Parrott Creek Restoration Day
Bark is partnering with the Cultural Ecology Program at Parrott Creek to restore an 80-acre site in Clackamas County which is connected culturally, hydrologically and biologically to Mt. Hood National Forest. This site in rural Oregon City features mixed coniferous forest, an upper grassland prairie, Parrott Creek and one of its unnamed tributaries, as well as a large wetlands area. Parrott Creek is itself a major tributary to Beaver Creek and the Willamette River, flowing in just above Willamette Falls. Historically, these subwatersheds have been known to have populations of juvenile cutthroat, steelhead, coho, lamprey and other anadromous species. Besides providing a home for fish, our project area is also used by amphibians, beavers, coyotes, birds of prey, water fowl, deer, and small mammals.
Headed by Cultural Ecology Project Manager Ameyalli “Ame” Manon-Ferguson, Parrott Creek’s Cultural Ecology Project focuses on restoring an 80-acre site so that it can be a space where Indigenous people can safely gather natural resources such as foods, medicines, and weaving materials while connecting with the land and their communities and traditions. In addition to restoration field days, Ame and her colleague, Cultural Ecology Program Coordinator Autumn Martinez, host community workshops on topics such as cedar pulling for basketry and regalia; cattail, hazel and vine maple harvesting; lamprey and beaver surveys, and more. Given that many Indigenous folks can’t always (or easily) access these sorts of natural and cultural resources in places like the lands now known as Mt. Hood National Forest, this project provides urban Natives with culturally appropriate access and education in Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge that ensures their cultures’ wisdom can be actively practiced and passed down for generations to come.
One of the many ways we can help Indigenous communities is by lending our capacity. That’s where Bark comes in. In this case, Bark’s been bringing our volunteer power to the Parrott Creek site to remove invasive plants, plant native plants, lead beaver surveys, and help with trail maintenance. It’s straightforward work that addresses complex issues, like the legacy of land theft and cultural erasure that undergirds our national forests (and much conservation work more broadly).
Join us to help restore this incredible space! We will be planting native plants, protecting young plants, removing invasives and doing trail maintenance, depending on the day.
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: MEET AT 9:45am at 1001 Molalla Avenue #209, Oregon City, OR 97045. We will carpool from there to the site.
Bring: All-weather gear, long pants, sturdy shoes (rubber boots recommended but hiking boots ok), rain gear, sunglasses, water, snacks (some snacks provided).
Weather forecast: NOAA Weather Oregon City. We will cancel the event if the weather is expected to be below 37 degrees OR very rainy.
Accessibility: Events will be light rain or shine! However, if there is heavy rain or temperatures are below 37 degrees, we will postpone or cancel the day.
Restoration days will be a 4-5/5 accessibility with bending, squatting, digging large roots (often blackberry), handling thorny plants, carrying materials. Each site will require walking/standing on steep hills which may be slippery and/or require crossing a small stream on a flat log.
Questions? Need to carpool? Email Meg@Bark-Out.org