Heritage Redwood Tree
By Kathleen Wiens My family and I moved to Lake Oswego in 2015. One of the reasons we fell in love with LO is the large beautiful trees in the community. We were thrilled that our home had an incredible heritage redwood tree in the front yard and worked with Bosky...
Gans Site Update
Submitted by Barbara Fisher, OLWC council member and Friends of Hallinan Heights Woods coordinator You have probably never heard of Gans Street. It’s a short dead-end street in the Hallinan Heights neighborhood. The OLWC has been working to restore ¾ of acre on this...
Soil Aggregates – Where Texture and Organic Matter Meet
By Stephanie Wagner, OLWC Board Chair What makes up Healthy Soil? "We Need Space!" This is the cry from plant roots and all the small and microscopic critters that live in soil. We all know that plants need water but did you know that their root systems also need...
Tree Care During Heat Waves!
The fingerprints of climate change are becoming more pronounced with the record crushing temperatures predicted for the Pacific Northwest. As prolonged heat and drought become part of the normal rhythms of the season, how do we take care of our trees? Unprecedented...
Getting to Know a Soil Creature – The Nematode
Healthy soil supports a myriad of creatures and they in turn help support healthy soil. To name a few: nematodes, springtails, fungi, bacteria, algae, protozoa, mites and other larger organisms. Characteristics of healthy soil include space for air and water, a...
March 2021: Green Team Updates
Green Team Updates Lake Oswego High School- Nate Foster The students of the LOHS Green Team have continued in their efforts since the last newsletter, with each committee contributing. The Native Plants committee has hosted two monthly ivy pulls after the planting...
The Soil Will Save Us- Book Review
Book Review: The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet by Kristen Ohlson Stephanie Wagner Thousands of years of poor farming and ranching practices - and, especially, modern industrial agriculture - have led...
PACIFIC YEW – Lost Treasure in the Forest?
by Denny Barnes, OLWC Board Member Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia) is a small inconspicuous understory tree. From 1993-2013, they were indiscriminately stripped from our forests to make the powerful anti-cancer drug Taxol. It took about six 100+-year-old Yews to make...
Mason Bee Fun!
Mason Bee Fun! Sharon Hawley, OLWC Volunteer Supporting native fauna, educating on the cycle of life, enlivening local flora, becoming comfortable with our small flying neighbors, and enjoying a daily active display of how nature works – a few of the reasons to...
Living With “Wildlife”
By Stephanie Wagner There goes another one! Ants in our bathroom! Teeny, tiny sugar ants waltzing along the bathtub. I am a huge believer in living with wildlife but I’m not sure I want to share my home with these outsiders. How can we live together and respect...