With the Fourth of July behind us and the heat wave starting to cool off just a little, it’s a great week to get outside and enjoy the best that summer in the valley has to offer. We’ve got the start of a concert series to support local environmental education, a field trip to look at native plants, and then a chance to learn how to bring some of those same plants into your own garden.
Thursday: SAGE Concert Series Kicks Off
This Thursday, July 6, the Corvallis Environmental Center kicks off its SAGE summer concert series to benefit environmental education programs in the Corvallis area. All are welcome and there is a suggested $20 donation per family, but it is not required. The bands for this first in the summer concert series are Corvallis-based rock outfit Bluessence and Northwest horn band DTW. Vendors like Pupuseria del Valle, Mud Oven Pizza and Beaver Classic Food Truck will have food for sale, with drinks by Tyee Winery, Block 15 Brewing and Lumos Winery. The show runs from 6-8:30 pm at Starker Arts Park Amphitheater on SW Country Club Drive. More information is available on the Environmental Center’s Facebook page.
Saturday: Iron Mountain Plant Trip
As the scorching heat of midweek is expected to taper off, this could be a great weekend to get out and get to know our unique local plant life. The Native Plant Society of Oregon’s Corvallis chapter is leading a day trip to Iron Mountain and Cone Peak in Willamette National Forest this Saturday. This stretch of the forest is home to over 200 species of plants, including rare wildflowers that are showing off their flowers right now. This is an all-day trip, and hikers will meet to carpool at the Wilkinson Hall parking lot on OSU’s campus at 8 am. Bring lunch and water, dress in layers and wear sturdy shoes. More details and contact information is available here.
Next Tuesday: Native Plant Webinar
Speaking of native plants, you don’t have to travel to a park or national forest to see amazing wildflowers that host native bees and other insects. You can grow them at home, and doing so can have benefits for you, our valley ecosystems and the climate. In the latest of their Growing Oregon Gardeners series, OSU Extension Master Gardeners present a webinar with Lynn Kunstman from the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Jackson County. Kunstman will talk about gardening with native plants for wildlife and pollinators, and go through the seven steps you can take to make your yard and garden a haven for native life. The webinar runs from Noon to 1pm and is free to attend. Click here to register.
By Ian Rose
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