Please join the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) and Oregon State University (OSU) for a volunteer opportunity at Jackson Meadow in the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest.
Jackson Meadow is a 27-acre site with remnant oak and prairie habitat. Much of the site has suffered from woody encroachment and invasive species. In 2022, OSU’s College of Forestry completed a timber harvest throughout the site to release Oregon white oaks from conifer competition and to start an oak-prairie restoration project. IAE and OSU are teaming up to complete this restoration over the next several years.
Following timber harvest, the site was littered with slash and woody debris, making typical restoration activities challenging. Over the past year we have masticated a lot of this debris and burned slash piles, but there is still plenty of material.
For this event, we will be hauling limbs and logs and rebuilding burn piles to improve ground conditions for ongoing restoration activities. Our objective is to continue cleaning up woody material to facilitate activities such as mowing, seeding, and other treatments.
Event details:
- When: Friday, March 15, between 9 am – 1 pm.
- Where: Jackson Meadow in the McDonald-Dunn Research Forest. Access through the gate at the end of NW Jackson Creek Dr. here (44.614024, -123.287344). You will be directed where to park upon arrival. Please respect the neighbors by driving slowly along NW Jackson Creek Dr.
- Bring: Water, lunch, waterproof rain gear. Please note that you are likely to get muddy. IAE will have work gloves, but some folks like to bring their own. We will have any necessary tools.
- Accessibility notes: We will be carrying small logs and potentially raking/scooping wood chips for an extended period. This will require bending, crouching, and lifting potentially up to 40 lbs. We will also be walking over uneven, muddy terrain with tripping hazards. Please note there are no formal restroom facilities on site.
- Registration: Please RSVP to the event by emailing Evan Lasley ([email protected]). All volunteers (or parent/guardian if the volunteer is a youth) must fill out IAE’s volunteer release form. Questions can be directed to Paul Reed ([email protected]).
