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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2018)
JUNE 7, 2018 // 21 Explore a floodplain forest on Get Outdoors day A guided walk Saturday, June 9, at North Coast Land Conservancy’s Circle Creek and Boneyard Ridge habitat reserves is one of 20 free out- ings offered by 12 Oregon land trusts throughout the state as part of Get Outdoors Oregon Day. Part of the National Get Outdoors effort, Get Outdoors Oregon Day is a chance to get outside — whether by attending a land trust event, exploring Oregon’s hiking trails or enjoying a local park with family. At Circle Creek, geologist Tom Horning and naturalist Mike Patterson will lead an exploration of the Necanicum River floodplain forest and lower reaches of Tillamook Head in their many stages: newly planted, dead and Get Outdoors Oregon logo decaying, and everything in between. The outing will begin at Circle Creek, one of the land conservancy’s largest habitat reserves and also one of its most dynamic. From there participants will venture into 340-acre Boneyard Ridge, another large NCLC habitat reserve serving as a habitat bridge between Circle Creek and Ecola State Park. Land trusts, also known as land conservancies, such as NCLC, are nonprofit organiza- tions that actively work to con- serve land in local communi- ties. In Oregon, there are more than 20 of them. Oregon land trusts have protected more than 400,000 acres of land — near- ly four times of that owned by Oregon State Parks. Details about this and other summer outings on NCLC lands is available at NCLCtrust.org/on-the-land- summer-outings. Get Outdoors Oregon Day, led by the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, is part of a week celebrating outdoor recreation in Oregon from June 2 through 10. The Coalition encourages Oregonians to explore, discov- er and learn about Oregon’s special places that week. Pull, pile, stomp a most wicked weed SEASIDE — It’s year No. 2 of the collabo- rative assault on the weed known as po- liceman’s helmet in the Necanicum River watershed, and volunteers are being sought for a day of weeding at Circle Creek Conser- vation Center in Seaside, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 13. Policeman’s helmet, a highly invasive non-native plant, has taken hold throughout the Necanicum River watershed, choking out native plants and reducing plant and animal diversity while increasing the risk of stream- bank erosion. North Coast Land Conservancy and the Necanicum Watershed Council are working together to try to rid the watershed of this invader. Four summer stewardship interns have been hired to pull policeman’s helmet for two months this summer, and volunteers will be helping them on Wednesday, June 13, and again on Saturday, July 21. The plant is easy to pull; the next step is to pile uprooted plants and stomp on them to crush the stems and prevent the seed pods from developing or maturing. Get details on the June 13 stewardship day PHOTOS COURTESY NORTH COAST LAND CONSERVANCY You can see Sitka spruce, alders and other trees, young and old, on a walk at Circle Creek. Appearing at the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival June 15-17 at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds Kleiveland & Toppe from Norway Pajunen/Brynnel Duo Swedish/Finnish American Canada’s Tribute to ABBA & Fleetwood Mac One performance only, June 16 at 7:30 PM Advance tickets available at the Liberty Theater Box Office or online at www.libertyastoria.showare.com COURTESY NORTH COAST LAND CONSERVANCY Policeman’s helmet grows along the Necani- cum River, below Tillamook Head. at NCLCtrust.org/pull-policemans-helmet. Public engagement is key to getting rid of this weed. Wherever you live in Clatsop or Tillamook counties, keep an eye out for policeman’s helmet on your property. As soon as you see it, pull, pile and stomp the plants so they can’t reproduce. Visit NCLCtrust.org/pull-pile-stomp for more details and to report suspected sightings of the plant. More information at astoriascanfest.org HERITAGE • TRADITION • FAMILY • FUN • FOOD