Water World

In the mornings I run along the forested part of Terwilliger in southwest Portland. About twice a year, people wearing haz-mat suits spray herbicide in the park to kill invasive plants. Within a day or two of the spraying session the sidewalk is littered with the corpses of small animals such as moles and mice.

I have noticed this phenomenon over the last few years but it wasn’t until a recent run that it occurred to me that, in the same area where the sprayers were required to wear protective gear, including face masks, I was clad only in shorts and a t-shirt.

If the chemicals being used are harmful enough to warrant protective clothing and kill rodents, what does this mean for the health of our water supply?

We in the Pacific Northwest enjoy unusually temperate and mild weather, and in a typical year we experience months of rain. As that rain falls on land it seeps into groundwater carrying whatever particulates it comes in contact with along with it.

The likelihood of herbicidal residue being carried to our water supply through the watershed is high.

As I contemplated the mortality rate of rodents I also felt a rush of gratitude for organizations like the Friends of Tryon Creek, who I work for, that strive to do something to combat the problem of water quality degradation.

Piles of ivy pulled by Friends' volunteers

The Friends’ environmental education and stewardship programs are intended to connect people to the natural world by engaging them with hands-on opportunities to explore our relationship to the planet. Surely “We are all connected”, seeing as how we are just as much a part of nature as the tree that blossoms in the spring, the bird that flies south for the winter, and the mole that seeks cover along Terwilliger Boulevard. To truly appreciate that fact means understanding that our actions impact the world around us in an immediate sense, and those same actions can affect us down the road.

I circle back to the issue of water quality. Spraying herbicide impedes weed encroachment – while adding toxic chemicals to our ground water. That reality inspires the Friends to explore ways to keep our watershed healthy, such as inviting volunteers to pull ivy in the park every Saturday (elbow grease is a great alternative to chemicals!) and bringing the Backyard Habitat Certification Program to Lake Oswego. The BHCP gives property owners the tools to provide habitat for wildlife, reduce water usage and the need for chemical applications, and use native plants to reduce the amount of pollution in runoff to waterways and streams.

Tryon Creek in early Summer

With guidance from organizations like the Friends, significant action to improve the health and quality of our environment is within reach. Visit www.tryonfriends.org to learn more.

Watersheds 101

"Watershed" has been a buzzword I've been hearing since I joined the Friends of Tryon Creek. It is an important component of the park so this morning I met with Terri Preeg Riggsby, Tryon Creek's resident watershed expert and member of the Tryon Creek Watershed Council (TCWC), to learn more.

Terri has been with TCWC for ten years and has gleaned a great deal of information about the region. She explained that a watershed is a geographical area that is bordered by high elevation from which water flows downhill to lower elevations. In the case of Tryon Creek's 4,200-acre watershed, water runs to area tributaries and then into the creek and eventually into the Willamette River.

Ideally, water flowing into area waterways would be filtered through the ground to underground streams. This would allow for cleaner, cooler water which is necessary for healthy ecosystems. The current reality is that much of the stormwater ends up running down our streets and into drains and the sewer system. It eventually ends up in the river along with all the unhealthy particles it picks up along the way. The result? Warmer, polluted water that contributes to turbidity and erosion.

The mission of the Tryon Creek Watershed Council is to preserve and protect area waterways, increase ground-access for water, and educate the community about the importance of the watershed and its contribution to clean water and the general health of the environment. I have a new respect and appreciation for the work of the TCWC and am pleased they are a partner to the Friends.

For more info on the Tryon Creek Watershed Council please visit http://tcwc.tryonfriends.org/index.html