Here’s a look at what took place during the Johnson Creek Watershed Council’s restoration event of the year …
This bright, sunny Saturday morning welcomes many volunteers who come to participate in the 2025 the Johnson Creek Watershed Council “Watershed Wide Event”.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
Along the banks of Johnson Creek, from its confluence with the Willamette River back out to Gresham – at one of seven sites – a total of 225 folks came out to volunteer on Saturday morning, March 1, for the annual Johnson Creek Watershed Council (JCWC) “Watershed Wide Event”.
During this effort, the volunteers come together to care for the creek and watershed. They weed, plant, and mulch, to restore a healthier watershed.
At the Brookside Apartments property, JCWC Outreach Specialist and Riparian Specialist AmeriCorps member, Sima Seumalo shows how to handle and plant a bare-root tree.
A tour of several locations included the Brookside Apartments property, in the Ardenwald-Johnson Creek neighborhood, where a sizable group learned how to plant small trees and bushes along the bank.
Further east, volunteer Maxx Hughes picks up trash at the Creek Care Property.
New this year was work at what they called Creek Care Property – land belonging to private owners, along SE Johnson Creek Road, just south of Bell Road – a project that that included planting, mulching, decommissioning old walking trails, and some trash pick-up.
JCWC Creek Crew Leader, Noah Jenkins, reported on the project: “Sunny weather certainly helped our turnout; we had a total of 21 people there who – in about three hours – planted 25 trees and 115 shrubs; and also and removed about 20 cubic feet of trash.”
In the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood, volunteers plant shrubs.
Along SE Luther Road, it’s Lauren Cary who’s pitching trash.
On the edge of the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood, on SE Luther road, some of the crew was doing “live willow stake making”, while others planted shrubs, mulched existing plants, and picked up lots of trash.
Partly obscured by trees, these volunteers are busily planting native bushes along Johnson Creek in Lents.
Lewis & Clark College student Zoey Keepper installs bare-root native bushes in the Foster Floodplain Natural Area.
In outer East Portland, in the Lents neighborhood, was a sizable contingent assigned to the Foster Floodplain Natural Area. Following advance advice, these hearty volunteers were wearing boots and clothing suitable for planting bare-root native plant species in the wetland.
PP&R Botanical Technician Christian Orellana Bauer spends a moment with Powellhurst-Gilbert neighbor, and JCWC Board Member, Tamra Dickinson.
“One of the goals of the Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) Stewardship Program is to make sure that the community feels a ‘sense of place’, and relationship to the land, where we are,” commented PP&R Botanical Technician Christian Orellana Bauer. “I think having people actually get their hands in the dirt, and them helping to restore the natural areas, really aids in developing that relationship.
“These areas are super beneficial – not only for the plants and wildlife, but also for us, the humans who are helping to create healthier ecosystems and healthy waterways,” Orellana Bauer observed.
It’s amazing how many bushes and trees can be planted by dedicated volunteers in just a few hours.
A little past noon, a cadre of volunteers drove the food and beverages for lunch out to the various sites, for other volunteers to enjoy. Nobody went hungry that day.
“As always, I am so impressed by our volunteers’ commitment to making Johnson Creek a better place for plant, animal, and human communities,” JCWC Volunteer Program Manager Marlee Eckman told East Portland News afterwards.
In total, this year’s “Watershed Wide Event” saw a total of 2,980 plants installed, and 230 cubic feet of rubbish removed.
What are the volunteer opportunities at the Johnson Creek Watershed Council this week? Check their website: CLICK HERE.
© 2025 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
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