Oakridge high schoolers put science into action in river habitat restoration

On an October afternoon in Westfir, Oakridge High School students dug into damp soil beside the Middle Fork Willamette River.

“I would try to space plants out — minimum two feet, three to four feet is ideal,” said Virginia Pritchard, restoration project manager for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council.

The students carefully lowered the roots of tiny cottonwood and willow trees into the pits, nudged soil back into the holes and gently pressed it around the stalks, tucking in the young plants. 

Holly Wilder, 18, and Vanessa Keller, 17, both seniors, took the class “Intro to Forestry” through the Oakridge High School Career and Technical Education program. They didn’t necessarily want to go into forestry, but they wanted to spend time outside, something they enjoy.

“I love the trees’ colors and how the sunlight hits the trees,” Wilder said. “It’s really pretty.”

The trees and shrubs the teens put into the ground will eventually grow tall enough to provide shade for the river, cooling the water temperature and providing a habitat for fish that like their water cold, such as salmon. The roots of the plants will also hold soil in place and act as water filters, taking up certain chemicals in the soil before they reach the river.

The forestry class will come back to the area later in the year. They’ll survey the plants that are surviving and make decisions, based on that information, about what and where they will plant in the future.

For students, getting outside and participating in restoration projects offers another dimension to learning about science. Outdoor education programs offered by local conservation groups not only build on students’ knowledge, but also give kids an outlet to make visible, lasting change in their communities — and experience the stress relief of being in nature.

A place to return to

Westfir City Confluence Park, a piece of land at the joining of the Middle Fork Willamette and one of its tributaries, is not much of a park — yet. 

At the request of the city, Emma Garner, education program manager for the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, and Pritchard have been leading the charge to make the park more established and accessible. So far, workers, volunteers and students have removed invasive blackberry bushes and planted native trees and shrubs in their place. Eventually the park will have an accessible trail and viewing deck.

The area will also soon be home to chokecherry, serviceberry, beaked hazelnut and crab apple trees, carefully chosen by Pritchard.

“When I think about species that I’m putting back into the system, I’m thinking, ‘Is this a food source for people and birds?’” she said.

In the spring, Pritchard will focus on planting food for the pollinators, including yarrow, wild onion, milkweed and self heal.

Garner said some of the Oakridge students who have come to work at the park knew about it before and some didn’t, but she hopes that they’ll now bring friends and family to see the site. 

“There can be this sense of multigenerational learning where they’re planting,” Garner said. “They can come back over the years and see the plants that they planted when they were freshmen and come back and see the habitat as seniors.”

Creating hope through agency

Grant Hillman, 15, grew up in the woods and loves spending time outside.

“It’s definitely an escape from everything else in the world, definitely from school,” he said.

Through her education programming work, which extends beyond Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, Garner gives kids an opportunity to get their hands dirty and be in nature.

Her programs are funded through grants and private donations, and for now, their funding is stable. State funding for outdoor education in Oregon has taken a hit, however. This year, the Legislature made a 20% cut in funding for Outdoor School, a beloved Oregon tradition that includes a week of staying in cabins and spending time outdoors that had been free for all fifth and sixth graders since 2016.

Garner sees many positive impacts of students spending time in nature and participating in restoration projects, but one of the most important is giving them a feeling of agency during a time of environmental change.

“Eco-anxiety is a very real thing, and it’s scary,” Garner said. “This offers an element of big-picture hope, that there are changes happening, and they’re part of it.” 

Hillman, digging his last hole of the day, said his forestry class makes him feel like he’s doing something real, instead of filling out worksheets or sitting through lectures.

And the baby willows and cottonwoods he helped plant? Hillman said he’ll definitely be back to check on them.