Willamette Valley NWRC Update for March 2020 Friends Board Meeting

1) Impressive Planting at Snag Boat Bend Unit of W.L. Finley NWR – Partnership with Biology Program…... Partnerships are the key to much of what we do on the Complex and in the Valley. In partnership with the Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), the Long Tom Watershed Council (LTWC) has been implementing a habitat restoration project on the Snag Boat Bend Unit of the W.L. Finley NWR. This 341-acre unit in Linn County near Peoria, is being restored back to a woodland riparian corridor along the Willamette River. Using grant dollars from Oregon Water Enhancement Board, Biologist Jed Kaul of LTWC hired R. Franco Restoration to plant 120,000 trees and shrubs on 78 acres in 4 days. There were 12 varieties of trees and shrubs planted including Oregon live oak, Oregon grape, big leaf maple, black cottonwood, Willamette Valley ponderosa pine, Pacific ninebark and snowberry. This restoration has been coordinated by Wildlife Biologist Brian Root over the last 5 years, and is significantly transforming the landscape on this unit. How does one plant 120,000 trees? Just for example, on the first day a crew of 18 planted 29,000 trees and shrubs in 6.5 hours. This equates to approximately 1,600 trees planted per person at a rate of 4 per minute. You can see in the pictures that there are herbicide-sprayed strips of grass with a trenched line down the middle. The dead grass reduces competition for the trees, and the trench keeps the planting in a straight line. We will be able to mow in between the planting lines in the future. Have you been to the Snag Boat Bend Unit? You will find this area about one mile south of Peoria, OR along the Peoria Road. This unit is open to the public with hiking trails, a boardwalk and photo blind.

Long Tom Watershed Council Biologist Jed Kaul (left) and Willamette Valley NWR Complex Biologist Brian Root discuss the tree planting at the Snag Boat Bend Unit of the W.L. Finley NWR, near Peoria, OR, 2/11/20.

The crew from R. Franco Restoration did the work planting the 120,000 trees and shrubs at the Snag Boat Bend Unit of the W.L. Finley Refuge. Ismael Pimtale, right picture, chooses from 8-12 different species in his bags, planting at least 4 trees a minute, 2/11/20.

2) FWS Support Proposals – Multiple Refuge Programs…..We reported last month about proposals we had submitted to the Regional Office to provide funding for a number of projects at the Complex. We are fortunate to report that all 5 proposals to our Regional Invasives Program were funded. So two seasonal range technicians will be hired and an impressive amount of invasive species control will be completed, including efforts at Baskett Slough’s Dusky Marsh and Cabell and McFaddin marshes at Finley. One request to the Regional Youth Program to fund the Latino Engagement Coordinator intern for the Visitor Services Program was approved. Unfortunately, the other intern for the Streaked Horned Lark breeding study for the Biology Program was not funded. Efforts will continue to try and secure other funding for this position that is partially funded by Corvallis Audubon in hopes of continuing this project.

3) Changes along the Woodpecker Loop Trail – Visitor Services Program/Fire Program…. Sadly, the iconic overlook was deteriorating and could not be saved. In February it was dismantled and the area under the legacy oak tree cleared, creating an unobstructed view of the surrounding hillside. Walk a little farther up the trail to the Environmental Education Shelter (EE Shelter) if you want a place to sit and take in the view. Fire Specialist Silas Baffa and Fire Management Officer Jeremiah Maghan made quick work of the deteriorated platform. See the dated photo and the changes in the tree over 35 years. Modifications were also completed at the EE Shelter by Equipment Operator Walt Hammond to reduce the whitewashing of floor and bench by birds. And more changes are coming – the new Outdoor Discovery Experience, complete with bilingual elements, trail stanchions and life-like animals are ready for installation along the trail. The next time you hike Woodpecker Loop Trail may be a whole new experience. We hope you enjoy the changes. Let us know what you think.

What a difference in 35 years! A observation platform gets built, deteriorates over time

and disappears in days. But the tree remains. We hope you enjoy the new views along the Woodpecker Loop Trail at W.L. Finley NWR.

4) Cleaning up Oak Restorations at Baskett Slough and Finley Refuges – Biology Program…..Somedays work is a

real grind. Fortunately, we have a stump grinding attachment for our skidsteer that makes easy work of tree stumps. During previous restoration work removal of Douglas fir and thinning of oak trees was done to restore areas to oak prairie or open-up oak woodlands. Leftover stumps dot the landscape and make additional work difficult. Equipment Operators Mike Renfrow and Jeremy Depiero put the stump grinder to work and have decimated over 500 stumps in the last couple weeks. These areas will be mowed and/or burned in the future to continue the restoration work.

Equipment Operator Mike Renfrow removes Douglas fir stumps in the Black Hole area of W.L. Finley NWR. Nearly 400 stumps were removed in this oak restoration area, with

additional work occurring at Baskett Slough NWR, 2/20/20.

5) Bilingual Preschool Program at Ankeny NWR – Visitor Service Program…… It was a beautiful, sunny day at Ankeny NWR’s Pintail Marsh for the February session of the Bilingual Preschool Program "Hawks Overhead!" Eleven preschoolers learned about the hawks that live at Ankeny through stories, photos and specimens, we observed 3 bald eagles, a great blue heron and lots of geese, swans and ducks. A couple garter snakes also made an appearance! We invite you to bring your preschoolers out on March 19th to learn about beavers at the Rail Trail at Ankeny NWR.

Parents were hands-on with their children for the February’s Bilingual Preschool Program

at Ankeny NWR, 2/20/20.

6) Rail Trail Power Wash at Ankeny NWR – Maintenance Program…… The Pacific Northwest is a great place to live and enjoy the outdoors. Walking along a wooden boardwalk can be a challenge at times because our climate can make a walkway into a slip-n-slide. For two weeks Equipment Operators Matt Withee and Jeremy Depiero pressure washed the entire ½-mile long elevated wooden boardwalk called the Rail Trail at Ankeny NWR. Due to trail’s remote location and lack of a water source, mobile water tanks and long hose lays were used to do this maintenance of the boardwalk. The staff did an excellent job. We hope you find your next walk along this trail and enjoyable sure-footed experience.

Equipment Operators Matt Withee and Jeremy Depiero power wash the boardwalk along the Rail Trail at Ankeny NWR, 2/26/20.

7) Winter Wildlife Field Day -- Visitor Services Program……This Saturday, March 14th is Winter Wildlife Field Day, We will see you here.

8) Volunteer Planting Party at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge – Visitor Services Program…..

On Saturday, February 22nd we had over 45 volunteers out at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge helping with all sorts of projects for a volunteer work party. We’ve been working on the riparian restoration next to the Rail Trail parking lot for 4 years now. It’s getting there! The trail got cleaned up, hundreds of cuttings planted, some mature milkweed went into the ground over by upcoming Ankeny Hill Nature Center, AND lots of pullouts were cleared of trash. The turnout was incredible! Such a fun day in the sun with amazing people heling the Refuge. Ankeny Refuge felt the love!

Thank you, Volunteers! A group picture with some of the volunteers at the Ankeny Refuge volunteer work party on February 22nd.