Help Plant a Tree This Halloween Afternoon

The City of Corvallis will be hosting a particularly un-scary event on Halloween. You can come along and help Public Works and the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition plant 20 native trees where the Mill Race Stream and Eric E. Austin Memorial Bypass meet in South Corvallis. 

The Mill Race once had clean, cool water and cut-throat trout. A diversion dam built on Marys River provided a good flow of water along this small stream. But Evanite, the company that built the dam as a power source, changed business practices and stopped maintenance of the dam, leaving the Mill Race to dry up and fill with a tangle of weeds and garbage. 

In 1967, the city met with Evanite to find a way to have the Mill Race work better as flood support for South Corvallis. An agreement was made, although the full recovery of the land was not completed until 1997 – likely in response to the devastating floods of 1996. Culverts were installed for when the water rises. 

In 1996, Hollingsworth and Vose bought out Evanite and took on the challenge of cleaning up the area as Evanite had leaked massive amounts of chemicals into the ground-water and soil.  But by this time, the natural trees had been lost along the Mill Race and were unlikely to simply grow back on their own. 

And so the city is planting native trees along the stream. Going from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 31, this will be an all hands welcomed kind of event. Just remember to wear weather appropriate clothing with closed-toed shoes or boots, and be ready in case it rains. Also, if you’re under the age of 16, you’ll need an accompanying adult. 

If you drive, you can park at Aurora Martial Arts at 195 SE Crystal Lake Dr, Corvallis. Gloves, tools, and of course trees will be provided 

Please RSVP to Ted Hart at 541-766-6454 or Ted.Hart@corvallisoregon.gov. 

By Sally K Lehman 

Do you have a story for The Advocate? Email editor@corvallisadvocate.com