by Kammy Kern-Korot, senior conservationist Have you seen a previously healthy tree or sapling seemingly fried to a crisp by days of stifling heat? Then you’ve already seen how extreme weather, made worse by climate change, is affecting nature in our district. Dangerously high temperatures and increased precipitation and some severe flooding are all well-studied…

by Laura Taylor, forest conservationist Over the past four years, West Multnomah SWCD has been partnering with Dieter Waiblinger to restore forest health along the headwaters of McCarthy Creek, which is on his property on McNamee Road, in northwest Multnomah County. McCarthy Creek is one of the largest year-round streams in our District and is…

by Eleanor Greene, outreach and communications coordinator, and Michelle Delepine, invasive species program specialist West Multnomah SWCD is constantly looking to remove highly impactful weedy plants throughout the district. Our invasive species program practices tracking, pulling, and treating with herbicides some of the most harmful weed species in our area. This includes weeds you may…

by Kammy Kern-Korot, senior conservationist Emerald Ash Borer The emerald ash borer and Mediterranean oak borer are insect pests that pose significant threats to Oregon’s native tree populations. Neither bug originates in North America and they are expected to have an outsized negative impact on tree species that are crucial to our ecosystems. Their arrivals…

by Scott Gall, farm and soil conservationist This year, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) selected Sauvie Island and the surrounding watershed, including the area draining to Miller, McCarthy and Crabapple Creeks, as a Strategic Implementation Area (SIA). These SIAs, of which over 40 have already been completed around the state, are focused efforts of education,…

by Eleanor Greene, outreach and communications coordinator Every Tuesday, Shawn Looney pulls weeds with her friends. With the group, which includes fellow West Multnomah SWCD Board Member Jane Hartline and other local pals, Shawn spends her mornings gloved-up and dirty-kneed, pulling invasive blackberry and English ivy from the Wapato Access Greenway on Sauvie Island. It…

by Michelle Delepine, invasive program coordinator and conservationist Each year our early detection, rapid response (EDRR) program continues to conduct outreach and expand the geographic area surveyed for priority invasive weeds. This past year (July 2023 – June 2024) we surveyed over 3,900 acres of private land and shorelines. This all totals roughly 5% of…