Applegater Fall 2021
15
Outreach and opportunities
for Williams Creek landowners
BY NATHAN GEHRES
year’s extremely low water are
warnings that the green forests
and rushing, salmon-filled rivers
we are used to aren’t guaranteed.
Those fires demonstrated the
risk posed by the uncontrolled
growth of invasive species such
as blackberries.
We can make efforts to
reduce the hazards posed by
these overly dry times. As this
year has demonstrated, water is
our area’s most precious natural
resource, and we need to protect
and preserve it. In response to
these pressing issues, the two
watershed councils are seeking
input from the community
about ways to add resiliency to
the watershed.
There are strong connections
between the Williams community
and the creek after which
it’s named. By working together Side channels of Williams Creek, near Provolt, meander
away from the main creek, providing unique habitats
with supportive landowners,
and holding more water higher up in the system,
the watershed councils can
keeping water on the landscape longer, providing
increase the positive impact
water for irrigation and water for natural resources.
of restoration efforts that
Photo: Jay Doino/APWC.
will reinforce this strong
re l a t i o n s h i p b e t we e n t h e
community and its landscape.
Williams is also a community engage everyone who owns land along
undergoing rapid transitions. Our the creek so we can hear their ideas and
outreach efforts listen to their concerns.
The tinder-dry blackberry canes, like these along the banks of
These outreach efforts are just the start
Williams Creek near Provolt, built up over decades of unchecked growth have revealed a
and are primed to carry fires right through the heart of communities. lot of changes of of a long process, and the feedback that
Photo: Jay Doino/APWC. land ownership we get from landowners will determine
b o r d e r i n g the direction of future efforts. It’s very
Williams Creek important to us that the voices of the
over the past year. community are heard loudly and clearly,
The real estate as no project would be successful without
boom that has that input. Together, we can protect and
washed over the improve Williams Creek for the future and
country has also for us all to enjoy.
swept through
Fo r m o re i n f o r m a t i o n , p l e a s e
southern Oregon. contact Nathan Gehres at the Applegate
These new locals Partnership and Watershed Council
should add their (nathan@apwc.info) or Chas Rogers at
v o i c e t o w h a t the Williams Creek Watershed Council
can be done to (chasrodgers360@gmail.com).
help improve the
Nathan Gehres
health of Williams
Applegate Partnership and
Creek. We are
Watershed Council
endeavoring to
nathan@apwc.info
Applegate Partnership and Williams
Creek watershed councils are collaborating
on outreach efforts to landowners along
Williams Creek to gain insights on the
current status of the stream and the
valuable habitat that it provides. We
would also like to hear directly from
those landowners about any concerns
they may have regarding the overall
health of Williams Creek and what types
of restoration activities the landowners and
community would support.
Williams Creek is a refuge for local
wildlife, especially during these extremely
dry times. Many of the streams in our
region dry up in the summer, but Williams
Creek tends to hold water late into
the year. This reliable source of water
has been a boon to the water users, the
community at large, and, of course,
the native flora and fauna. It acts as a
cold-water refuge for fish during the
summer’s extreme heat, helping us avoid
the devastating fish kills that have afflicted
other regions. Many types of wildlife use
this crucial creek habitat as a sanctuary,
taking a break from the high temperatures
and dry conditions. Locals also enjoy
escaping the heat with cool dips in
the creek.
Drought and fire are two constant
threats in our area. The Almeda and
Obenchain fires of last year and this
Why do you not hear
of children dying
of diphtheria, as so
many used to?
Because diphtheria
was practically
eliminated in the US
due to widespread
vaccination.
Follow us
on Facebook.
applegater.newspaper
GET
VACCINATED.