Friday, November 28, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., West TV Elementary

Current Ivy Pulls

Hankering for some activity after your Thanksgiving? Come pull ivy at West TV! There are several tasks to complete this time:

Continue to pull ivy at the south end of the woods
Clear a small area of grass and plant some camas bulbs and seeds appropriate for an oak prairie around a newly planted Oregon white oak seedling
Begin whacking away at blackberries to prepare for ivy pulling in the final south section

If you can join us, please wear old clothes, and bring gloves and tools if you have them. We have some limited amounts that we can share. Please sign up if you plan to join us so we know how to plan. Waivers are here if you would like to sign electronically.

Thursday, December 4, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Tree Walk: Brookwood/Dawson Creek

The Dawson Creek ponds and wetlands lie behind Hillsboro's Brookwood Library. It's a perfect location for a wintertime stroll, as it has a labyrinth of paved trails, flocks of overwintering birds, and open skies to enjoy any potential light and sunshine. We'll get close-up views of many geese, wood ducks and other ducks, wigeons, cormorants, many passerines, and an occasional eagle. That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of trees! In fact, bring your binoculars because if we're lucky we'll have a chance of seeing acorn woodpeckers guarding their acorn-laden snag. We'll be walking at a leisurely pace for about a mile on these level trails.

Saturday, January 10th, 10:00 - noon.

Tree Walk: Merritt Woods Tree ID

This walk at Cedar Mill's Merritt Woods Natural area will focus on identifying trees in winter. Merritt Woods Natural Area preserves a narrow, 2-acre forest and riparian area along North Johnson Creek. There is a one-mile section of paved trail that overlooks the trees along the wetland, giving us a good view of the buds, branching structures, and any lingering leaves or other clues that will help identify the trees. The microenvironments along the trail showcase a good variety of our native trees, and some interesting non-native ones — over 18 species. We'll be moving at a "botanical pace" making a small detour through the neighborhood at the lower end of the trail to take in some common street trees and an overlook of a wetland where beavers are active. We’ll also be pointing out some short extensions you can choose to take on your own.

October - March

Ivy Pulls: Join Our On-Call Ivy Crew

English ivy hangs on through winter at a time trees are particularly vulnerable — the invasive vines keep growing while trees are dormant, and the excess weight can increase risks for trees during winter storms. Help us save trees by removing ivy and other invasive plants that threaten them. Weather makes it hard to schedule events, so please, sign up and we'll notify you when there is a good weather window so we can schedule an ivy pulling event. And if you know of a location where trees are suffering from ivy, you can notify us on this form.