| DSL launches cleanup project in October |
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With Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s and First Lady Mary Oberst’s help, on Saturday, Oct. 18 the Department of State Lands launched a project to remove invasive species along Mill Creek near the agency’s Salem headquarters building. About 40 volunteers have pitched in over three additional days to clean up the creek between Summer and Winter streets.
The project is the state’s first “Take Care of Oregon” project designed to commemorate Oregon's 150th birthday in 2009.
The Mill Creek cleanup is the brainchild of DSL wetlands specialist Jevra Brown, who with other DSL staff, helped coordinate the project and recruit volunteers from neighboring agencies to remove holly, laurel, black locust, Himalayan blackberry and English ivy.
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board volunteers took the lead on Dec. 4 to clean up invasives towards the Summer St. end of the creek.
 “It seemed like the perfect project for us because of our mission to protect Oregon’s waterways and because Mill Creek runs right next to our building,” Brown said. “We enjoy working near the creek but have seen invasive species take over the banks and it was time to do something. This is an opportunity to show how diverse and beautiful Oregon's native plants are.”
Mulch will be spread to control erosion before additional volunteers plant native species such as salal, wild ginger, Serviceberry, red huckleberry and red flowering currant along the creek in February and March.
While most “Take Care of Oregon” projects will take place during May 2009, DSL launched the Mill Creek cleanup in October because of low water and dry soil, and because native species need to be planted when winter rains will provide a good start, said Brown.
 The project has garnered substantial in-kind donations, including a 30-yard refuse bin for plant material donated by Allied Waste; landscape services, dumpsters and hand tools from the Oregon Department of Administrative Services; and mulch from local resources. Students from Parrish Middle School will get involved after the first of the year.
“This is a great project – one that we couldn’t do alone as an agency, nor would we want to,” said Louise Solliday, DSL director. “We hope our efforts will inspire other property owners along Mill Creek to do this in their own backyards.” Already, Marion County has expressed interest in having their newly hired invasive species coordinator learn more about the cleanup effort.
Oberst, recently elected president of the Oregon 150 board of directors, is pleased to be involved in the effort, and said, “we were really amazed at how much was accomplished in just part of a day. Now...imagine the same sort of thing going on in 400 communities across Oregon!”
For more information about the Mill Creek project, contact Jevra Brown or DSL communications manager Julie Curtis.
Information about “Take Care of Oregon” efforts is on the Oregon 150 Web site.
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