Join us for our 13th annual event celebrating the incredible natural resources in our community, May 1-8, 2022.
Events
Mill Race Greenway Project, South Corvallis | Sunday, May 1, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
Spend two hours at a work party to help create a wonderful greenway along the Mill Race.
To understand this project view:
South Corvallis Greenway Proposal along the Mill Race – YouTube
To register and receive directions and logistics, contact Dave Eckert at deckert@willamettewatershed.com
Sponsors: Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Water Action Team and the Marys Peak Group Sierra Club
Farming for the Future: Native Seed Production Tour | Monday, May 2, 10:00 am-Noon
Join the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) and Benton Soil and Water Conservation District (BSWCD) as part of this year’s Natural Areas Celebration Week to tour IAE’s native plant farm with experts in propagating and producing native plants to provide restoration sites with pollinator and wildlife resources.
Location: Oregon State University Vegetable Farm off Hwy 34
Contact: Michel Wiman (visit Farming for the Future: Native Seed Production Tour – Institute for Applied Ecology to register)
Sponsor: Institute for Applied Ecology and Benton SWCD
Jackson Frazier Wetland Bird Walk | May 2, 6-7:30 pm
Join local wetland scientist and bird expert Dr. Paul Adamus on a walk through nature to learn about and identify bird species. Bring binoculars and spotting scopes if you have them, light refreshments will be provided.
Sponsor: Benton County Natural Areas, Parks and Events Department
HESTHAVN NATURE CENTER will be open to the public M-F 12-2 pm | onday-Friday, MAY 2- MAY 6, 12-2:00 pm
Visit our Nature Center and the Bluebird Display that honors the conservation efforts initiated by Elsie Eltzroth & the team that saved the Western Bluebird in the Willamette Valley. Enjoy a walk on our trails to see the spring blooms along Oak Creek.
8590 Oak Creek Drive, Corvallis, OR
Open to the public, free
Contact: audubon.corvallis@gmail.com
Sponsor: Audubon Society of Corvallis
Snag Boat Bend Volunteer Event | Thursday, May 5, 9:00 am-12:00 pm
What: Snag Boat Bend is a part of Willamette Riverkeeper’s spring clean-up and restoration effort! What to Bring: Carpool if you can. Dress for the weather and bring water, work gloves and closed-toed shoes. Tools, trash bags and trash grabbers will be provided. Coffee and snacks provided!
Register here:
Reach out to Michelle Emmons if you need help signing up: michelle@willametteriverkeeper.org
Sponsors: Willamette Riverkeeper, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Long Tom Watershed Council and the Friends of the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Witham Hill Invasive Species Removal | Saturday, May 7, 9:00 am-12:00 pm
Volunteers are needed to help control invasive species at Witham Hill Natural Area. You’ll use loppers and hand saws to cut down young invasive trees, and then mark the stumps with orange spray paint for MRWC staff to find. We may also cut down English ivy growing on trees.
To register for this event, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnUAjGuzB7X9nFm_dA7FC4oQq5QAF_gMkcoMWLHSjg49YoNA/viewform
Sponsor: Marys River Watershed Council and One Tree Planted
Wildflower Walk around Woodpecker Loop Trail at William L Finley NWR | Saturday, May 7, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Celebrate Natural Areas Celebration Week by learning about native plants. Meet at the Woodpecker Loop parking lot and it is a gentle hike through woodlands and prairie habitats. We should be able to see Calochortus tolmeii in bloom and many other early spring flowers.
For more information contact Esther at 541-990-0948 or estherco@peak.org.
Sponsor: Native Plant Society of Oregon
Golden Paintbrush Tour, Finley Wildlife Refuge | Saturday, May 7, 12:00-2:00 pm
Guide: Tom Kaye, Executive Director, Institute for Applied Ecology
Discover the luminous golden paintbrush, once a plentiful Willamette Valley wildflower, and hear about IAE’s efforts to restore the species back to Oregon. Meet at the Finley NWR Woodpecker Loop Trailhead. Family-friendly, no RSVP needed!
The Oregon Silverspot Butterfly: The Flight to Recovery | Saturday, May 7, 3:00-4:00 pm
Join us virtually for a brief documentary about Oregon’s most charismatic threatened pollinator, the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly. After the documentary, there will be a question and answer with some of the scientists and researchers that are part of the work to recover this amazing species. For info: askalibrarian@corvallisoregon.gov
Register here for this free, virtual event: https://bit.ly/silverspotdocumentary
Bald Hill Natural Area – Dunawi Creek Regeneration Project | Sunday, May 8th, 1:00-3:00 pm
If you are not spending time celebrating your mother, spend two hours at a work party celebrating Mother Earth by helping create a riparian zone for a creek and wetland buried for 100 years in a pipe and now being resurrected above ground. To understand this project view:
A Gift for the Dunawi Creek Regeneration Site at the Bald Hill Natural Area – YouTube
To register and receive directions, logistics and further info, contact Dave Eckert at deckert@willamettewatershed.com
Sponsors: Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Water Action Team and the Marys Peak Group Sierra Club
Natural Areas Celebration Week takes place each year during the first week in May. Sponsored by the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Natural Areas Action Team.