A R TS AND C U LTU R E
7
ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER IN FULL BLOOM
STORY AND PHOTO BY JARED PREBLE
I
-V I f '
ARTS A N D C U LTU R E EDITOR
The E n v iro n m e n tal Learn in g C e n ter
here at Clackam as Com m unity College is
a five-acre natural area th a t houses the
headw aters o f N ew ell Creek w hich has
served as an educational wildlife habitat
for over 40 years. It is deeply intertwined
with the history o f CCC and thanks to the
N ew ell Creek Headw aters Restoration
P roject, it h as u ndergone num erous
changes to further benef itth e land as well
as the surrounding area.
In November o f 2017, the center began
the process o f covering the ground with
plants in order to help cool the waters that
run through the ELC, Abernethy Creek,
the W illam ette Rivet and the Colum bia
River. In addition, various dam s have
been added throughout the ELC in order
to clean and filter the water Of sediment
and other harmful runoff. All this in hopes
o f frequent visits from the com m unity,
surrounding it while still m aintaining a
healthy ecosystem.
R o seann e Y oder, restoration plan t
m an ager, and B en ny K uang, service-
lea rn in g sp ecialist, have taken charge
and organized volunteer work days where
people can offer their time and effort in
order to get the m any jobs that need to
be done in the ELC finished. Yoder has
been working on th is project for over a
year. She initially got involved by taking
on responsibility for things that needed to
be done gradually around the ELC. W hilst
enrolled in horticulture program s here
at C C C after receiving her bachelors in
Environmental Science from PSU, Yoder
decided that she could make the difference
that the ELC needed and the school put
her at the head of the restoration process.
The goal of the ELC istohave 100 percent
ground cover within the next three years
in order to com ply w ith the regulations
set by NROD (Natural Research Overlay
District) which encompasses the ELC.
Yoder believes, as m any others do, that
by working to undo the previous damage
th at h as been dealt to the ELC due to
sediment, fertilizer and other runoff that
flow s through its rivers, th e h a b ita ts
downstream can be saved while preserving
a natural habitat.
“ The reason why I want to do restoration
tech n ology, th e reason w hy I have an
e n v iro n m e n ta l scien ce d egree, th e
motivation behind that is I/want to undo
som e o f the dam age that hum ans have
caused,” Yoder said. “ We are the ones that
are putting oil and fertilizer and pesticides
into our water. T hat’s som ething w e’re
doing. So let’s try our best to remove those
Clackamas Print
pollutants before they reach a salamander
habitat or salmon habitat.”
I So far, 20,000 plants have been planted
throughout the ELC, many of them thanks
to the volunteers that have come in. Kuang
recently organized a volunteer event in
honor o f Earth Day that held two work
shifts throughout the day. Many people
came to lend ahand, including Kuang who
stayed for both shifts to work and help
others get the hang o f planting.
“ I think it helps out w ith the general
welfare o f us all. I think having a placeto
come around and see is also good and on
top o f that, it helps the environment, it
helps the world, it helps sustainability,”
Kuang said. “ I can see how people live
a busy life but I think we can find a way
that allows students w ith busy lives to
still help out. I th jn k that’ s a good thing
because you can still contribute to your
com m unity.”
Not all renovations to the ELC help the
ecosystem solely, several of the structures
added are fo rth e purpose o f encouraging
community members to visit the ELC more
frequently. A n am phitheatre has been
installed, along with an open class room
with glass windows that open from within
the fram e in order to let fresh air flow.
Finally, another renovation made for the
public is the building that offers rental
space for m eetings,
Various workshops will be held within
the ELC such as basket weaving, yoga and
meditation.
“ For O rego n C ity , fo r C la ck a m a s
Com m unity College, for the surrounding
area, th is place is really im portant,” said
Beth Grant, an attendee o f the Earth Day
workday.
“ I w ant people to get out there and
appreciate nature again. O ur heritage
comes from appreciating nature and I feel
like if we can find that interconnectedness
in nature then maybe we could find the
connectedness with each other again. ”
A s a w h o le, th e ELC is v ita l to our
com m unity if we hope to preserve nature
and lessen the harm that we inflict on a
dailybasis.
“ It’s not just us here bn planet earth, or
in Oregon City or even on this cam pus,”
Yoder said. “ As cliché as it sounds, we are
connected to our environment. W hat we
do directly impacts other living beings and
being eco-friendly is acknowledging that
we are living here too and so are you. It’ s
us taking responsibility for our actions.”
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Nay 2, 2018