The Sandy River Basin Watershed Council is thrilled to announce the hiring of Steve Wise as the Council's first Executive Director.

Despite the uncertainties of the current economy, the Council made the decision to hire an Executive Director because of the many needs and opportunities pending in the Sandy Basin. "Building our capacity will enable us to go after larger projects and to provide service to more landowners and partner organizations," said Steve Rayne, Council Chair.

Since its inception in 1997, the Council has worked to become a valued part of the community and a dependable partner in the effort to return sustainable populations of native salmon to the Sandy River. Steve will join the Watershed Council's long-time coordinator, Russ Plaeger, who will continue to focus on watershed conservation and restoration as the Council's Land Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator.

Our new Executive Director brings nearly two decades of experience to the Council. Steve returns to Oregon from the acclaimed Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) in Chicago, where he has served as Natural Resources Director since 2006. At CNT, he led green infrastructure work that helped the organization earn a MacArthur Foundation Innovative and Effective Organization award in 2009.

Before taking the job at CNT, Steve lived in Oregon and served in several leadership roles at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. In addition to working with a number of other river and conservation organizations, he also taught a grant writing class at Mount Hood Community College (MHCC) and a class on "salmonomics" for the University of Oregon's Environmental Studies program. Further demonstrating his diverse interests, Steve was a resident artist in the MHCC pottery studio.

The new job's opportunities pull together the threads that have woven together his past work, Wise said. "Everything that's important about rivers and watersheds is happening in the Sandy River Basin. Success will take a lot of work by a lot of people, but the payoffs are enormously valuable for the health of people, fish, wildlife and our future."

For more information about the hiring of the new ED, contact Steve Rayne, Council Chair, at 503-294-1106.

More information about the Council is available at the website: www.sandyriver.org, or by calling the Council office at (503) 668-1646.

During the winter volunteers from The Mazamas, David Douglas High School and the watershed council completed high priority planting projects at several side channels on the Salmon River near Welches. A mixture of native trees and shrubs were planted to provide shade and prevent bank erosion. On the Arrah Wanna side channel hundreds of native wetland plants were planted in areas where we have been working to replace dense stands of Reed canarygrass an aggressive, invasive plant that had taken over large areas.

The side channels provide very important habitat where juvenile salmon can grow, feed and take refuge in areas with slower currents. Large logs and rootwads that have been placed in the side channels help to create deep pools of cool water and provide shelter from great blue herons and other predators. By early April 2010 juvenile Spring Chinook salmon, recently emerged from the spawning gravels, were visible in slow water areas of the Arrah Wanna side channel. They'll spend the summer in the side channel.

Project partners included The Mazamas, David Douglas High School, local residents, U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and The Freshwater Trust. We appreciate the funding support for these important projects that was provided by Ecotrust, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the BLM.

Any way you look at it invasive plants and animals are a big problem - and it is getting worse. Just ask the boaters who've found their favorite lake choked by hydrilla. Or the drinking water supply operator whose pipes have been clogged by zebra mussels. Homeowners know what a nuisance blackberries, English ivy and other invaders can be. Invasive species can also have a huge economic impact on our forests, local governments who try to control them and private landowners who have to hire crews to eradicate them.

What can you do to help prevent the spread of invasive species?

If you find one of the aquatic invasive species or suspect there may be a new infestation, report it to the toll-free Oregon Invasive Species hotline, 1-866-INVADER.

Boaters and paddlers-
Never launch a dirty boat. The best prevention is to clean your boat between trips and especially if you've been in water where invasives may be present.
Clean all aquatic plants, animals and mud from your boat and gear.
Drain your watercraft and rinse or flush areas that can trap mud or debris that may contain New Zealand mud snails or other invaders.
Dry your boat as much as possible.

Follow this link to see more photos of aquatic invasive species and a video showing how to inspect your boat.

Anglers -
Clean and dry your waders, boots and other gear where New Zealand mud snails or other invaders may have become attached. Follow the link above for more information.

Some of these organisms are really small and it is easy for them to hitch a ride and go unnoticed. Look at how tiny the pesky New Zealand Mud Snail is. And it can clone itself!

Homeowners and gardeners -
Non-native, invasive plants can look attractive and pretty innocent at the garden shop but over time they can spread and take over part of your yard and spread to adjacent areas. Seeds spread by birds, wind or water can start new infestations in our local natural areas where the invaders can out compete native plants. Some, like garlic mustard, use chemical warfare to make it impossible for other plants to grow in the soil where garlic mustard is growing. Over time, you'll be glad you chose some beautiful native plants instead.

If you're going to hire a contractor to do excavation work on your property be sure to request that they clean the tracks of their machine before they bring it to your site. More than one local homeowner has had to deal with the nightmare of invasive plants spread by a contractor's dirty equipment.

Hikers and equestrians
Non-native, invasive plants can look attractive and pretty innocent at the garden shop but over time they can spread and take over part of your yard and spread to adjacent areas. Seeds spread by birds, wind or water can start new infestations in our local natural areas where the invaders can out compete native plants. Some, like garlic mustard, use chemical warfare to make it impossible for other plants to grow in the soil where garlic mustard is growing. Over time, you'll be glad you chose some beautiful native plants instead.

After travelling on your favorite trail please check your pants, boots, dogs and horses for any seeds that may have hitched a ride. Equestrians can also help by purchasing weed free feed for use in the backcountry. Some invasive plants like to grow in the upper elevation forests and meadows that you love to ride in.

If we all work together we can keep Oregon a special place for current and future generations.