A6 • Friday, September 2, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Ridge Path: Volunteers make a difference
nering with adjacent prop-
erty owners who are willing
to let the group clear inva-
sive plants and create more
pollinator habitat on their
land where it connects with
the Ridge Path.
Continued from Page A1
goldenrods, Russian sage and
Douglas aster, all of which
appeal to pollinators, from
bees and butterflies to moths
and small mammals.
“The more pollinator
plants are established, the
harder it is for invasive spe-
cies to come in,” Necan-
icum watershed Council
Executive Director Noah
Dolinajec said.
Volunteers
Raising awareness
The Gearhart pollina-
tor project is a collabora-
tion between the nonprofit
watershed council and the
city of Gearhart. The for-
mer entity is designing the
project and organizing vol-
unteers; the latter has con-
tributed financially and is
assisting with debris man-
agement. The partners have
also received grants from the
Oregon Wildlife Foundation
and the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife’s Ore-
gon Conservation and Rec-
reation Fund.
The project addresses
a variety of the watershed
council’s goals, such as sup-
porting conservation in the
Necanicum Basin, provid-
ing educational opportuni-
ties to the community and
improving habitat near the
Neacoxie Creek. Pollinators
are a critical part of the local
ecosystem and how it func-
tions, while also impacting
humans and “how we live
within that system,” Dolina-
jec said.
Currently, the budget for
the project is approximately
$24,000, but the council is
pursuing additional grant
funding.
“I’ve basically designed
it so no matter how much
funding we receive, we
could work within that con-
fine, but if we get more, we
could expand,” Dolinajec
said.
The team is currently
working their way north on
the Gearhart Ridge Path,
Photos by Katherine Lacaze
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Gearhart
City Administrator Chad Sweet volunteers
for an August work party to improve
pollinator habitat on the Gearhart Ridge
Path.
Jim Farr (from left), Krysti Ficker, Joan
Hoffman and Jenny Wallach volunteer
to remove invasive plants along the
Gearhart Ridge Path, a project led in
partnership by the Necanicum Watershed
Council and the city of Gearhart.
Farr and Hoffman take part in the work party.
focusing their efforts stra-
tegically to have the most
impact.
“We’re kind of picking
and choosing where there
seem to be a lot of invasive
species and removing them
where we can, and then lay-
ing down all new pollina-
tor habitat,” Dolinajec said.
It will create an intentional
“patch habitat” that can be
Welcome back
to checkups for kids.
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to make sure your child is as healthy as possible. Our providers are
ready with checkups, screenings, immunizations, teeth cleanings,
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sufficiently managed in the
future.
When
opportunities
arise, the group is also part-
Over the course of the
summer, about two dozen
volunteers have attended
one or more of the work par-
ties. It started with the same
small group of passionate
folks, but they’ve gradu-
ally expanded the volunteer
force.
“I love doing things like
this,” Jenny Wallach, of
Warrenton, said while vol-
unteering at a work party
in mid-August. As someone
who studied environmental
science, she is familiar with
the interconnectedness of
plants, wildlife, people and
the need to improve habitat
for all. Plus, she appreciates
the opportunity to contribute
in a direct way. “I love get-
ting my hands dirty, doing
things for the environment.”
The planting phase is
scheduled to start in Octo-
ber, with 1,200 seedlings
and two 40-pound bags of
lupine seeds. The group is
sourcing the plants from
the Scappoose Bay Water-
shed Council’s native plant
nursery.
However, according to
Dolinajec, the project won’t
end in 2022. He envi-
sions it being “a multi-sea-
son effort” that will con-
tinue throughout 2023 and
could potentially become an
annual project.
Additional work parties
will be scheduled in the fall,
and there is need for more
volunteers.
Community
members can also contrib-
ute to the project by donat-
ing native plant seeds.
To stay up to date with
project, visit the Necani-
cum Watershed Council’s
Facebook page or sign up
for e-news updates from the
city of Gearhart.