The Salmon River estuary study team team (August 2006) (left to right) Back: Karen Bennett (Siuslaw National Forest Watershed Program Manager), Mary Bushman, Sarah Schrock, Katie Brehm (Sitka/Vista Project Manager). Front: Corrina Chase, Greer Anderson, Grant Morehead.
Crowley Creek Collaboration
In 2005, the Sitka Center Board and staff launched the "Crowley Creek Collaboration" to engage the Sitka Center in studying and restoring its surrounding land through an education/restoration program. Extending from the 2005 Crowley Creek Collaboration were the summer 2006 and 2007 Crowley Creek Educational Projects, which involved ten student “employees” from Career Tech high school participating in a hands-on watershed monitoring and restoration program. The 2006 report titled, "Lower Salmon River Project: Continuing a Vision for a Treasured Landscape," is a visionary plan for restoration projects in the estuary and associated uplands, and an outgrowth of education/restoration efforts by a multi-disciplinary team of high school students, artists, designers, and scientists.
2007 Crowley Creek Educational Project - 2007
The 2007 Crowley Creek Educational Project began July 9 and continued through August 4. Eight students from Career Tech High School worked with their teachers Mark Peery and Chris Thompson, Corinna Chase of Salmon Drift Watershed Council, and Katie Brehm, a volunteer and last year's Sitka Center AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer.
During week one, the group went on a kayak trip from Pixieland to Knight Park, looked at soil samples, and saw evidence in the soil of a tsunami zone. They looked at the historical photo record of the area; photos have been taken every 10 years beginning in 1939. Going on a nature walk, they observed natural and man-made parts of the landscape and ecosystem. They identified trees and plants and observed signs of animals: beaver, deer, dog, raccoon, and bear. They did a pebble count of Crowley Creek, and evaluated river flow. Crowley Creek is currently home to steelhead, coho, and chinook.
The second week, the group took photo points on McKee Commons for a historical record and checked on recently planted trees, which include native species such as Sitka spruce, big leaf maple, and Douglas fir. The group removed blackberries and English ivy in the Crowley Creek area, and built a "quest trail" for others to follow and learn more about coastal ecology. A smaller group of students mapped large wood in the estuary to help determine whether more is needed.
Career Tech High School receives a grant for ecological services from the Community Services Consortium and pays students for their work. They learn how to use GPS, forestry tools, and scientific method. Working six hours a day, three days a week, they build job skills and learn a work ethic. They also receive ecological science credit toward high school graduation.
The Lower Salmon River Project - 2006
As part of its commitment to ecology and community, the Sitka Center has been an active participant in the Lower Salmon River Project this summer, a restoration planning process in the estuary that Sitka calls home. A multi-disciplinary team of graduate students, led by the Sitka Center's Americorps volunteer Katie Brehm, has spent the summer tackling the project with assistance from local stakeholders.
The Lower Salmon River Project is jointly sponsored by the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Salmon-Drift Watershed Council. The study provides a historical landscape perspective, and characterizes current ecological, cultural, and political conditions in the study area. By looking to the past, the project was designed to respect the diverse cultural heritage of indigenous and pioneer occupants of the land, as well as current landowners and stakeholders.
The assessment project was completed in August and final project report is published and is available on CD and at the website. Sitka Center will continue to support and partner with lead agencies as they evaluate and follow-up on recommendations for research, restoration, and education.
Crowley Creek Educational Project - 2006
The project involves young people from the local schools and strengthens the ecology dimension of Sitka's program. Sitka Center has an educational easement on nearby Crowley Creek, and is implementing an education/restoration program. 2006 objectives is to build a demonstration hands-on watershed monitoring and restoration program on the McKee Meadow, which includes a portion of Crowley Creek, and near Sitka Center and the Salmon River. This extends the Crowley Creek Collaboration project from 2005 involving 40 artists, designers, and scientists. Activities include: water quality monitoring, photo point monitoring, advance restoration goals by developing and testing new ideas for hands-on learning, monitoring, and restoration.
For some details and pictures, http://careertech.us/summer_program/
Crowley Creek Project - 2004-2005
See this link to background information, findings, recommendations.