On a Mission

If you are a regular reader of this blog, thank you for your loyalty! I don't offer a rewards card, but hopefully the information you get here is useful in some way. Regular readers also know I often make a distinction between native and non-native plants. And a couple of times a year, I harp on the more undesirable invasive plants we come across. Of course, some of the non-natives are ornamental garden plants that are not a problem. On the other hand, invasive and noxious plants can present a real problem for our native plants, animals, and humans.

Today's post covers some local history and touches on the impact of invasives and the resources needed to control or eliminate them. There are a variety of websites and booklets published by the state and county that cover invasives. Many are aimed at the agricultural audience. For the rest of us, see the links below for a couple of useful references.

As most local school children learn in school, in the 1800's families from the east made the difficult journey to the Willamette Valley to obtain farmland and start new lives. And it was a tough, labor-intensive lifestyle that often ended in failure. One of the most popular destinations of the day was the land along the Willamette River. Our indigenous residents had long reaped the benefits of this flat, fertile land.  As "Euro-white" folk arrived, the population of humans and farm animals increased and that was the beginning of an altered landscape, where native plants and animals were eliminated or struggled to survive.

Willamette River today, from Willamette Mission State Park

We know that a Methodist Mission was established along the Willamette River near Salem in 1834 by the Rev. Jason Lee. Its purpose was to convert the native people to Christianity, as well as providing a school, a hospital of sorts, and living quarters. The mission expanded with a blacksmith shop and granary until 1840 when it moved to Salem for better access to supplies and manpower. Then, as fate would have it, the big flood of 1861 wiped out the original mission site. The river course changed after the flood, moving west about 1/4 mile.

     

At left: present day low waterline in summer; at right: Mission Lake (river prior to flood)

The land was later used by farmers for walnut and hazelnut orchards. Eventually the land around the original mission site became Willamette Mission State Park. I could not find a specific date as to when the area became a state park, but it has been a park for decades.

Today, the park's 1,600 acres offer about 8 miles of very flat walking trails, horse trails, camping, disc golf, a large day use area, and several miles of riverfront. From a naturalist-botanical point of view, the land is a mix of natural and cultivated areas, with one large gem: the nation's largest Black Cottonwood tree. On the downside, because of the history of the park and its many uses over the years, it is overrun with non-native, invasive plants. I had an email conversation with the park manager about this and he explained they are "on a mission" to eliminate the non-natives. They have partnered with several non-profit organizations to help. We saw some of those efforts along the flood plain trails, where blackberry, scotch broom, and tansy ragwort have been removed. It's a tough battle though, because every cleared area is an opportunity for new invasives to grow as you can see from the photos below.

Here's a short view of some of the non-native plants. Click photo to enlarge, and mouse-over the photo for names.

     

     

     

     

And last but not least, here's that champion Black Cottonwood that has been growing since 1735, give or take...

     

     

The park history is intertwined with a fascinating cast of characters who were mired in politics of the day. One interesting tidbit: In 1840 Salem, the Canadian born Rev. Jason Lee and other Canadians created the Oregon Institute for "Euro-American," children, now known as Willamette University. See the links below for additional history.

Another curiosity, according to park literature, are the roses that grow around the Jason Lee Mission monument by the lake. Back in 1837 when Rachael Beardsly Beers arrived to the Mission with her blacksmith husband, she planted rose cuttings she brought along. Over the years these roses have become naturalized in the park and can be seen blooming in early summer, in particular near the Mission monument.

OPB Invasives Show

OPB Invasives Quick Guide

Oregon Invasives Hotline Site - for reporting invasives

Garden Smart Oregon - A Guide to Non-Invasive Plants - A PDF of a very useful booklet

Jason Lee History

Oregon Mission History

Willamette Mission State Park Official Site

Water Primrose Info

Autum & Inventions

As every photographer knows, and these days that includes anyone with a camera phone, fall is the time for capturing colorful leaf pictures. The tiny phone cameras are one of man's most useful inventions and they are put to the test daily. According to Popular Photography, about a trillion photos are uploaded every year. That includes over 200,000 a minute going up to Facebook and at least 30,000 a minute to Instagram. Of course most of those are pictures of cats and dinner plates rather than colorful fall leaves.

It's a blissful time as we humans watch the hues of nature take their course. Thankfully, you don't have to be a botanist or even an adult to appreciate the rush of fall colors; and the price is right: free! There is something peaceful and somber about falling leaves as evidenced by thousands of  autumn themed poems and paintings created for centuries. Then, like an empty glass of ice tea on a scorching hot day, the show is over and tree limbs lay bare, ready for winter.

When the camera clicking ends, and the leaves are on the ground, the blissful feeling ends as one of man's worst inventions of all time makes its presence known: the powered leaf blower! If you live in town or in a rural area, you probably hear these infernal machines blasting away at leaves, moving them from one location to another while creating a racket and wasting power and fuel. What ever happened to rakes? I suppose the motivation comes from trying to gain the upper hand on the change of seasons. But I digress....

If you've been out and about on local trails lately, you've probably noticed some colorful berries and seeds along with all the leaves. We've seen quite a few, so I wanted to give equal time to these unsung heroes that brighten our days in a more subtle way and in many cases provide nutrition for birds and insects long into winter.

English Hawthorn - Non Native

Common Snowberry - Native

Clustered Wild Rose Hips - Native

Red Osier Dogwood - Native

Creeping Cotoneaster - Non-Native

Fuller's Teasel - Non-Native

Pacific Madrone - Native

English Holly - Non-Native

If you go up to the mountains, you might
see the native Cascade Mountain
Ash (Sorbus scopulina).

In the valley, Rowan (Sorbus sp.) is related to the shrub shown
above. These trees are native to the Northern Hemishere
and have a rich history of folklore and tradition. See link below.

Even though I hate to see summer end, there is much to look forward to in the coming months besides photo ops: apple cider, pumpkin pie, spice lattes, standard time, and of course the joy of replacing the batteries in our smoke alarms!

For a closer look at some of the shrubs and trees in this post, two good books published at OSU Press are available at bookstores and public libraries. There are also abbreviated online versions. See links below.

Links:

Trees to Know in Oregon

Shrubs to Know in the Pacific Northwest

Rowan Wiki Page

Le Détroit

Mongold Boat Ramp

Even out here in the west, nearly everyone has heard of Detroit, Michigan - probably because at one point in your life you drove a car that was made there. Detroit is named after the French translation of "the strait" of Lake Erie, which happens to be the Detroit River. With that in mind, it does not seem quite as strange to have a tiny town in the Cascade foothills of Oregon also named Detroit. It is, after all, situated along the Santiam River. And it was indeed named by settlers from Michigan in the 1890's.

Not to sound like a city slicker snob, but Detroit, Oregon is one of those towns (population 210) you don't really have a reason to go to, unless: a) You are going to camp and boat at the nearby Detroit Lake Recreation Area; or b) you are passing though on your way to Central Oregon and you need coffee. The man made lake and park are indeed very popular with motor boaters and are typically busy all summer. The lake is 9 miles long and one mile wide; it has hundreds of campsites as well as a marina and fishing areas. That said, if you are a "seek the solitude" kayak paddler looking for a quiet retreat to enjoy nature this is NOT the spot for you!

Kyle at Spring high water mark

So why am I yammering on about Detroit Lake in this post? Well not to sound like a broken record, but as I stated in the last post, our dry conditions this year are taking a toll on water resources all over the state and Detroit Lake is another prime example. We recently stopped at the lake on our way back from the Bend area. The state park is a nice rest stop this time of year where we can have lunch and admire the scenery. However, this year, the lake's water level is so low, several hundred feet of lakebottom is now exposed all the way around the lake. It's a curious sight to see: the boat docks are on the ground, the boat ramps lead to dirt instead of water, and hundreds of tree stumps are visible, resembling a ghost town of sorts.

Stumped!

But the really interesting part for me was the action on the ground, so to speak. As I walked out to see the stumps I began to notice things growing out of the newly exposed dirt. It shouldn't have surprised me, since that is what seeds are supposed to do! But it was a remarkable sight nevertheless. I covered several acres in my walkabout and captured the fine plants shown below.  The two most prevalent plants I saw were Fireweed and Pearly Everlasting. There were also numerous unidentified shrubs and broadleaf trees, about a foot tall or so. Presumably these will all be underwater in a few months, but we'll need to return next year to check it out!

And finally, you get bonus points if you find the hidden critter in one of the photos!

     

     

     

     

     

Pearly Everlasting showing its stuff

Detroit Lake Wiki

Detroit Lake State Recreation Area