Spring has arrived and as the ground reawakens and plant growth takes off, we head out to our restoration sites for maintenance work! The native trees and shrubs we plant in the fall have gotten a head start on growing season, but we like to provide a little extra support by adding a thick layer of mulch around each plant. This helps plants retain valuable moisture throughout the summer and fend off weed growth around their base.

Want to help out? We’re having an Earth Day volunteer work party on April 22nd at the Evans Creek Fish Passage Project Site in Parkdale. We’ll be mulching, hand pulling weeds, and tucking a few extra plants in the ground. 

Evans Creek Earth Day Volunteer Work Party
When: Friday, April 22nd, 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Evans Creek Fish Passage Project Site on Hutson Drive in Parkdale
What: Evans Creek is a relatively low gradient, clear water tributary to the East Fork Hood River, making it an important refuge for ESA-listed steelhead and coho, as well as cutthroat trout. At the project site, managing by Hood River County, two culverts that inhibited fish passage were removed, opening up approximately 1.3 miles of spawning and rearing habitat. 400 feet of new stream channel downstream of the new road crossing was restored to a more natural alignment and slope, the riparian area and floodplain were replanted with native trees and shrubs, and a disturbed wetland was restored.

Volunteers will be mulching native trees and shrubs, hand pulling weeds, and planting a few additional native shrubs. We will provide tools, gloves, drinks, and snacks.

Additional details will be provided after registration. To register, please email or call Alix at alix@hoodriverwatershed.org or 541-360-6063.