Riparian Restoration at Kelley Point Park

On Saturday March 7th, Columbia Slough Watershed Council hosted a Stewardship Saturday volunteer event at Kelley Point Park. Kelley Point Park is located at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers, and is also where the Columbia Slough flows into the Willamette, making it the western-most point in our watershed.

50 volunteers came out and planted over 1,000 native shrubs and trees to restore the riparian area at this site where juvenile wild salmon take refuge on their long journey up the Columbia River. Earlier this year, the Council hosted our popular Holiday Tree Toss event at Kelley Point Park, where over 40 volunteers placed recycled Christmas trees into engineered log jams to enhance resting cover and food sources for salmon.

This Stewardship Saturday was co-hosted with Portland Parks and Recreation, an important Council partner that we collaborate with on many of our stewardship and education events. At this event, we were also joined by volunteers from Portland State University and volunteers who signed up through Vortex Music Festival, which gives away festival tickets to people who volunteer for three hours in advance of the August event. They are currently encouraging people to find safe ways to volunteer for those most impacted by COVID-19. (Update: The Vortex Music Festival has been canceled this year, but they still encourage finding ways to safety make a positive impact on your community.)

While the remainder of the Council’s March volunteer events have been canceled to protect public health in light of the spread of COVID-19, we encourage you to stay tuned to our newsletter and events page for updates on when our volunteer programming will continue. See our upcoming newsletter for ideas on what you can do to help the most impacted members of our community, and how to stay connected with the Council’s work during this time.