Your source for stories, insights, and updates about the Oswego Lake Watershed and the work of the Oswego Lake Watershed Council. Here you’ll find many of our newsletter articles, event highlights, project updates, and information to help you learn about and protect our local environment.
Caring for our Shared Spaces in the West Willamette Watershed
This article is the first in a Neighbors for Nature series, hosted by the Oswego Lake Watershed Council (OLWC), where we consider how we are part of our complex ecosystem, as well as our collective responsibility to recognize our impacts on that system.
The Soil Your Undies Challenge!
The Soil Your Undies Challenge gave participants of all ages a simple, hands-on way to observe soil health in action.
How OLWC is Cultivating the Next Generation of Watershed Leaders
Those who make decisions on land use and conservation rarely consider the voices of youths, despite the fact that the Earth will soon be handed to us. As the generation that will live with the consequences of today’s inaction and short-term profit, I believe that we deserve to be a part of the decision-making process.
Follow the Rain: How Stormwater Moves Through Our Watershed
Rain falls often in our community. But where does all that rain go? And when does rain become stormwater? This article takes a closer look at what happens after the rain falls.
Village on the Lake – Lily Bay Restoration Project
Our first year of restoration at this site resulted in significant improvements across one acre of the nine-acre natural area. This acre contained the most critical habitat: a small, perennial creek that flows into Lily Bay.
Youth Sustainability Collective Blog
The Youth Sustainability Collective (YSC) is excited to introduce our monthly blog series. Each month, we’ll share updates, stories, and how we havebeen impacting the LO community.
Spotlight on White Rock Larkspur: Delphinium leucophaeum
OLWC intern Roxana Sotelo Laureano's project not only advances our understanding of White Rock Larkspur but also demonstrates the value of hands-on, student-led conservation work.
A Story of Oaks: Connecting with Trees Across Generations
An oak tree is not just a tree. It is a memory and a connector. Take the time to get to know an oak tree in your neighborhood. How long has this tree been here? What can I learn from this tree? What can I do to care for it? How can I make sure future generations are able to benefit from the shade and acorns it provides? How can I thank this tree and appreciate it?
Hands-On Learning and Habitat Restoration: OLWC Engages Students This Fall
This fall, the Oswego Lake Watershed Council (OLWC) has been hard at work connecting students of all ages with the natural world through hands-on learning and stewardship. From second graders discovering the magic of water to high school students restoring habitat for beavers, OLWC’s education programs are helping young people understand how healthy watersheds sustain thriving communities.
The Niche of Urban Habitat
The urban world that humans create can have a range of disruptions to the surrounding natural systems. The removal of vegetation, construction of buildings, infrastructure, altered waterways, fragmented habitat, pollution, noise, and light. While we can find ways to mitigate the negative impacts and use more environmentally friendly approaches, the fact remains that our presence has an impact.
An Ode to Our Oaks
Prior to the conversion of land for farming and development, the Willamette Valley was a vast garden of oak prairies, stewarded by the indigenous nations, tended with cycles of fire and regrowth. The habitat held, and pockets still hold, a unique diversity of plant and animal species found nowhere else. Species coevolved in a landscape dominated by the keystone oaks. Without these trees a whole system of other species would fade away.
Community Science in Action: The 2025 Soil Your Undies Challenge
A playful project with a powerful message about the importance of soil health.
This spring, the Oswego Lake Watershed Council invited residents to take part in a hands-on experiment with a quirky name and a serious purpose: the Soil Your Undies Challenge.
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