Bears!

I saw a bear up close and personal for the first time (out-side of a zoo or magazine) today as we were driving in Nehalem. Two black bears crossed the road right in front of our car! It was very exciting.

Nitrous Oxide Deadly to the Ozone

The funny/horrifying/sad thing is CFCs were inhibiting the impacts from NO! Sources of NO are chemical and organic nitrogen fertilizers and laughing gas. It has been estimated that the ozone has been reduced by ~6%. Unfortunately this somewhat small amount is concentrated at the poles and over Australia; while most of the world won't be directly impacted by this, Australians are experiencing increases in skin cancer.

A new thread focused on local food and our culinary adventures

In addition to our work as consultants, we are also avid advocates of local food and fine cuisine. In particular, I adore Asian cuisine, especially Chinese. I have been cooking obsessively for over a decade, and recording my recipes for almost as long (mostly scribbled on random sheets of paper). I have finally embarked on the new venture of compiling these into some kind of cohesive product, with a number of goals. One is to share the hard-won tricks I have learned as I agonized my way through literally hundreds of recipes that don't work the way they should. For example, it took me almost seven years to really learn how to stir-fry, and I don't think anyone should ever have to go through that if I can help it. My next post will describe a few simple tricks which will make it work for the western home kitchen (here's a hint: the first step involves throwing away your wok).

In addition to culinary techniques, I want to share the successes and failures of our culinary experiments. For example, we are learning by trial and error how to make soy sauce and other fermented soy products at home. What we have learned so far is that 'fermented' is really a nice way of saying 'rotted'. Over the next week we will post pictures of the process, and a description of the results.

I hope you will find this an enjoyable addition to our posts relating to our research and restoration work. As the goddess of agriculture, the hearth, and the home, we believe that Demeter would approve.

Last, if you have any questions on Chinese or asian cuisine in general, please ask! I may not be able to answer everyone, but I have spent a long time studying the topic, and I believe I could help on many of them.

Thanks & Cheers,

Lindsay

Join Us at the Brehaha Sponsored by the Portland Mercury

September 2 at 7 PM, Backspace which is located at 115 NW 5th. Lindsay Mico will be speaking on the panel regarding employment in Oregon! We are very excited as this is a topic which is very near and dear to us. Other panelists include a representative from the Oregon Employment Department, the Portland Development Commission, and Steve Novick. This is going to be a lot of fun, bring the whole family and chime in!

Join Us for Training and More!

We will be conducting an restoration effectiveness monitoring workshop at this years Oregon Network of Watershed Council Gathering in Klamath, Oregon at the end of October. Please join us as this years gathering is looking like a fun one! For more details please visit http://demeterdesign.net adurinnd check out our forum (the link is at the top of the home page).

We are also presenting our findings of the TBW Physical Habitat Assessment (the report will be available on our website soon http://demeterdesign.net/downloads ) at the Coastal Estuarine Ecological Federation (CERF) conference being held in Portland, Oregon and the State of Washington Water Research Center Conference in Stevenson, Washington both in November. See you there!

Job Opening at LCREP

The Estuary Partnership has an opening for a Communications and Development Assistant; a brief description follows below. A detailed description may be found on our website at www.lcrep.org

We would greatly appreciate if you could forward this information to those that may be interested. Thank you!

The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership is seeking a part time (32 hours/week) Communications and Development Assistant. This position provides support for the Estuary Partnership programs managers, particularly the Communications and Development Specialists and the Executive Director. The duties include development and fund-raising, communications, media, print materials, marketing, tracking donor activity, grant research and writing and submittal. A minimum of three years experience performing development and fund-raising support for a public or private organization is required. Submit cover letter with detailed resume that includes dates of previous employment and specific duties by 4:00 pm, September 16, 2009 to 811 SW Naito Pkwy, Suite 410, Portland, OR 97204. No faxes or electronic submissions accepted. Please see www.lcrep.org for a complete job description. The Estuary Partnership values diversity and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Pam Andrews

Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership

811 SW Naito Parkway, Suite 410

Portland, OR 97204

503-226-1565 x231

www.lcrep.org

International Influence Saving the Rainforest One Acre at a Time

In addition to a proposed US bill that encourages forest preservation, nations around the world are experimenting with a novel concept; paying farmers to not farm. From India to the Amazon farmers are toying with the idea that they can save the rainforest and feed their families. The Brazilian program is supported by both the government (see the recent article in the nytimes) and non-profits which pay farmers $12/acre of rainforest, rainforest that will remain intact rather than be razed for soy or cattle cash crops. The statistic which I find most interesting is the $1200/acre cleared rainforest brings to farmers in the Amazon. I am unsure if this figure includes the cost of clearing. Brazilian laws require that 80% of the watersheds in the upper Amazon and 50% of developed watersheds must remain forested. Although there is little stopping farmers from clearing (Brazil issued a permit for a farmer to clear 12000 acres, this doesn't exactly make sense...) exporters have placed a moratorium on Soy products grown on recently deforested land.

While this is a great step forward, the result could be an over-utilization of existing farmland; saltation and pesticide/fertilizer runoff take a toll as well. In India where a similar law is being considered, ~21% of the nation remains forested.

Travelin' Music

Hello Friends,

Did you know that Demeter Design was recently named by a leading European think tank as the Number One Environmental Consultant in the Pacific Northwest to work for?  The Night Owl is not surprised; in addition to our innovative statistical analysis, where else could I scratch out my living by driving through the woods listening to Guns'N'Roses and the Offspring?  But not all traveling music is created equal.  Case in point: after a challenging 72-hour frenzy of data collection, Coho Pete and I had completed our assigned tasks.  Giddy with visions of the comforts of home, my esteemed colleague called on me as navigator and iPod DJ to "rock him out" for the drive home.  To me, that is a request for Credence Clearwater Revival, and I dialed up a classic album.  But we were not two dozen bars into "Green River" when the check engine light came on, and before we knew it the water pump was blown and steam was spraying from the radiator.  To make a long story short Coho Pete is now scrambling to get in under the cash for clunkers deadline.  The experience brought to mind another "Dude" who had car trouble while listening to CCR.  Granted, the Big Lebowski was doing things when he crashed his rig that the Night Owl would never do while on the job.  But the coincidence with the music still makes me wonder.  So what are your thoughts?  What are the best driving albums for the savvy environmental steward?  And is there music that should be avoided due to less-than-positive associations.  The Night Owl needs to know.  Email me at tom.botanist@gmail.com.  Until next time, keep hooting.

Well friends the Knight Owl and Coho Pete are at the tail end of another important fact-finding mission. This one is dragging on a little bit though. Coho Pete's rig blew a water pump on Siuslaw River Road and the two travellers had to call for assistance. Big ups to Don of Taylor's Towing in Cottage Grove for saving our rears. We will be back to you with our collected thoughts shortly, but for now the Knight Owl just says keep hooting.

All Fish Sampled in US Streams Contained Mercury

The title sums it up. Is it possible that the mercury is another cause in the decline of salmon populations? I wonder how it impacts egg survival rates...

Extraterrestrial LIFE!!! (Building blocks...)

NASA has discovered that the glycine found in comet debris originated in the comet and not on Earth. The sample contains a higher proportion of C13 isotope indicating that it is in fact extraterrestrial!! This is really cool. :)

Hello friends, this is the Night Owl writing to report that Coho Pete and myself have just returned from another fact-finding mission to the deindustrialized timberlands of the South Coast.  We met some very nice people down there, including the robust scion of a clan with a title deed to five miles of riverfront property signed by the hand of President U.S. Grant.  He told us we could catch a mess of fish with a turkey tail and a garden gasket, but to the trained eye of Coho Pete the stream looked beat down and fished out.  Afterwards my colleague asked me this:

"What incentive does a rancher have to care for his riparian community, given the day to day needs of a dairy farm?"  In other words is it unrealistic to expect someone working the land to focus his attention on maintaining a diverse ecological community?  And if not how can we as restorationists advocate to make it a higher priority?  Email your thoughts to tom.botanist@gmail.com and see them up in lights on this very blog.

Also the Night Owl wants to send a special shout out to Victoria at the Radio Shack in Coos Bay.  When our technology was crashing and threatened our mission, your outstanding customer service allowed us to carry on.  Cheers.

Until next time friends, keep hooting.

-Tom Ward a.k.a. the Night Owl

Two Johnson Creek clean-up opportunities in August.

Two Johnson Creek clean-up opportunities in August.

1.)

When - Saturday, August 15 10:00am - 1:00pm

Where - Johnson Creek at SE 92nd Ave & Flavel St.

Help us clean up Johnson Creek before the new MAX Green Line opening! Our focus will be on removing trash and debris from the area in and around the creek beginning at I-205 moving downstream to just past 92nd Ave. Invasive species will also be pulled from the streambanks to give the native vegetation more room to grow in. This site is not appropriate for young children as there are some steep slopes and busy roads. Please bring gloves if you have them, refillable water bottles, hats and sunglasses if desired, and wear sturdy closed-toed shoes and clothes that can get dirty (long pants and sleeved shirts preferred). Also, if you feel comfortable wading in the creek, bring at least knee-high boots and hip-or-chest waders if you have them. Contact Melanie McCandless for more information - melanie.mccandless@gmail.com

2.)

When – Saturday August 29^th

Where – Overland Park Neighborhood – Meet at Mill Park (Corner of Overland & Linwood)

See attached flyer for more information.

------------------------------------------

Greg Ciannella

Watershed Stewardship Coordinator

Johnson Creek Watershed Council

PH: 503.652.7477

FX: 503.652.7188

www.jcwc.org

National Estuary Program Habitat Goals

The EPA's Strategic Plan states that "By 2011, protect or restore an additional 250,000 acres of habitat within the study areas for the 28 estuaries that are part of the National Estuary Program."

That would be great. Within Oregon, the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership is working towards restoring low-lying freshwater and estuarine wetlands.