Previous Public Meeting: June 26: Owens Creek Project Tour & Wildlife Walk

Tuesday, June 26, 6 – 8 p.m.
24755 Lavell Road, Junction City, OR 97448
Approximately 9 miles west of Junction City

Read more in our June Newsletter

Riparian Plantings at Owens Creek Project

Join us on June 26th for a free tour of an Owens Creek riparian enhancement project about nine miles west of Junction City. In addition, take a wildlife walk along the stream with local naturalist David Walp to learn more about the species that inhabit our watershed and how to spot signs of their activity.

This privately-owned site is about nine miles west of Junction City, among rolling hills, farms, forests, and vineyards. It lies in the heart of significant habitat improvement work completed by LTWC and the Owens Creek community. In last November’s newsletter, we highlighted the incredible accomplishments of Owens Creek’s neighbors, as the council reached a major milestone in removing the last priority fish passage barrier on mainstem Owens Creek. That momentous occasion represented over a decade of relationship-building, grant writing, and the vision of local landowners to remove or replace 11 barriers. Fish passage improvements are only part of the story, and Owens Creek neighbors, project partners, and the Council have also worked together to increase habitat complexity and quality in the stream through the installation of log jams, and the planting of native trees and shrubs along the creek itself.

Naturalist David Walp

The June 26th tour, hosted by landowners Al and Donna Hrynyshyn, will showcase the planting of native vegetation on nearly seven acres of streamside habitat. Immediately upstream is another 7+ acre riparian planting project owned by Giustina Land & Timber, and just downstream of the tour is one of the culvert replacement projects on a Lane County right of way at the entrance of the shared driveway to the project site and High Pass Winery. Tour attendees will have an opportunity to view the plantings, learn about how the plant species are selected and arranged, how the project was funded, and about opportunities for landowners to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).

This section of Owens Creek is also a very active wildlife area—particularly for beaver—and naturalist David Walp, who has over 50 years of experience tracking and learning about Oregon Wildlife, will share tips on spotting wildlife along our streams. During the tour, he’ll point out animal tracks, other signs like deer rubs, and we’ll even visit a beaver dam. David has a great deal of experience working with beaver and will also spend time talking about possible solutions to common beaver problems. He also has a collection of beaver pelts, skulls, teeth, and feet, which he has collected over the years for educational purposes, and will teach attendees about beaver biology. There will even be a round of beaver trivia!