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.
Seed to Stewardship: Growing the Future One Seed at a Time
Restoration projects and home gardeners alike depend on locally adapted native seeds. By collecting seeds from plants growing in our communities, individuals can help supply native plants for their own landscapes, local seed libraries, schools, and conservation organizations.
Small Changes, Big Impact: Re-thinking the Lawn
Every action we take, from how we manage our lawns to the plants we choose to grow, has an impact on the health of the watershed. By making thoughtful choices in our own landscapes, we contribute to something larger than ourselves: cleaner water, healthier habitat, and a more resilient community.
The urban forest: Our stake and stance
When we take time to not just look at nature but actually absorb it – sensing its manifest forms of beauty — it becomes attached inside us as a precious resource. A gift. Many in the community are already seeing what is at stake and are doing this reciprocal work of stewardship in many different ways. Please join them.
West Willamette Watersheds Collaboration Expands Community Engagement Opportunities
OLWC and Tryon Creek Watershed Council’s partnership to expand watershed council coverage to uncovered areas from Wilsonville to Forest Park, the West Willamette Watersheds (W3) Collaboration, continues to grow! This summer, the W3C collaboration is emphasizing community input and engagement as it works to define priorities and guide future efforts.
Groundwater: The Hidden Water That Sustains Our Watershed
Groundwater quietly supports healthy streams, urban forests, wetlands, and wildlife habitat throughout the year, especially during the dry summer months. In this month’s featured article, we explore how groundwater functions within the watershed, why it matters for climate resilience and water quality, and how community actions can help improve groundwater recharge and long-term ecosystem health.
Students at Work: Progress at Pecan Creek
Since launching the Pecan Creek Beaver Habitat Restoration and Education Project, the Oswego Lake Watershed Council (OLWC) has made meaningful strides in both habitat restoration and student engagement.
The Irreplaceable Role of the Oregon White Oak
Written by Rio Hybert-Zack, OLWC Restoration CoordinatorOregon White Oaks are some of the most enigmatic trees. ...
From Seeds to Curiosity: A Journey into School Garden Education
These garden experiences are more than just fun — they help students build lasting connections to the natural world. I’m so grateful to support our school gardens.
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.
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