LNCT Board Minutes

Lower Nehalem Community Trust e-Bulletin
April 6, 2008
News and Upcoming Events

LNCT News

Another Great Estuary Clean-Up
LNCT would like to thank all of the volunteers and supporters that made the 6th biennial Nehalem Bay and Estuary Clean-up held Saturday March 28th a huge success despite miserable weather conditions. Community support and volunteer turn-out was simply amazing as approximately 90 people participated in in picking up and sorting debris, many working in driving rain and cold temperatures for hours to insure that the Nehalem bay and estuary remains clean for both wild and human residents and visitors. This year we collected 13 yards of Styrofoam, 26 tires, 5 metal drums, 4 yards of rigid plastic, 24 bags of plastic bottles, 12 bags of glass, 5 bags of aluminum cans, a television, the crossbar of an old telegraph pole, a hot water heater, half of a canoe, a calf hutch, a truck bed liner, a size 15 shoe, a pink Barbie car, and a bottle with a message in it. The day was capped off with a chili supper provided by local stores, restaurants and farms and musical entertainment by Kid Siegel and his band. Special thanks to our co-sponsors, Cart’m, the Lower Nehalem Watershed Council and the Nehalem Bay State Park for making this estuary clean-up another great one.

Volunteer Opportunities

Earth Day Work Party at Alder Creek Farm, April 22, 2009 - 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Come celebrate Earth Day at Alder Creek Farm. Join with other hardy volunteers in stewardship tasks which may including, weeding, planting native trees, mulching trees, and removing invasive plant species. The Alder Creek Farm is at the end of Underhill Lane off Hwy 101 between Manzanita and Nehalem.

Native Plant Cooperative Volunteer Day, April 9, 2009 - 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Native Plant Cooperative in Tillamook is holding a volunteer work day to help repot native plants and trees on April 9th starting at 9:00 a.m. and continuing through 1:00 in the afternoon. The Cooperative is located on the campus of Camp Tillamook 6820 Barracks Circle, Tillamook, East of the Air Museum off of Long Prairie Road. A local carpool will leave from the Nehalem Bay Health District office parking lot, 278 Rowe St, Wheeler, at 9:00 a.m. To join that group contact Sarah Newton at lnwc at nehalemtel.net or 503-368-7424. Bring a sack lunch and gloves and wear clothing appropriate for working outdoors. The Native Plant Cooperative represents an important resource for LNCT and stewardship organizations throughout the county, providing Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedars, Big Leaf Maples, Indian Plum and other native plants to help restore and revitalize our wild areas.

Vosburg Creek Work Party, May 2, 2009 - 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
The first Saturday work party for May will be held on the 2nd from 10:00-2:00 at LNCT’s Vosberg Creek property. Tasks will include removal and suppression of blackberries, ivy, and a more recent invader, Scotch Broom; weeding and re-caging recently planted trees; ongoing clean-up of debris; and minor maintenance of the buildings on the property. Bring boots appropriate for working in a wet low-land area and a dish to share for the potluck lunch. Vosburg Creek is located at the corner of highway 101 and Dubois St. on the south west edge of Wheeler.

Weekly Alder Creek Farm Community Garden Work Parties, Tuesdays and 1st and 3rd Saturdays - 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Join our corps of community gardeners every Tuesday and the first and third Saturdays of each month from 9:00 to noon. Explore your “earthy” side and experience the pleasures of vegetable gardening including having fresh, organic produce to feed your family and being able to donate food to the food bank for needy families in the community. Help out in with weeding, planting vegetables, working in the greenhouse, amending the soil and watering in the community and permaculture gardens.

For more info about any of these volunteer opportunities contact the Trust at (503) 368-3203 or LNCT at nehalemtel.net.

Notice

Garden Gate Watch
Attention Alder Creek Farm community gardeners and visitors to the gardens, we all need to make sure that the gate is closed and securely latched before we leave the farm. We have the pleasure and privilege of sharing the farm with the local herd of Elk. The garden represents a temptation for these wild creatures and avoiding damage to the garden and, more importantly, to panicked, trapped Elk is a high priority. If you even suspect that you might be the last person to leave the garden area, please confirm that suspicion (call out and/or check around to make sure no one else is there) and firmly close the gate behind you and secure it with the chain. Thanks.

Living Locally Fundraising Event, June 13, 2009 – 6:00-8:30 pm
Mark your calendars for the Trust’s second annual Living Locally fundraising event. This year the event will feature a light buffet dinner and silent auction. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce your friends and neighbors to the work of the Trust and enjoy an evening of wonderful local food, catered by Bread and Ocean, sustainable Oregon wines, and great conversation with others who love the Nehalem Valley and Neahkahnie region.

Trillium Time
The Western Trillium or Trillium Ovatum, one of the loveliest local signs of Spring, has made its annual appearance in the Nehalem Valley over the last few weeks. This showy three petal-ed member of the Lily family grows in moist open forests ranging from Olympia Washington through the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Trillium seeds have a fleshy oil excreting organ called an elaiosome which attracts ants which lug them back to their nests. The elaiosomes serve as a food source for the ants and their larvae and the seeds are discarded at the nest site, an effective dispersion mechanisms in the shady, calm forest floors of the Pacific Northwest. Picking Trillium for their flower can seriously injure the plant. The three leaves below the flower are the plant's only ability to produce food stores and a picked trillium can take many years to recover. The Trust’s Vosberg Creek property is one of the best locations to see Trillium. There is large patch adjacent to the path right before you cross the bridge to the old hatchery site in the central portion of the property.


If a friend forwarded this e-Bulletin to you and you would like to subscribe, please email lnct at nehalemtel.net with “Subscribe” in the subject line and your first and last name in the body. To unsubscribe, simply reply to this email with “Unsubscribe” in the subject line.

Lower Nehalem Community Trust • Phone: (503) 368-3203 • Email: LNCT at nehalemtel.net
Address: PO Box 496 Manzanita, OR 97130