North Santiam Watershed Council June 2010 eUpdate

Greetings from the North Santiam Watershed Council! In this eUpdate, you will find plenty of Watershed News and Upcoming Events. Please note that our next council meeting is on Thursday, June 10^th at 7PM, and our Regional Fundraiser is Friday, June 11^th.

In this issue:

-Council Meeting June 10th

-Wet Your Whistle in the Watershed Event: Friday, June 11th –6 to 9 pm

-No NSWC Meetings in July, August

-Higher Flows throughout Willamette Valley and for North Santiam

-Regional Program Updates: Monitoring Coordinator, Stout Creek Tour, Site Visit Opportunities

-Is Himalayan Blackberry a Thorn in Your Side?

Please contact council@ nsantiamwatershed.org for more information regarding any of the events.

Council Meeting June 10th

Please join the North Santiam Watershed Council this Thursday, June 10th, as we begin phase 1 of our Council Self-Evaluation. This process, part of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board review, helps the Council evaluate progress on recent projects and determine the direction and type of future Council projects. We will also have a brief Council member update on our fiscal policy determination process. 7pm, Stayton Community Room (400 Virginia Avenue).

Wet Your Whistle in the Watershed Event: Friday, June 11th –6 to 9 pm

The North Santiam Watershed Council will join the Calapooia and South Santiam Watershed Councils at a joint regional fundraising event hosted by the Calapooia Brewing Company in Albany. Please mark your calendars for this fun event with residents from your neighbor watersheds! Join us from 6-9 pm on the evening of Friday, June 11th. Live music, a limited silent auction, family-friendly outdoor area, regional brews and Calapooia Brewery’s famous root beer are just some of the fun!

No NSWC Meetings in July, August

After this Thursday’s meeting, the North Santiam Watershed Council will have a summer recess. There will be no regular Council meetings in July or August. Meetings will resume on Thursday, September 9th.

Higher Flows throughout Willamette Valley and for North Santiam

Recent rains have led to increased flows throughout the Willamette Valley. According to NOAA’s Northwest River Forecast Center (http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/), the Willamette River is at about 80% bankfull and will be reaching peak flows of the season within the next few days. On-water conditions can be dangerous, so please exercise caution when near the rivers!

Regional Program Updates

New Regional Monitoring Coordinator!

The regional program has had a busy spring with site visits, restoration tours, and the hiring of a new Regional Monitoring Coordinator, who will be housed with the South Santiam Watershed Council.   Eric Andersen will join our group mid June to implement the monitoring program for the Model Watershed Partnership.  Eric recently finished his master’s program at OSU on fish passage prioritization in the North and South Santiam watersheds.  We are happy to have Eric join our team!

Stout Creek Tour

The Stout Creek tour will take place on Saturday, June 19, for a restoration tour of Stout Creek. We’ll visit several in-progress restoration/enhancement projects to see how landowners are improving water quality and wildlife habitat while still actively managing their property for multiple uses. The tour will begin at 1 pm, location TBD. Please stay tuned for more information, or contact Erika Lang (ealang77(at)yahoo .com) or 541.619.8398.

Interested in a site visit?

Over the course of the summer, Erika and Sarah will be focusing on site visits with interested landowners to help identify and address resource challenges, working with landowners on developing restoration and conservation plans, assisting landowners with site preparation for revegetation, and sending contractors out to perform watering and weed control mat existing revegetation sites.  If you are interested in a site visit, or addressing natural resource concerns, contact Erika at 541.619.8398 or (ealang77(at)yahoo .com).

Is Himalayan Blackberry a Thorn in Your Side?

If you live along the Calapooia River or one of its tributaries, or perhaps have a pasture, chances are you’ve noticed lush Himalayan blackberry growing. An invasive weed introduced to Oregon, this plant rapidly occupies disturbed areas and out-competes native vegetation. For those landowners trying to restore or enhance native streamsides or grow a more productive pasture, controlling Himalayan blackberry can be frustrating. However, control and eradication is key to restoring the function of streamside buffers and pastures. Native trees and shrubs provide more food and cover for wildlife, and have a much deeper root system, which increases the stability of the stream bank and soil. Native vegetation near the stream also provides significant shade and contributes large woody debris to the system. In pastures, native vegetation is preferred over blackberry to grazing livestock.

There are 4 general steps to managing this invasive weed:

1. Mowing to remove most of the aboveground plant parts 

- This can be done in early to mid-growing season. May or June is a good time to get started.

- Flattening blackberry first may make it easier to mow

2. Remove or kill root crowns and roots to prevent re-growth of the site  

- The key to effectiveness is to not sever roots or dig more than a few inches into the soil.

- The more you disturb the site, the more you disturb the seed bed, and the more blackberry you’ll see.

3. Apply herbicide to the re-sprouts in the fall, before the last frost, as the plant is rapidly translocating nutrients to the roots.  This allows the herbicide to be most effective.

- If you do choose to use herbicide, please use herbicides that have a minimal risk to fish and aquatic organisms, such as Glyphosate (AquaMaster), Rodeo, or Garlon 3A. Crossbow can be used and is effective, but must be used 10 feet away from open water.  

4. Once blackberry has been eradicated or well controlled, plant native vegetation to reoccupy the site

- Protect native plants when spraying blackberry re-growth 

For more information on weed control or native plant restoration, contact Sarah at 541.224.4531 or sarah.dyrdahl(at)gmail .com.