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.