September 2021 Contents

All are welcome to join the celebration on Saturday, September 25 from Noon-3pm at the Multnomah Arts Center.
    

The Eena (Beaver) Festival is an Indigenous-led festival that hopes to raise awareness about non-human-led restoration, share education about Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and create a safe, welcoming means to increase access to nature for Black, Indigenous and other people of color. Activities will include storytelling, wood carving demonstrations, a talk on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, traditional salmon bake, kids’ crafts table, and a video showing the influence of beavers in Fanno Creek.

This is a FREE event! All ages welcome, no registration required.

Please wear a mask if you attend the festival. This event will not be canceled or postponed unless city/county/state public health guidelines change to limit or prohibit outdoor gatherings.

Volunteers are needed to help with this event! Volunteers can help with set up, take down, and serving salmon from the traditional salmon bake. To see open volunteer shifts and sign up to help out, go to signup.com/eenafestival. For questions about volunteering, email manager@westsidewatersheds.org or call 503 865 6759.

Did you know that beavers live in many neighborhoods right here in Portland? Check out this video created by WWRC and Eena Festival organizer Laura Campos highlighting the many benefits that beavers provide to our watersheds! And be sure to keep an eye out for beavers near your favorite park, creek or pond.

The Eena Festival is funded by a Metro Community Placemaking grant.
 

Do you love plants? Are you interested in spending time outside and sharpening your native plant ID skills? Then volunteering at the Sparrowhawk Native Plant sale is the perfect opportunity for you!

 

We are looking for volunteers to fill a variety of shifts and roles over the 3 days of the sale on September 30, October 1 and 2 at St Luke’s Lutheran Church in SW Portland. Shifts are 4 hours and volunteers are provided with orientation and staff support during the event. You can view open shifts, learn more about different volunteer roles, and sign up to help out at https://signup.com/go/RUmeYnC
 
This native plant sale is a collaboration between Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Westside WatershedResource Center, and Neighborhood House. 5% of sale profits go to support Neighborhood House’s youth education programs.

There's still time to place an order from the sale! Online ordering closes on September 15, and there still over 40 species of native plants available to choose from. You can learn more about the sale at and place an order at sparrowhawknativeplants.com. 

For questions about volunteering, email manager@westsidewatersheds.org or call 503 865 6759.


Over 30 volunteers make 3 days of the Sparrowhawk Native Plant sale possible (photo courtesy of Tara Lemezis).  

Neighborhood streams provide important resources for salmon traveling to and from the ocean.

Although salmon are not as abundant as they once were in the Portland area and throughout the Northwest (due to challenges like decreasing water levels, increasing water temperatures, and dams, just to name a few), they still access the Willamette River and many of its tributaries throughout various parts of their life. Small neighborhood creeks are actually a very important resource for salmon that provide a place to rest, and offer access to water that is usually much cooler than the Willamette River itself.
 
This map shows the many creeks in Portland that a variety of salmon species access at some point during the year. Some creeks don’t currently have salmon activity, so steps have been identified to address barriers to healthy fish habitat in these spots.
 
One major way to help salmon is by taking steps to prevent stormwater runoff and pollution. Actions like removing impervious surfaces, planting native plants that can absorb and filter stormwater before it reaches a stream, and creating bioswales can all help reduce water pollution and create healthier, more welcoming creeks for salmon to call home. Most stormwater runoff heads straight the nearest creek without any treatment or filtration, so actions to reduce stormwater runoff and pollution can have an immediate and positive impact right in your neighborhood!

Salmon returning to their home stream to spawn (photo courtesy of Marco Tjokro on Unsplash).