Summer 2008 Wetland Word Newsletter
Vol. 4 Issue 3
Articles
West Eugene Wetlands Ethnobotany Project by Dr. Eric T. Jones Click
Joining WEEDIN in the fight against invasive species Click
2008 West Eugene Wetlands Partnership Awards Click
Summer Poem by Susanne Twight-Alexander
Plus...
Paul Severns reports on the Great Copper Butterfly Click
Great photos of a mid-August wetland wander at the west end of Royal Avenue Click
Awesome, up close photos and video of dragonflies out at Sandpiper Pond
Volunteer Spotlight...
on Tim Downey and Ann Rougle, the Summer 2008 West Eugene Wetlands site hosts. From watering native plants along the path to scoping out wildlife with walkers, joggers, and bikers, to hitch hiking with Eugenians up and down West 11th Ave., Tim & Ann have had a busy summer. Read about their adventures on the WEW blog.
Ethnobotany for the year 14,008! Providing cultural context for restoration to ensure healthy ecosystems in the future...
By Dr. Eric T. Jones, Institute for Culture and Ecology
The patchwork of seasonal ponds, small upland prairies and oak savannah we know now as the West Eugene Wetlands exists in the context of more than 12,000 years of occupation by the Tsanchiifin band of the Kalapuya Indians! We know this from the stories handed down through generations to elders and the material culture they left behind, such as the 8,500 year old camas ovens at the Cheatem archaeological site along the Long Tom River.
Unfortunately, the details of the day-to-day lives of the ancient Kalapuya may be mostly lost in the wake of the cultural devastation that followed displacement by Euro-American settlers. Nonetheless, by pulling together disparate sources of information we continue to gain important insights into the role the indigenous habitants played in shaping the wetland ecosystem. There were hundreds of human generations living on the land, experimenting with resources, and practicing land management, such as the use of fire to optimize environmental conditions.
Understanding this past anthropogenic history is essential for today's managers, scientists, and stakeholders. It informs them of what goals to set for restoration. Said another way, the native plant and animal species of the wetlands are likely adapted to a landscape shaped by the human begins that lived in the area for many thousands of years -after the arrival of Indian people to the area over 12,000 years but before Euro-American populations moved into the area.
As part of a learning and healing process, both cultural and ecological, the West Eugene Wetlands began a project to reunite American Indians still living in the region with the lands under restoration. This model effort is known as the West Eugene Wetlands Ethnobotany Project and is intended to create opportunities to learn from Native American elders about the land, provide the space for tribal members and the general public to reintroduce traditional anthropogenic activities such as the harvesting and processing of traditional resources in situ, and much, much more as the project expands in upcoming years. The Ethnobotany Project is supported financially and in-kind by WREN, the BLM and the other West Eugene Wetlands Partners, regional tribes, and the Institute for Culture and Ecology.
Along with two years of strategic planning and coordination with regional tribes, a number of activities have taken place and others are in the works. For example, several of the wetland units have been renamed to traditional Kalapuya names by elder Esther Stutzman. Several site visits have occurred with members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and members of other tribes. Dharmika Hensel worked with youth from the Grand Ronde lifeways class at Willow Creek Nature Preserve to learn traditional plant identification. For 2nd Annual Walkin' & Rollin' Through the Wetlands event this spring, Teena Jeffers of the Grand Ronde coordinated and co-staffed a booth with Dharmika to provide educational materials about culturally important plants occurring in the area. In June, Teena along with Greg Archuletta, Jon Chantell and other tribal representatives organized a day at in the West Eugene Wetlands that brought together regional Indian elders and youth to share stories, demonstrate traditional plant uses, and discuss their longterm vision for involvement with the wetlands. The next day was a public ethnobotanical learning event featuring elders Esther Stutzman and Agness Baker Pilgram (i.e, Grandma Aggie) of the Takelma, world renowned author and McArthur Genius Award recipient Gary Nabhan, and elder and chair of the Indigenous Peoples' Restoration Network, Dennis Martinez. The event was attended by more than 100 people at the site of the future education center. That same afternoon Mr. Martinez shared insights on indigenous perspectives on Oak restoration in a site visit with wetland managers and scientists.
The reemergence of traditional ethnobotanical activities at the West Eugene Wetlands is an important step forward in the restoration of the area to a healthy ecosystem based on an understanding of the culture that shaped the area for more than 12,000 years. Understanding this past in the restoration activities of today will help create a system that will be dynamic, adaptive, and able to persist for another 12,000 years. Isn't it great to know your descendents will still be enjoying butterflies, camas, and making baskets in 14,008?!
New invasive species detection program seeks volunteers
Twenty-nine people, including concerned citizens, property owners, master gardeners, and watershed council members, attended the late July invasive species monitoring workshop in the West Eugene Wetlands.
The workshop, organized by the West Eugene Early Detection of Invasives Network (WEEDIN) and WREN, also attracted the attention of the Register-Guard and KMTR. The goal of WEEDIN is to prevent the establishment of harmful invasive species by creating a network of citizens looking for, reporting, and controlling invasive species before they become a problem.
The pressure is on for invasive species, fueled by a statewide, multi-agency campaign and media attention such as the Oregon Field Guide segment The Silent Invasion that aired in April (and will re-air in September). A cooperative network of land managers and private citizens is the best approach for solving the invasions.
Volunteers can join WEEDIN at any time, even if they missed this year's training. All that is required is to learn the species, report the species, and control them on your land. You can find all the details on the WEEDIN webpage: www.wewetlands.org/weedin.php
Congratulations 2008 West Eugene Wetlands Partnership Appreciation Award Recipients!
For a decade, the West Eugene Wetland Partners have presented awards to outstanding individuals, businesses, and organizations who pour time, passion, and energy into the West Eugene Wetlands. This year, the Partners were honored to present awards to three recipients at the Wetland Executive Team annual meeting
Invitrogen Corporation
Vicki Singer of Invitrogen accepted this award on half of the amazing biotechnology company. Al Hughes, of the WREN Board, had dressed for the occasion in a tie-dye lab coat, in recognition of Invitrogen's scientific work and accomplishments in our good ole' city of Eugene. Yes, we do love our tie-dye here. One of the many reasons Invitrogen received a West Eugene Wetlands Award is the company's dedication to environmental sustainability and community involvement. Invitrogen provides products and services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic and government research institutions with a focus on disease research, drug discovery, and commercial bio-production. Invitrogen-Molecular Probes employs approximately 300 people at the west Eugene site on Willow Creek Road. As an active corporate citizen and neighbor, the company is involved with local schools, educational programs, environmental sustainability efforts and health and human service organizations. In addition, Invitrogen adopted a section of Amazon Creek through the City of Eugene Stream Team Program to participate in riparian restoration activities throughout the year!
John Winquist has been a volunteer and supporter of the WEW Partnership for many years. He eagerly volunteered and financially supported the creation of The Nature Conservancy's Willow Creek office. In the last two years, John has become very involved in the Ridgeline Trail planning effort. Additionally, John is an advocate for parks as a member of the Eugene Parks Foundation, and has not only contributed financially to our efforts and volunteered a great deal of his time and energy to help further the Ridgeline vision, but he also has done volunteer maintenance activities for us such as mowing and clearing.
The Walama Restoration Project (WRP) is a community organized nonprofit that was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to the enhancement, rehabilitation, and restoration of the waterways, forest, and grassland ecosystems within and adjacent to the Willamette Valley. In addition to ecosystem restoration, WRP facilitates environmental education and the fostering of connections between people and the bioregion in which they live. The WEW Partnership has contracted WRP since 2002 to carry out a diverse array of projects including removal of invasive species, plug and bulb planting, Fender's blue butterfly monitoring, interpretive field trips in prairies, native seed collection, processing and propagation, and riparian zone enhancement. WRP uses a portion of the City's native nursery shade house to grow native plants for restoration on City lands. This organization fills a very important niche necessary for the WEWP to meet its restoration and management goals.
Thank you to all the 2008 award recipients for your incredible dedication to the West Eugene Wetlands!
