’s 2020 Rising Star Award.

This annual award is administered in partnership with NOAA and the National Fish Habitat Partnership to recognize the achievements of individuals who early in their career exhibit outstanding work to promote freshwater and coastal fish habitat conservation. Hayduk was recognized for the quantity and quality of his restoration projects and his cooperative work with agencies and landowners.

In cooperation with the MCWC’s Technical Team and agency experts and funders, Hayduk managed the implementation of the $1.15 million North Creek culvert replacement project in the Drift Creek Siletz watershed. He also helped plan and permit the $500,000 Big Creek (south of Yachats) floodplain restoration project and the $721,000 estuary restoration project on the Yaquina River, both of which will be completed this summer. In addition, Hayduk is busy implementing the $700,000 Beaver Creek riparian restoration project, working with 12 landowners to plant over 20,000 trees and shrubs to help shade the stream, as well as other major work to help restore the floodplain.

Hayduk says, “I am incredibly grateful to all the partners I’ve worked with over my four years with the MidCoast Watersheds Council. The success I’ve had here could not have been accomplished without their and the greater community’s support for habitat restoration.”

Evan Hayduk directs volunteers from Trout Unlimited Bluebacks Chapter to plant native species at the North Creek culvert replacement project site. Photo by David Herasimtschuk.

Hayduk graduated from the Evergreen State College in 2012 with a Masters of Environmental Studies. Between then and his move to the Oregon Central Coast, he worked running Mount Rainier National Park’s native plant nursery, conducting prescribed burns and research on prairie habitats in Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, and contributing to the Sustainability in Prisons Project while in school.

Deb Wilkins, Hebo District Ranger of the Siuslaw National Forest, was one of many recommenders of Hayduk for this award, primarily because of her positive experience working with Hayduk to replace the only fish passage barrier on North Creek, in the otherwise nearly pristine Drift Creek Siletz watershed, located within the Siuslaw National Forest. According to Wilkins, “Evan worked hand-in-hand with Hebo District Staff to implement a project designed to create fish access to over 13 miles of high-quality habitat.”

Meanwhile, Celeste Lebo, Natural Resources Specialist with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, has similarly been moved by Hayduk’s efforts to improve habitat for fish on a watershed-scale. “Throughout the time that Evan and I have worked together, I have been impressed by his work ethic and his thoughtful approach to everything he does,” she said.  

Three years ago, Lebo and Hayduk began a collaboration to produce locally-sourced plant species at OPRD’s native plant nursery at Beaver Creek State Natural Area for use in watershed restoration projects. The two have successfully organized and engaged community volunteers to help turn an unused barn structure into a budding nursery that supplies thousands of native plants for restoration work across the Oregon Coast.

Derek Wilson, Habitat Conservation Biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, also wrote a letter of recommendation for the application.  He noted that Hayduk was deserving of the award because of his dedication to “engaging stakeholders and partners as well as being innovative in project designs and implementation.”

Traditionally, this award is presented at the annual business meeting of the Fish Habitat Section of the American Fisheries Society, which was planned for Columbus, Ohio. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus the in-person meeting has been cancelled and the meeting will occur in a virtual format.

This does not bother Hayduk too much though, who says, “While it feels good to be recognized, I am most looking forward to continue working with landowners and partners this summer to implement restoration projects across Oregon’s Central Coast, and to see the impacts these will have in the years to come.”

Additional information about the award is located at: https://habitat.fisheries.org/rising-star-award/

Notes from the Field: Little Lobster Creek Restoration Update

We all know the Central Coast is a green place, and this can be both a friend and a hindrance to restoring streamside sites to improve habitat. While our mild, wet weather can help our favored native species establish, it unfortunately also provides pretty excellent conditions for invasive species to get a foothold. The task of maintaining restoration plantings has kept our restoration crew from the Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District busy this spring, and will continue to over the summer growing season. 

In the large photo above, the crew members' hard work brush cutting around Western red cedar trees behind the elk fences will give these young trees the best chance to grow and eventually shade out invasive reed canary grass. In the very long term, these trees will become a source of large wood to Little Lobster Creek and will help create pools and sort gravels, for salmon, lamprey, and freshwater mussels to utilize. 

While Restoration Technician Dog, Tahoma, in the photo on the left makes this work look easy, trying to spot the crew below makes it more appreciable how much wading through vegetation is necessary to access the over 4,400 native species we planted to clear the way for them to thrive. 

Next week, lupine and camas grown from seed will be planted in seasonal wet swales, and more follow up planting of trees and shrubs is set to occur once the rains return in the fall. 

Spring Event Alterations and Cancellations

National Volunteer Appreciation Week

In these times, days and weeks seem to be blending into one another more than many of us may care for. Perhaps that makes it more important than ever that we take the time to recognize days of designation. Earlier this week, we celebrated Earth Day, and today, MCWC would like to give a shout out to all our volunteers in honor of National Volunteer Appreciation Week, which ends this Saturday. 

What MCWC Volunteers Accomplish:

In 2019, 81 individuals donated 316 hours of their time and energy with MCWC at 20 restoration events-- be they Planting Parties, Invasive Species Removal days, and the Siletz River Clean Up. While we have only been able to host 3 volunteer events in 2020, 29 individuals came out to these to donate 79 hours.

In addition to these volunteer boots on the ground, MCWC also has amazing volunteer board and committee members that are the brains behind this bus. Representing diverse stakeholder groups, they work to build consensus and donate too many hours to count to govern this organization so that we deliver high quality restoration projects, and are now learning with staff the ins and outs of how to keep things running from afar. 

To all our volunteers, we can't say thank you enough!

50 years of Earth Day on the Central Oregon Coast

Join MCWC, other environmental groups, elected officials, and musicians on Wednesday, April 22nd at 7 PM via Zoom

When working to restore watersheds or other take other environmental actions, it is often said that every day is Earth Day. However, this year's Earth Day is certainly unique from all other 364 days of the year, as it is the 50th Anniversary, and we're going virtual! 

The Citizens’ Climate Lobby – Newport group and 350 Oregon Central Coast are sponsoring a virtual video/audio public event coming live to your home or office to celebrate. MCWC will be joining the mix, and we hope you do too!

The event will be held on Earth Day, April 22nd from 7:00 to 9:30 pm on the Zoom video conference platform. It will feature 22 local musicians, elected officials, and environmental/nonprofit organizations, including MCWC's Public At-Large Board Member, Mike Broili, and Restoration Program Assistant, Ari Blatt. To see the full list of all the presenters, CLICK HERE.

Individuals do not need to have special equipment if they have a web browser. All that they have to do is to click on the Zoom link below. Zoom apps can also be downloaded from your smartphone. A person can also just listen to the presentation with a phone. For any other questions about the event, please contact Martin Desmond at cclnewport@gmail.com.

Topic: 50th Year Earth Day Celebration - Lincoln County – 7:00 pm, Wednesday, April 22nd

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/97202954094
 
Or iPhone one-tap :
    US: +13462487799,,97202954094#  or +16699009128,,97202954094#
Or Telephone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 346 248 7799  or +1 669 900 9128  or +1 312 626
    Webinar ID: 972 0295 4094

Celebrating Beavers

Did you know International Beaver Day takes place on April 7th every year? This day was chosen to celebrate Beavers because it is the birthday of the late Dorothy Richards of Little Falls, who studied beavers for 50 years.

Many reading this are likely already aware of the great benefit beaver activity poses in restoration work aimed at recovering salmon species. When beaver build their dams, the water that is impounded in turn creates habitat for a myriad of valuable native species. 

Beavers remind us in this isolating time that we are all connected, whether it be in ecological terms, or through the work being done across the state of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and the country to bring back this ecosystem engineer to our shared landscapes

In this vein, we hope you enjoy the compilation of beaver-related videos below, learn something new, and share with those you are connected to. 

Live presentation from the author of Eager, Ben Goldfarb:

This presentation, hosted by Oregon Wild, explores how the modern idea of what a healthy landscape looks like and how it functions is wrong, distorted by the fur trade that once trapped out millions of beavers from North America's waterways. The consequences of losing beavers were profound: ponds drained, wetlands dried up, and species from salmon to swans lost vital habitat.

Goldfarb also discusses the growing coalition of “Beaver Believers”—including scientists, ranchers, and passionate citizens— who recognize that ecosystems with beavers are far healthier, for humans and non-humans alike, than those without them.

From the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commissions:

In this 4-part video series, landowners, fisheries biologists and hydrologists that have discovered the benefits of beavers explain the ways that people and beavers can co-exist and restore salmon habitat, improve water quality, and store and deliver water when it is most needed (Note: these videos are also linked on our Living with Beaver page, where you can find even more information about these important creatures!)

From the Grand Canyon Trust: 

In this 13-minute video, “Beaver: Back to the Future,” four Forest Service employees and a retired Regional Forester eloquently and enthusiastically praise the power of beaver to beneficially restore and manage national forest water flows in the face of climate change.

The video begins with historical footage chronicling early decimation of beaver on our continent, filmmaker Sarah Koenigsberg’s camera captures three processes by which beaver have recently been able to re-enter creek systems in Utah, Oregon, and Washington to work their dam magic.

CANCELLED: Bummer Creek Restoration Work Party

In these uncertain times, MCWC is so grateful to have spent two days in February with 14 volunteers on the banks of Bummer Creek in the Alsea Watershed. Within the shelter of a barn to make hundreds of chicken wire cages to protect the native trees and shrubs that will be planted at the site soon. Better yet, we even got to work outside and tour the restoration site in the spurts of blue sky the days brought!

A big thank you to all who put their time and energy into these days. While our crew will still be working to put plants in the ground, we won’t be hosting any more volunteer events at the site in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

For more background information on the Bummer Creek restoration, read below.

Bummer Creek is a tributary to the South Fork Alsea River. The Alsea flows directly from the flanks of Marys Peak—the highest point in the Coast Range—to the Pacific Ocean. The river is home to Chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout, supporting a popular recreational fishery. The Alsea watershed is unique amongst many coastal rivers in that it contains historic oak savanna habitat in its’ eastern reaches, as well as the lush, conifer rainforests more characteristic of the coast.

However, one-third of Bummer Creek was documented at risk of high water temperatures that threaten aquatic organisms in a Bureau of Land Management South Fork Alsea Watershed Analysis, due in part to historic land management practices that removed vegetation from the streambanks and altered the natural course of the stream.

In the summer of 2019, the private landowners worked with the MidCoast Watersheds Council and partners at the BLM, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to re-connect Bummer Creek to its’ historic oxbows to provide important, off-channel habitat for juvenile salmonids. Now a buffer of native vegetation around the stream is being established to provide long-term shade and s source of large woody debris.

CANCELLED: Mid-Coast Fish District Fisheries, Stock Status, and Restoration

The Siletz Watershed Council’s spring quarterly meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 17th, has been cancelled. We will miss Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Mid-Coast Assistant District Fish Biologist Paul Olmsted’s overview of fall Chinook, coho, and steelhead stock and fisheries status and their fisheries in the Mid-Coast District and updates on the restoration work ODFW is currently undergoing in the Siletz Basin, and projects they’ll begin this summer. This information may be available in a different format at a later date, so stay tuned and stay well!

Why conservation and restoration of Pacific Northwest tidal wetlands is of global significance

The coastal ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest provide a variety of benefits including supporting fisheries, biodiversity, tourism, water quality and coastal erosion protection.  Many also have significant value in taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to help mitigate impacts of climate change. Yet, little data exists on the carbon stocks of major tidal wetland types in the Pacific Northwest. Recent efforts have worked to quantify these amounts, revealing that our Sitka Spruce tidal forests can hold as much carbon as our old growth coast range forests. However, over 90% of these historic forest habitats have been converted to other land uses, and sea-level rise presents a challenge to restore these valuable ecosystems before they become too salty for forested wetland vegetation to survive.

The carbon storage benefits of conserving natural habitats such as trees, marshes, and soils, in natural and working landscapes are “natural climate solutions”, and the overarching topic of a carbon-storage focused, free speaker series, “From Ridgetop to Reef”, hosted by the MidCoast Watersheds Council. On Thursday, March 5th, Dr. J. Boone Kauffman, professor of Ecosystems Ecology within Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, will build on the discussion generated from the previous speaker’s talk by delving about his work to study and quantify the total ecosystem carbon stocks in seagrass, emergent marshes, and forested tidal swamps, occurring along increasing elevation and decreasing salinity gradients from Canada to Humboldt Bay, California.

Dr. J. Boone Kauffman received his Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from the University of California, Berkeley, and since then has been a busy researcher, publishing over 250 papers, including over 125 book chapters and peer-reviewed papers. He leads educational, research, and technical assistance activities throughout the world.  Dr. Kauffman’s studies have examined the dynamics of land use in marshes, seagrass, mangroves, tropical and temperate forests, and riparian zones.  His most recent research and education activities take place in the US, Brazil, Gabon, Liberia, Senegal, Indonesia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Palau, Honduras, United Arab Emirates, the Dominican Republic, and other tropical countries. Dr. Kauffman serves as a lead scientist for Illahee Sciences International, a small international consulting firm specializing on issues relating to natural resource ecology, currently contributes to the international Blue Carbon science and policy working groups on climate change and mitigation (UNESCO-IUCN-CI), and has been a science advisor to the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. He currently lives in Corvallis Oregon with his wife Dian.

This presentation will begin at 6:30 PM on Thursday, March 5th in the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center’s newly-renovated Doerfler Family Theatre in Newport on 333 SE Bay Blvd.  Other talks in this free series about natural climate solutions will continue through June on the first Thursday of each month at the same time and the same place.  Please consider carpooling, using alternative transportation, and arriving early. It is commercial crab season and nearby Bayfront parking outside of the designated PMHC spaces can be harder to find, and the upper PMHC parking lot should be made available for those with accessibility needs. Refreshments will be provided. The MidCoast Watersheds Council regular Board meeting will follow the presentation to review current restoration work, the monthly financial report, and the work of the technical and administrative committees.

Pacific Northwest Tidal Wetlands and Their Part to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change

Many fishermen, oyster growers, scientists and others know that the wetlands fringing Oregon’s coastal bays are of value for their natural abilities to reduce storm flooding and trap sediment, and provide nurseries for a great number of commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish. But less known is that these marshes and swamps are also now recognized for their important role in pulling CO2 out of the earth’s atmosphere and permanently storing its carbon in wetland soils.  This helps reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, one of the principle drivers of climate change.  How much potential do these habitats have to store carbon and how can we do more to protect and enhance these habitats to provide these benefits?

The carbon storage benefits of conserving natural habitats such as trees, marshes, and soils, in natural and working landscapes are “natural climate solutions”, and the overarching topic of a carbon-storage focused, free speaker series, “From Ridgetop to Reef”, hosted by the MidCoast Watersheds Council. On Thursday, February 6th, Craig Cornu of the Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Working Group will describe their research to assess the carbon storing potential of Pacific Northwest tidal wetlands, as well as investigating the feasibility of using carbon finance to support tidal wetland restoration initiatives.

In 2014, Craig Cornu helped found the Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Working Group, a diverse group of researchers, land managers, carbon market investors, policy makers, and planners. As a part of their work over the past three years, Craig has been managing grant-supported research projects to help fill key blue carbon data gaps and assess the feasibility of blue carbon projects for the region. Craig has over 20 years’ experience leading estuarine wetland restoration project design, management and effectiveness monitoring at sites in the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. He received a NOAA Environmental Hero award in 2002 for this innovative work featured in professional reports and peer-reviewed publications and has served as an advisor to state and federal agencies, private landowners, watershed associations and other non-profit organizations on numerous estuarine wetland restoration and effectiveness monitoring projects in Oregon and Washington. Craig also led (with the Coos Watershed Association) the establishment of Coos Bay’s Partnership for Coastal Watersheds, a community coalition that developed a comprehensive stakeholder-driven assessment of environmental and socio-economic status and trends in the Coos estuary to support local leaders’ revision of the Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan, and other initiatives such as proposed Coos estuary coastal hazards/climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning.

Craig Cornu’s presentation will begin at 6:30 PM on Thursday, February 6th, in the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center’s newly-renovated Doerfler Family Theatre in Newport on 333 SE Bay Blvd.  Other talks in this free series about natural climate solutions will continue through June on the first Thursday of each month at the same time and the same place.  Please consider carpooling or using alternative transportation, as it is now commercial crab season and nearby Bayfront parking outside of the main PMHC lot can be harder to find. Refreshments will be provided. The MidCoast Watersheds Council regular Board meeting will follow the presentation to review current restoration work, the monthly financial report, and the work of the technical and administrative committees.

Quick Action Helps Salmon Habitat Project

A big log that was lost from a salmon habitat project was rescued from the beach this week.  With very high tides coming, action by the City of Newport, with permissions granted by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, assured that it can be put back in place.

Usually, large logs on the beach cannot be removed, as they are important to help protect the beach and adjacent cliffs from erosion and provide cover for wildlife. However, the log had been washed up high on Nye Beach, near the public access point, and had the potential to damage infrastructure there in another high water event. In addition, this particular log came from a restoration project and had more valuable utility being put back in the tidal channels of the Yaquina estuary from which it came.

“Our threatened coho salmon need logs in streams and marshes to create good nursery habitat, and big logs like this are not so common anymore. We wanted to get this one back,” explained Evan Hayduk, Coordinator of the MidCoast Watersheds Council.

The heavy rain didn’t deter the City Public Works Director, Tim Gross, and his crew from getting the log. 

“Well, we had the equipment,” Gross said.  “It felt good to be able to have the City help out.” 

The City took the log to their maintenance yard and will help the Watershed Council load it when they’re ready to put it back out in the Yaquina estuary.   

Hayduk also noted that the Watershed Council is always looking for large trees for fish projects: “we have a lot of stormy weather coming in and the ground is saturated, so more trees may fall. We can get much of the tree hauled away for people without charge if they are cut correctly, and can provide a tax receipt for their donation.” 

Trees need to be fir, cedar, or spruce, cut in lengths of 50 feet. If the tree still has its’ a rootwad attached, it can still be useful if it’s at least 30 feet long.  If you are clearing property or have a tree fall, please contact the Watershed Council at 541-265-9195.

How Coastal Rainforests Can Help the Climate

Receiving as much as 200 inches of annual rainfall on average, the forested western slopes of the Oregon Coast Range unsurprisingly fits the definition as rainforest. In fact, much of the Pacific Coast of North America does in the area between Northern California’s redwoods and Southeastern Alaska. This region, along with the Canadian boreal forest and the world's tropical forests are considered the ecological lungs of the planet, filtering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to create oxygen, while also storing the carbon in long-lived trees, dead standing and downed wood, and in roots in the soil. While all plants provide this function, the quick growth rates and large sizes that our coastal trees attain provides a powerful mechanism to help absorb the additional carbon dioxide that is dangerously warming our planet.

The carbon storage benefits of conserving natural habitats such as trees, marshes, and soils, in natural and working landscapes are “natural climate solutions”, and the overarching topic of a carbon-storage focused speaker series, “From Ridgetop to Reef”, hosted by the MidCoast Watersheds Council. On Thursday, January 9th , at 6:30 PM at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center in Newport,Dr. Dominick DellaSalla of the Geos Institute, will focus on the vital role our coastal rainforests play globally.   His talk will also discuss the importance of conserving unlogged forests, and how our working forests too can be managed for additional carbon benefits.    

Dr. Dominick A. DellaSala is President and Chief Scientist of the Geos Institute in Ashland, Oregon and former President of the Society for Conservation Biology, North America Section. He is an internationally renowned author of over 200 science papers on forest and fire ecology, conservation biology, endangered species management, and landscape ecology. Dominick has given plenary and keynote talks ranging from academic conferences to the United Nations Earth Summit. He has appeared in National Geographic, Science Digest, Science Magazine, Scientific American, Time Magazine, Audubon Magazine, National Wildlife Magazine, High Country News, Terrain Magazine, NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Jim Lehrer News Hour, CNN, MSNBC, “Living on Earth (NPR),” several PBS documentaries, and Fox News. Dominick is currently serving on the Oregon’s Global Warming Commission Subcommittee on Forest Carbon and is Editor of numerous scientific journals and publications. His book:  Temperate and Boreal Rain Forests of the World: Ecology and Conservation received an academic excellence award from Choice magazine, one of the nation's top book review journals. His recent co-authored book, The Ecological Importance of Mixed-Severity Fires: Nature’s Phoenix, presents groundbreaking science on the ecological importance of wildfires. Dominick co-founded the Geos Institute in July 2006 and says he is motivated “to leave a living planet for my two daughters, two grandkids and all those that follow.”

Following the January presentation, on the first Thursday of each month until June, “From Ridgetop to Reef” will explore different habitats of Oregon’s Coast as natural climate solutions and their potential to store carbon, and the tools and incentives needed to foster widespread actions to enhance this capacity. On Thursday, January 9th, Dominick’s presentation will begin at 6:30 PM in the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center’s newly-renovated Doerfler Family Theatre in Newport on 333 SE Bay Blvd. Refreshments will be provided. Following all presentations part of the series, the MidCoast Watersheds Council regular Board meeting will follow to review current restoration work, the monthly financial report, and the work of the technical and administrative committees.

“The Story of Life as Told by Water” As told by Duncan Berry

Living within the Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve has brought the full wealth of the Central Oregon Coast’s natural world into the daily rhythm of the well-known local artist Duncan Berry, and he is grateful to make sharing this beauty his life’s work. “My work is to channel the beauty and power of this place, and to show what is possible when we care for the last great places,” Berry says. On Wednesday, December 4th, Berry will join the Mid-Coast Watersheds Council and the Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council at the Newport Visual Arts Center to present a highly visual journey through “The Story of Life as Told by Water”. This will include images and a narrative from his walk down the entire length of the Salmon River Watershed, from its headwaters high in the Coast Range, through old growth forests to small and large streams, and finally through its restored estuary to the near shore and deep sea.

58,000 acres within the Salmon River Watershed are included in the Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve, designated in 1976 by the United Nations Man and Biosphere Program. The area’s special qualities are further recognized through an Oregon Marine Reserve, a US Forest Service Scenic-Research Area, and The Nature Conservancy’s headland preserve. Further, the estuary is only one of four in Oregon designated as “natural”. According to Paul Katen, President of the Salmon Drift Creek Watersheds Council, “We’ve been able to help support the US Forest Service and other partners over decades to remove dikes to restore the tidal marshes so that juvenile coho and Chinook salmon can thrive here.”

Berry grew up on the Clatsop Plains of the North Oregon Coast, the son of author Don Berry and photo-journalist Wyn Berry. He began a fishing career at the age of 13, salmon trolling out of the Columbia River, then turned to diverse careers including gold-smithing, porcelain enamel, apparel, eco-system services and sustainable seafood. He and his wife Melany raised two children on an island in Washington, then returned to the Oregon Coast over a decade ago to help purchase and preserve the West wind site at the north end of the county. “This is life on the wild edge of a continent,” explains Berry, “where 3500 miles of the North American land mass meets 5,000 miles of open ocean…The land, sea and air of this place acts as a muse, sanctuary and teacher for me.”

Berry’s creative work currently includes poetry, the Japanese technique of fish printing Gyotaku, and photography. When he is not creating art, Berry loves to swim with salmon in the upper reaches of coastal rivers, and is a dedicated conservationist—he believes that native species are key to our iconic salmon’s future in the great Northwest.  His other work includes his co-founding of the national seafood company Fishpeople, as well as acting as a co-organizer of the Cascade Head Biosphere Reserve effort which offered a series field experience programs and helping to coordinate the many efforts of non-profits, agencies and citizens in that community based non-mandatory biosphere reserve area.

The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM in Room 205 on the upper floor of the Newport Visual Arts Center in Nye Beach, at 777 NW Beach Drive.  Refreshments will be provided. Following the presentation, a MidCoast Watersheds Council Board meeting will be held to review the financial report, restoration work, and the work of the groups’ technical administrative committees and take action as needed. We hope to see you on Wednesday, December 4th.

Bay to Headwaters: Siletz Stakeholder Engagement Project

To help lessen human impacts to the Siletz River Watershed, the Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD) is carrying out a multi-year outreach effort to build community connections with private residents, agricultural producers, timerbland managers, tribal entities, and other diverse stakeholders along the Lower Siletz River, Middle Siletz River, and Rock Creek watersheds. As a result, local knowledge will help inform future restoration projects identified to improve water quality on a landscape scale. LSWCD’s Conservation Programs Coordinator, Emily-Bell Dinan, will present on this effort at the Siletz Watershed Council’s winter quarterly meeting on Tuesday, December 17th.

This presentation will introduce the Siletz Stakeholder Engagement Project’s background, purpose, process, goals and timeline, and allow for discussion of how Siletz Watershed Council members can get involved in the years to come.

Emily-Bell joined LSWCD in 2018 to coordinate, develop, and lead restoration, community education and outreach projects serving environmental needs within Lincoln County. She earned her MS in Wetland Restoration Ecology at the University of Oregon Environmental Studies Program and her BA in Political Science from the City University of New York, Hunter College. Before relocating to the central Oregon Coast, Emily-Bell worked as a field botanist for the City of Eugene in the West Eugene Wetlands and as a Program Manager for the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. She has over a decade of experience in non-profit and government agencies supporting local communities and addressing environmental issues through her work at the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, Roger That Garden Project, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York City Department of Sanitation, and New York City Parks Department. 

The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM at the Siletz Public Library on 225 SE Gaither Street. Refreshments will be provided. A Siletz Watershed Council meeting will follow the presentation to give updates on the MidCoast Watersheds Council restoration and monitoring work in the Siletz Basin and any updates and announcements from the SWC community.

Walker Creek Restoration Work Party

Date: Saturday, December 14th

Time/Directions: We will meet at 9:30 AM at the Ona Beach boat launch parking area (parking lot immediately east of highway 101 on Beaver Creek Road (If possible, please RSVP in advance so we know who to expect). From there, we will carpool/caravan to the restoration site about 10 minutes away. We will work until 2 PM with lunch/snack breaks as needed.

What to Bring: Water and food, rain protection, working boots and gloves.

Walker Creek is a direct tributary to the Alsea Bay.  Coho salmon and winter steelhead are known to spawn in the lower reaches of the stream, and juvenile salmonids use it as a source of cold water in the summer months. This restoration project encompasses nearly 2 acres of planting along Walker Creek at the site of a former pasture, currently dominated by invasive species including Himalayan blackberry and reed canary grass.

Because of its’ thick mat of roots and aggressive growth, these non-native species are preventing the ability of native, woody plants to establish alongside the stream. This limits shading over the stream and inputs of large woody debris to it—both of which are vital elements for healthy salmon habitat. Planting trees and shrubs on Walker Creek will jumpstart these important natural processes and eventually outcompete the invasive species.

The site also has a history of beaver presence, an ecosystem engineer. Since initial planting on a portion of the property in 2017, two active beaver dams have been seen on the site. This year’s round of planting will include more diverse species that beavers use for food and dam building material. This is an opportunity to see firsthand the positive effects of beaver activity on fish and wildlife habitat, and how restoration planting supports their recovery.

Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Seal Rock Water District, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and private landowners are all partners on this project.  

To RSVP, please contact Restoration Program Assistant Ari Blatt at ari@midcoastwc.org or (541)265-9195.

Record Creek Restoration Work Party

Help restore salmon habitat by planting native trees 

Date: Friday, November 15th

Time/Directions: We will meet at the Ray’s in Waldport at 8:30 AM. From there we will carpool/caravan to the restoration site, about an hour away near Alsea. We will work there until all the plants are in the ground!

What to Bring: Water and food, rain protection, working boots and gloves.

This site, like many other riparian areas across the Northwest, was historically cleared up to the stream. Eventually alders colonized the area, dominating the forest canopy and stalling later stages of forest from developing. While alders adequately provide the important function of shading the stream, their logs degrade quickly when they fall instream and do not contribute to creating the habitat complexity that fish and wildlife rely on to the degree that native conifers like Western red cedars do.

As a shorter term fix, in the summer of 2019 MCWC and partners placed logjams in Record Creek in order to trap and sort spawning gravel, form pools, and increase overall habitat complexity and floodplain connection. To provide an even longer term source of large woody debris to the stream, our Restoration Work Party goal will be to plant 150 Western red cedars in the alder-dominated riparian area of Record Creek.

To RSVP, please contact Restoration Program Assistant Ari Blatt at ari@midcoastwc.org or (541)265-9195.