Yesterday, Sept. 18th, Pacific University students, their professor, Rich VanBuskirk, and Pam and Peter got to work on the second phase of the restoration of the “Bear Pear” wetlands in the Mt. Richmond Forest. The first phase, completed 10 mos. ago, involved an army of Pacific students and staff removing invasive reed canary grass and blackberry from the site. Yesterday’s work continued the process and opens the way for the laying of black fabric over the site to block the invasives. This opens the way for restoration of the site with a community of native, wetland plants. We tentatively defined success and being made up of three parts: 1) improvement of ecological function through removal of invasive non natives and replacement with native plants, 2) development of knowledge about effective strategies for making this transition, and 3) students gaining skills and experience that will be helpful to them in the future.

The project is guided by a three way partnership between Pacific University, The Tualatin River Watershed Council, and Hyla Woods. We are fortunate to have the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grants program providing important financial support for this phase of the work. It is exciting to see the work moving forward and look forward to the adventures ahead.