Parrott Creek Restoration Day- Lamprey Surveys
Bark is partnering with the Cultural Ecology Program at Parrott Creek to restore an 80-acre site in Clackamas County. The site is connected to Mt. Hood National Forest biologically, hydrologically and culturally.
Parrott Creek’s Cultural Ecology Project focuses on restoring an 80-acre site to 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, they hold 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 peoples can’t 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 Knowledge that ensures their cultures’ wisdom can be actively practiced and passed down for generations to come.
Lampreys are ancient PNW residents critical to both the habitat and cultures of the area. Indigenous people of the area have long harvested lamprey for food, medicine, ceremony and more. They provide numerous habitat benefits from creating habitat for insects, move nutrients inland from the ocean and provide a predation buffer for salmon, allowing salmon to continue upstream uneaten. They are also negatively impacted by reduced water quality and quantity, habitat degradation and climate change making them vital species to survey and manage for.