NPSO Bulletin May 01
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon Dedicated to the enjoyment, conservation, and study of Oregon’s native vegetation VOLUME 34, NO. 540TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR! MAY 2001 The Return of a Wet Prairie by Dave Hanson, Cheahmill Chapter bout ten miles southwest of somewhat nondescript expanse of grass combined with large, woody debris car- AMcMinnville in the foothills of and weeds—which makes Deer Creek ried downstream from the forested up- the Coast Range, lies a tract of public Park unique. Out in that rundown lands, produced frequent log jams in land where natural processes are recov- looking field, our native prairie com- the stream channel. These dams, along ering a piece of our past. Located six munity has been slowly returning. with those made by beaver, trapped miles north of well-traveled Highway and stored deposits of sediment creat- 18, Deer Creek County Park lies with- Ecological History of the Site ing meandering streams having multi- in Gopher Valley, a flat and narrow For thousands of years the Willa- ple side-channels. The strong forces of bottomland sheltered between fir-cov- mette Valley was periodically burned floodwaters and debris flows were dissi- ered ridges. This park which has possi- by humans, leading to the evolution of pated by the riparian vegetation and bly the most tranquil setting in the fire-disturbance ecosystems—wet dispersed over the adjacent floodplains. county, has a six-acre portion tradition- prairie, dry prairie, and oak savanna. The seasonal inundation of the flood- ally developed, with picnic tables and Nearly one million acres of prairies were plains recharged groundwater crucial mowed grass, nestled under the canopy maintained through annual burning by for maintaining cool streamflows dur- of a grove of Oregon ash alongside the people inhabiting the valley known ing the dry summers. Deer Creek. as the Kalapuya. Tufted hairgrass was Directly adjacent to the west lies one of the dominant species of the ex- Settlement the other part of the park—a 23-acre, tensive wet prairies, being well-adapted The settlers arriving in Gopher to both periodic fires and the wide- Valley in the mid-1800s, brought land- spread hydric soils. It grew intermixed use practices that gradually produced with other perennial plants such as major ecological changes in the land- In This Issue sedges, rushes, bulbs, and wildflowers. scape. They began ditching and drain- Deer Creek, a tributary of the ing the wetlands and prairies to make Chapter Calendar..............55 South Yamhill River, flows south out of cultivation possible. The winding, the steep hills of the Coast Range. debris-clogged streams were cleared Cool the Northwest...........60 When it reaches Gopher Valley, a flat and straightened to speed the drainage narrow plain, the stream gradient de- of the fields. Beaver were largely elimi- Traditional Ecological creases, causing the stream to slow and nated from the watershed as their dam- Knowledge and Wisdom ....61 develop a more sinuous channel pat- building was perceived as a nuisance to Other Events ....................62 tern. This valley of open prairies and farming. Over the years, the dense, ri- densely vegetated riparian corridors parian forests of large trees that shaded New Members ..................66 was seasonally occupied by the Kala- the stream banks were steadily cut away puyan people, who periodically set it for firewood and lumber, and then NPSO Items for Sale .........66 on fire to maintain conditions favor- converted to agriculture. able for their needs. The riparian But the most profound change in Annual Meeting Schedule..68 forests along Deer Creek included large the landscape by the new settlers was trees species such as Douglas-fir, grand the suppression of wildfire. When the NPSO Board Election fir, cottonwood, ash, and alder along longstanding practice of seasonal Ballot.....................enclosed with an understory of shrub species. praire-burning by the Kalapuya ceased, Fallen trees from this riparian forest, continued on page 64 May 2001 53 State Secretary OCIE T S TY N O A F Candidate Biography L ANNUAL P O R E E V elli Van Norman grew up in the G I T O MEETING mountains of southwestern Ore- A N K N gon hiking and learning the native June 8-10 flora through 4-H Forestry. She has a B.S. in Geography from the University Fo 1 unded 196 See back page of Oregon and an M.S. in Forest Sci- ence from Oregon State University. Reminder: The Cost for While living in Corvallis, Kelli helped Native Plant registration will double after out with the Corvallis chapter’s native Society of Oregon May 9th! Please send in your plant garden at Avery Park. Recently registration form today. Kelli has worked as a forest ecologist See March Bulletin for forms. for the Forest Service in Brookings. World Wide Web Beginning this May she will be relocating to Portland to work for the http://www.NPSOregon.org Bureau of Land Management on the New Fellows of Northwest Forest Plan’s species data- Email Discussion List NPSO Elected base. In Portland she hopes to continue To join send a message to gardening with native plants. She also [email protected], with the t the April 14 State Board Meeting hopes to purchase a dissecting micro- following in the body of the message: Ain The Dalles, Charlene Simpson scope soon so that she can stop subscribe npso and Veva Stansell were unanimously procrastinating and learn to identify elected Fellows of NPSO, our Society’s grasses. General Business Address highest honor. They will receive their awards at the Annual Meeting Banquet P.O. Box 902 in Corvallis June 9. Congratulations Eugene, OR 97440 Charlene and Veva! or correspond directly with Officers and Committee Chairs listed on the inside of the back page. Membership Inquiries Only Jan Dobak 2584 NW Savier St. Portland, OR 97210-2412 Bulletin of the Native Plant Society of Oregon Editor: Tanya Harvey ISSN 0884-599. Published monthly. Subscription price $18/year. Date and issue number on page 1. The submission date is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Send submissions by e-mail to [email protected]. Opinions expressed in this publica- tion are those of the authors of the HARVEY TANYA articles. They do not represent the opinions of the Native Plant Society The blossoms of Scoliopus hallii are small but intriguing. Slink lily or Fetid adder’s tongue is an of Oregon, unless so stated. early-blooming flower of moist forests throughout much of western Oregon. As its common name implies it is a member of Liliaceae. To attract pollinating flies it smells like rotting flesh. 54 NPSO Bulletin NPSO CALENDAR Northwest published in 1996 by OSU 7:30pm at Avery House,Avery Park, State Press. 7:00pm, Graf Hall, Room 101, Corvallis. For more information con- June 8-10, Friday-Sunday Linfield College, 900 SE Baker St., tact Esther McEvoy at 541-754-0893. McMinnville. For more info call Rob Annual Meeting: in Corvallis. For Tracey at 503-843-2702. more information see page 68 of this June 8,9,10 issue and March Bulletin for registra- Annual NPSO Meeting in Corvallis tion form and information. Registration and information in March Corvallis Bulletin and on page 68. June 10, Sunday May 14, Monday Board Meeting: Marketplace West Meeting: Willamette Valley Butterfly (aka West Dining Hall) in Corvallis. Gardening. Bruce Newhouse and Eric Emerald 9:00am to 3:00pm. Wold of the Eugene-Springfield Chap- May 5, Saturday ter of the North American Butterfly Field Trip: Tour a Local Native Plant Association (and NPSO) will discuss Garden. We will visit the Eugene gar- Blue Mountain the keys to successful butterfly garden- den of Alice Pueschner which features For information on the Blue Mountain ing in the Willamette Valley. Meet at chapter call Jerry Baker at 541-566- around 90 native plant species. Meet at 3381. 10:00am at northeast corner South Eu- gene High School parking lot, for an IMPORTANT NOTE TO approximately 1.5 hour field trip. For Cheahmill FIELD TRIP PARTICIPANTS more information contact Heiko Koester at 541-485-7245. May 6, Sunday Field trips take place rain or shine, so proper dress and footwear are Field Trip: Camassia Preserve of the May 12, Saturday essential. Trips may be strenuous Nature Conservancy in West Linn. Field Trip: Willows of the Eugene and/or hazardous. Participation is Start Time: 10:00am. This area is an Area. Learn how to tell our local willow at your own risk. Be prepared to odd oasis of diversity so close to the big species apart by their vegetative charac- sign a release form indicating this. city of Portland. We will see Camas teristics. We will also discuss the ecolo- For a sample copy check out the and other spring-blooming flowers gy of willows and the riparian areas and NPSO website. Please contact the such as Iris, Erythronium, Sedum wetlands where they live. We will visit trip leader or chapter representative spathulifolium, and False Solomon’s- a site on the Willamette River and then about difficulty, distance, and terrain Seal. We will be on the lookout for the head out to Kirk Ponds downstream of to be expected on field trips. Bring rare Delphinium leucophaeum. There is Fern Ridge Dam. An easy walk, bring water and lunch. All NPSO field trips also a remnant stand of Quaking hand lens, lunch, water, and rain gear if are open to the public at no charge Aspen. This is a walk and not a hike. it’s a wet day. Meet at 9:00am at South (other than contribution to carpool Bring good walking shoes though and Eugene High School parking lot.