Native Plants & Pollinators
in the salt creek watershed
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Join us for a morning as we celebrate native plants and pollinators in the Salt Creek Basin of the Greater Yamhill Watershed! Native plants provide multi-functional benefits to the land by bolstering biodiversity and providing habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects. We’ll start by learning about the watershed and listen to PhD candidates Jen Hayes (OSU) and Sarah Erskine (U of O) as they discuss oak habitats and the importance of plants and pollinators in restoration. We'll also learn about types of pollinators, and their relationships with native plants. After the presentation, we'll drive a mile down the road and take a walk at Polk SWCD's property, Cornerstone. Jen and Sarah will help us ID native plants and pollinators!
Guests will leave with a free native seed packet for pollinators, resources and basic guidance for home gardening to support pollinators. Namaste will be pouring wine (for purchase) after our walk, so please feel free to stick around! Bring a lunch and enjoy the beautiful deck overlooking our beautiful watershed!
Guests will leave with a free native seed packet for pollinators, resources and basic guidance for home gardening to support pollinators. Namaste will be pouring wine (for purchase) after our walk, so please feel free to stick around! Bring a lunch and enjoy the beautiful deck overlooking our beautiful watershed!
When:
Saturday, June 22, 10am - 12:30pm (see agenda below)
Who should attend:
Residents of the Salt Creek Watershed of Polk County, gardeners, farmers, conservation-minded folks
Who is presenting (scroll down to see bios):
Saturday, June 22, 10am - 12:30pm (see agenda below)
Who should attend:
Residents of the Salt Creek Watershed of Polk County, gardeners, farmers, conservation-minded folks
Who is presenting (scroll down to see bios):
- Jen Hayes, Graduate Research Assistant, Garden Ecology Lab, OSU
- Sarah Erskine, PhD candidate in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon
- Greta Holmstrom, Executive Director, Greater Yamhill Watershed Council
- Morgan Neil, Polk Soil and Water Conservation District
Where: Namaste Vineyards and Cornerstone
- 9:45am: Doors open at Namaste Vineyards - 5600 Van Well Rd., Dallas, OR 97338.
- 10:00am: Presentation begins
- 11:15am: We will carpool, 1 mile down the road to Cornerstone.
- 11:30am-12:30pm: Plants and pollinators walk at Cornerstone
- 12:30pm: Return to Namaste; optional social on the deck. Namaste does have charcuterie boards for purchase. We are allowed to bring outside food, so feel free to pack a lunch!
Accessibility:
The tour will involve a 1-mile hike on a primitive trail. When walking, please be mindful of animal holes on the path. To reach the area where we will see the recent planting by the Institute for Applied Ecology, you'll need to hike up a hill with approximately 200ft elevation gain. There is the option to opt out of the hike up and stay at the bottom along the trail with a guide. There are bathroom facilities for us to use at Namaste. There are no bathrooms at Cornerstone.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully in our programming. To request accommodations or for inquiries about accessibility, please do so by June 15 and contact Morgan Neil, [email protected], 503-623-9680.
The land:
Cornerstone is an 87-acre property in northcentral Polk County, part of the Salt Creek Basin of the Greater Yamhill Watershed. Cornerstone has a unique combination of habitats, including riparian, seasonal stream, mixed conifer forest and heritage oak savannah and woodland. Cornerstone will be a major anchor of wildlife habitat, connected by corridors within the region to foster the recovery of Kincaid’s lupine, Fender’s blue butterfly and other sensitive and threatened species found within this ecoregion.
The Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) and many other partners throughout western Oregon and southwest Washington have been collaborating to enhance prairie habitat and recover Willamette daisy, Kincaid’s lupine and Fender’s blue butterfly, including with the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District. The Cornerstone property is managed by the Polk SWCD for oak woodland and prairie habitat. It is protected from development and has a permanent conservation easement. Nearly 15 acres of Cornerstone have been dedicated to these planting projects with IAE since 2020.
The Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) and many other partners throughout western Oregon and southwest Washington have been collaborating to enhance prairie habitat and recover Willamette daisy, Kincaid’s lupine and Fender’s blue butterfly, including with the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District. The Cornerstone property is managed by the Polk SWCD for oak woodland and prairie habitat. It is protected from development and has a permanent conservation easement. Nearly 15 acres of Cornerstone have been dedicated to these planting projects with IAE since 2020.
The Speakers:
Jen Hayes, PhD candidate & Graduate Research Assistant, Garden Ecology Lab, OSU
Jen Hayes is a PhD candidate in Horticulture and Entomology at Oregon State University. She is originally from Vermont, which is where she first fell in love with native bees. As an undergraduate at the University of Vermont, she spent her summers studying native bee contributions to blueberry pollination. Her passion for pollinators has guided her through studies in Ecuadorean cloud forests, rangelands in North Dakota, the Oregon Coast Range, and experimental gardens. She is currently studying pollinator use of native plants and native cultivars, but is broadly interested in the ecological relationships between pollinators and their host plants.
Sarah Erskine, PhD candidate in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon
Sarah Erskine is a PhD candidate in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon where she studies how climate warming restructures plant interactions through phenological shifts. She is primarily a field ecologist and botanist and has worked all across the western US from the Mojave Desert to the Oregon Coast Range surveying plants and pollinators with universities, non-profits, the BLM and the USFS. Her work in Pacific Northwest prairies has included Taylor's checkerspot and Fender's blue butterflies and their host plants, and her current research uses many annual flower species native to the Willamette Valley. She enjoys thinking about how plant communities will change with climate change and hopes to inform restoration efforts with her research.
Greta Holmstrom, Executive Director, Greater Yamhill Watershed Council
The Greater Yamhill Watershed Council was formed in 1995 to improve the watershed through voluntary partnerships and community-based solutions. The non-profit organization works within the Yamhill and Chehalem valleys to steward the lands, waters and wildlife that are part of our local communities.
Jen Hayes is a PhD candidate in Horticulture and Entomology at Oregon State University. She is originally from Vermont, which is where she first fell in love with native bees. As an undergraduate at the University of Vermont, she spent her summers studying native bee contributions to blueberry pollination. Her passion for pollinators has guided her through studies in Ecuadorean cloud forests, rangelands in North Dakota, the Oregon Coast Range, and experimental gardens. She is currently studying pollinator use of native plants and native cultivars, but is broadly interested in the ecological relationships between pollinators and their host plants.
Sarah Erskine, PhD candidate in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon
Sarah Erskine is a PhD candidate in the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon where she studies how climate warming restructures plant interactions through phenological shifts. She is primarily a field ecologist and botanist and has worked all across the western US from the Mojave Desert to the Oregon Coast Range surveying plants and pollinators with universities, non-profits, the BLM and the USFS. Her work in Pacific Northwest prairies has included Taylor's checkerspot and Fender's blue butterflies and their host plants, and her current research uses many annual flower species native to the Willamette Valley. She enjoys thinking about how plant communities will change with climate change and hopes to inform restoration efforts with her research.
Greta Holmstrom, Executive Director, Greater Yamhill Watershed Council
The Greater Yamhill Watershed Council was formed in 1995 to improve the watershed through voluntary partnerships and community-based solutions. The non-profit organization works within the Yamhill and Chehalem valleys to steward the lands, waters and wildlife that are part of our local communities.
Donate to conservation:
There is a suggested donation of $10 to attend this event. The money you donate will go directly to fund restoration projects and activities at Cornerstone. With your confirmation email, you will receive a link for donations.
Oregon white oak savannas and woodlands once covered between 400 and 500,000 acres in the Willamette Valley. Now, most of the trees and their historic habitat have disappeared and less than 5% remain, making them one of the most threatened ecosystems in the country. Oregon White Oak supports over 200 species of native pollinators, birds, small mammals, amphibians and insects. We appreciate your support and donation.
Oregon white oak savannas and woodlands once covered between 400 and 500,000 acres in the Willamette Valley. Now, most of the trees and their historic habitat have disappeared and less than 5% remain, making them one of the most threatened ecosystems in the country. Oregon White Oak supports over 200 species of native pollinators, birds, small mammals, amphibians and insects. We appreciate your support and donation.
This event is brought to you by:
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