The weather started heating up for real this past week, with our first day in the 90’s and solid clear skies for the foreseeable future. Whether you want to get out in this weather or hide from it, there are science and nature events in town this week that will fit the bill.
Thursday: River Cleanup and Two Science Talks
What better way to cool off than heading down to the river? First, be careful. Our streams and rivers are running high with cold snowmelt, and that means treating the water with extra care and awareness. One way to stay safe is to go with a group, and this Thursday, May 18, Willamette Riverkeeper and City of Corvallis Parks are running an on-water cleanup of our Willamette River. Volunteers with their own rafts are invited to bring them, as long as you’re experienced in paddling in moving water. If you don’t have a boat of your own, there are a limited number of spots on Riverkeeper’s rafts. The event runs from 9 am to 1 pm. Reserve your seat and register here.
Thursday night, choose your science talk. First up, particle physicist Dr. Heidi Schellman will be giving the 2023 F.A. Gilfillan Memorial Award Lecture on her work on the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). Astronomers and physicists always get the best project acronyms. DUNE is a massive international project that makes use of facilities around the world, from CERN in Switzerland and the Fermi National Laboratory in Illinois. We get a lot of wildlife and nature events here in town, but it’s relatively rare to get this kind of deep dive into physics. Dr. Schellman’s talk runs from 5:30 to 7:pm at the LaSells Stewart Center on SW 26th Street. More information available here.
Rounding out the evening, Corvallis Audubon welcomes the community to its monthly meeting, including a talk by Dr. Bob Beschta entitled “Yellowstone, Trophic Cascades, and an Apex Predator.” The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone in 1995 has become a classic study in the top-down effects of predators on ecosystems, and we are still learning more every year about the importance of these keystone species to everything from bison to grass to water quality. Dr. Beschta’s talk starts at 7:30 pm at the Corvallis Community Center’s Oak Room. It can also be viewed live on Zoom. More information here.
Saturday: Discovery Days and Weeds, Weeds Everywhere
This Saturday, May 20, sees the return of Discovery Days to Corvallis. This time, the educational nature series focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. Dave Eckert from the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition will be on hand to talk about lamprey conservation and other ecological issues, and parks staff will be available to answer questions about the much-advertised renovation project going on in the park this year. The event runs from 1 to 3 pm. More details available here.
Do you find pulling weeds therapeutic, but don’t have enough of your own to scratch that itch? Then this Saturday is pretty much custom made for you. There are three separate weed pulling and cutting events to help support habitat restoration projects around Corvallis. You can help the Institute for Applied Ecology and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde restore a First Foods Indigenous harvest area in Champoeg (9 am to 1 pm, details here), pull invasive conifers to protect prairies on Mary’s Peak (9 am to 2 pm, details here) or help cut back ivy and blackberries in Mary’s River Park (10:am to Noon, details here). Whichever you choose, bring sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Each event has its own requirements, so check the links above before showing up.
Next Wednesday: Three Very Different Plant Events
Finally, next Wednesday, May 24, we once again have three different events to choose from, this time all dealing with different aspects of local plants and gardening. From Noon to 1 pm, OSU Master Gardener Leah Puhlman will be giving a webinar on restoring healthy ecological function to your garden space. The talk is free with registration, and more details are available here. Then, the public is invited to join a field trip with the Corvallis chapter of the Native Plant Society of Oregon to Mary’s Peak, to check on and learn about the restoration of a native wildflower from 1 to 4 pm. Details and registration here. If you’re interested in larger-scale farm projects, check out the annual Hyslop Farm Field Day, returning this year to in-person after a pandemic break. U.S. Department of Agriculture and OSU staff will be available to show off trial crops and answer questions, and new OSU President Dr. Jayathi Murthy will be the featured speaker. The event runs from 9 am to 3 pm and includes a catered lunch. Registration is required, and more information is available here.
By Ian Rose
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