STREAM~N Team in Action in 2026!
We’ve been having a lot of fun AND impact in Clackamas County, Portland, Salem, and beyond.
On Sunday August 16, the Mid-Willamette STREAM~N Team continued its efforts to push back against invasive English ivy and holly at Woodmansee Park in Salem, Oregon. This work is part of the team’s long-term goal to help restore Woodmansee Park over the next several years. Stay tuned as the Mid-Willamette STREAM~N Team continues working to bring native plants and wildlife back to life throughout the park!
A successful day! Removing ivy helps relieve long-term stress on trees by preventing continued growth into the canopy and reducing additional weight and wind resistance. This is especially important ahead of our stormy seasons, since heavily infested trees are vulnerable to wind damage. Students created space for native plants to return, supporting a healthier and resilient ecosystem!
Team members take on a 15-foot invasive holly tree covered in berries, removing it before its seeds can spread further throughout the park and threaten native vegetation.
On August 1, the Mid-Willamette STREAM~N Team tackled one of the area’s most disruptive invasive plants–English ivy! Students were led by Team Coordinators Kristina Zatarain and Eyan Hackney in a self-guided invasive plant identification activity before heading into the thick vegetation of Woodmansee Park in Salem, Oregon, to free precious native trees from being overwhelmed by the invasive ivy. The team plans to continue restoration work at Woodmansee Park throughout the year.
Kristina speaks to participants about invasive species identification in preparation for the ivy pulling.
The team worked hard in Salem to remove ivy from the ground, as well, slowing it down from climbing up into the tree canopy.
On July 27 and August 4, the STREAM~N Team enjoyed the makerspaces at the Margaret Carter Skills Center and C.A.T. Studio at Portland Community College Cascade in NE Portland. We collaborated with Angela, Jolly, and Beau from their great team to learn how to design and print T-Shirts and tote bags, and sewing skills so we could create our own products from fabric. Youth from our partners Better Chances and NextGen Connect Center added to the fun and how much we could accomplish together. Afterwards, we gave back to PCC and the wider community by picking up trash during a walk to the nearby public library. Then we enjoyed a team-building game and pizza together. What a great day and we look forward to continuing the learning there next week!
Sangat and André hold up their beautiful finished products in the bustling C.A.T. Studio.
Zac works on his intricate T-shirt that promotes the benefits of trees and nature.
Students having fun learning/practicing sewing skills at the amazing Margaret Carter Skills Center at PCC Cascade. They even provided snacks and pizza! Everyone should visit. 🙂
On July 24 the STREAM~N Team helped with riparian restoration for improved salmon habitat and learned about sustainable forestry with the wonderful Bonny Glendenning from Port Blakely in Molalla, OR.
Dondre and Sophie remove invasive reed canary grass and plant live willow stakes to add shade, control erosions, add streambank complexity for salmon along Woodcock Creek.
Kite, Isabelle, Farrin, Sophie, Sangat, Dondre, Eliseo, Bonny, Krista, and Rick feeling great after live willow staking along the creek. Sangat is holding an added bonus of a usable frisbee that we removed from it and tossed around later–fun!
Eliseo and Dondre learn how much carbon dioxide this bigleaf maple tree can convert and can store and the equivalent in human uses of it. It can be surprising how much trees can offset our carbon footprint! Sustainable forestry products also store the carbon in our buildings, etc., indefinitely and they can be grown repeatedly, making them them a great climate action tool.
Sangat discusses some of the social benefits of forests that he and Sophie generated, one of the “three pillars” of the sustainable forestry, along with environmental and economic benefits.
On July 17 the Team helped with land tending and water quality explorations at Leach Botanical Garden. Sima Seumalo from Leach led us in helping to prepare their exciting East 5 Community Enhancement Project to welcome and inspire more community members to help with ecological restoration. A team of younger students from our partner NextGen Connect Center led by Sadia Noor worked alongside the STREAM~N Team to amplify our impact, learning, and fun! We were also able to explore the beautiful site and help with water quality testing at Johnson Creek, which runs through the site.
The group feeling great after removing disruptive plants at Leach’s East 5 project, including this big pile of Himalayan blackberry.
Andre, Rasheed and Team have fun working together to cut and dig out disruptive blackberry at Leach.
Sima teaches us about aquatic macroinvertebrates and how they can help us to determine water quality.
Eliseo, Dondre and Team work on biological and chemical data collection and assessments at Johnson Creek.
On July 16 we helped with land tending and learned about Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with Parrott Creek’s Cultural Ecology Program in Oregon City. Autumn Martinez and her skilled colleague Chi gave us a tour of the inspiring 80-acre site that employs Indigenous wisdom to restore the site. We contributed by removing disruptive plants to make room for more natives with cultural and wildlife benefits, such as oaks and hazelnuts.
A group selfie with deer and elk hides being prepared with traditional methods at Parrott Creek’s Cultural Ecology Program.
Autumn Martinez shares details about Parrott Creek Child & Family Services, their Cultural Ecology Program, and the many ways they help the community.
Tygr, Talietha and Team remove disruptive plants at Parrott Creek.
Autumn shows us some of the important plants at Parrott Creek, such as hazelnet trees. The young shoots are ideal for basketmaking and other uses. They coppice (cut) the trees, a traditional technique that encourages the trees to produce many more shoots.
On July 13 the STREAM~N Team visited Kelley Point Park in Portland to make our beaches safer for wildlife and humans. We picked up trash, enjoyed views of osprey and Mt. Hood, learned about the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, and found several interesting insects!
The group poses near the meeting of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Thank you to Yoko Silk from Portland Parks for hosting us!
One of the team discovered this beautiful Banded Alder Borer beetle on the beach. These beetles are native to Oregon and the adults typically lay eggs in downed trees. It was a day for insects – we also found a Ten-lined June Beetle and Stonefly larvae!
On July 10 we enjoyed another Fab Friday at Clackamas Community College’s (CCC’s) Les de Asis Makerspace in the state-of-the-art Holden Technology Center. Engineer/educator Craig Connors gave us a tour of all the possibilities, then we built community while we built cool things such as “plant name tags” for the many native species we are planting nearby at the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center. Possibilities included woodworking, 3D modeling and printing, CNC operation, welding, laser engraving, and more. We also made reusable “wood cookie” name tags.
Volunteer/expert woodworker Bill Hamilton coached Sophie and Team through how to create “wood cookie” name tags, simply and easily.
Eliseo and Dondre crank out finished “wood cookies” but adding holes with a drill press. The Team also create “plant name tags” with the laser etcher/engraver.
On July 12 the new Mid-Willamette STREAM~N Team organized a trash pickup and invasive species removal at Minton Brown Island Park in Salem to make the park safer for wildlife and humans. They invited and welcomed other community members to pick up trash, enjoy beautiful hikes through the forest and along the river, and learn about native and invasive plants found there. We removed invasives that were crowding native plants and growing in the trail. STREAM~N Team Co-Founder Rick Reynolds was thrilled to be part of the fun and see the new team thriving with the support of our wonderful local coordinators, Eyan Hackney and Kristina Zatarain.
The Mid-Willamette STREAM~N Team and other community members feeling great after an impactful event at Minton Brown Park in Salem on July 12.
Andrea and Kristina team up to remove ivy and pick up trash in Salem.
Tristan and Tyler hold up one of the pesky poison hemlock plants they pulled out together.
STREAM~N Team Oregon City tackled ivy, blackberry, and invasive grasses at the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center on July 8. We enjoyed bird song and beautiful weather while talking about the native species we have been planting and stewarding. It was satisfying to give them some breathing room!
Dondre enjoyed clearing blackberry and overgrown plants from the roadway while new team member Sophie delivered water to our thirsty young native plants.
Isabelle, Farrin, Sophie, and Natalia work together to clear space around “Doug” the Douglas fir and “Twiggy,” a redtwig dogwood.
Eloise clears ivy and invasive blackberry while Rick and Natalia help support a bigleaf maple sapling that was struggling in this spot. One of the best parts of this work is finding native species ready to thrive when we free them from aggressive species!
On June 20, STREAM~N Team Salem gathered at beautiful Woodmansee Park. It was a first opportunity for local STREAM~N Team youth to get to know each other and the team’s wonderful coordinators, Eyan Hackney and Kristina Zatarain. They provided a delicious meal with the help of Eyan’s skilled friend Brice and our partner Brandy Slawik from Salem Environmental Education. The team conducted a “Botany Blitz” activity to investigate native and invasive plants at the park, and removed invasives that were already crowding natives that the Oregon City team had planted there in April. STREAM~N Team Founder Rick Reynolds was pleased to join in the fun and meet the fired-up new team members, too. 🙂
Kristina, Mali and Mali’s father David study young native plants and remove weeds around them at Woodmansee Park.
The Salem team has continued to meet on Friday evenings and they are planning their first trash cleanup event open to the public at Minto-Brown Island Park on Sunday, July 12, from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM. Stay tuned for more details!
It was a gorgeous day for land tending at the Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center on June 17. We worked on ecologically disruptive blackberry and grass removal, checked the wildlife camera for any sightings, watered native plants, and watered ourselves with watermelon! We did not record any wildlife on the motion-activated camera, but we spotted a Willow Flycatcher and Red-breasted Sapsucker, and the bird song was all around us. Signs of deer browsing on the native plants proved they also enjoy the site.
After a hard day’s work, the crew poses in front of a young serviceberry plant in an area we’ve cleared of blackberry and replanted with native plants.
Gabe enjoyed using an electric hedge trimmer to clear out large areas of blackberry around native plants and along the road. Much appreciated by us and the native ferns and snowberry!
On Saturday, June 13 we revisited Hopkins Demonstration Forest in Oregon City to get some hands-on experience using sawmill equipment. Forest engineer Dr. Peter Matzka shared about job opportunities in forestry, forestry practices, and coached us through processing a log into 2×6 boards. It was fascinating to hear about all of the technology involved in modern sawmill operations! We then climbed up the fire lookout tower for some stunning views, and about half the group stayed to help with service-learning projects at the site, including moving logs being used in shitake mushroom production experiments. What a beautiful day in the forest!
Quinn and Gabe use cant hooks and leverage to help move this 600 lb. log to the saw for processing. Those physics lessons come in handy!
Peter explains the decision-making necessary when processing logs to maximize the resources. It’s impressive how many technologies in mills, such as lasers and ultrasound, all help reduce waste!
We were excited to join the festivities at the Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Competition on Saturday, June 6! The STREAM~N Team shared a booth with our friends from Oregon Women in Timber and the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI) to talk about what our organizations do and distribute information about Oregon’s forests and careers in forest-related fields. We had a blast trying out some of the job skills required at the festival and at nearby Tickle Creek!
The team poses in the beautiful forest near Tickle Creek. Here we learned about training requirements and safety practices related to being a certified arborist.
Nolan and a certified arborist work together to climb to dizzying heights! Harnesses, carabiners, and a pulley system kept us all safe while climbing.
On May 31 we enjoyed a gorgeous day and fun work party at the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center site. Our new electric weed whacker and hedge trimmer whipped through the blackberry and invasive grasses, giving our native species “breathing room” and making the driveway safer for all. Team members also got good workouts with pick mattocks and other hand tools. We were so impressed with what the team accomplished!
Dondre tackles a spot next to the waterfall and near newly planted Douglas fir, red twig dogwood, and vine maple.
Gabe proved he is handy with a pick mattock and power tools!
Eliseo, Dondre, Trevor and the rest of the Team did an incredible job battling distruptive plants to make room for our young native trees and shrubs to grow at Canyon’s Edge.
We were excited to join other volunteers from Human Access Project and SOLVE on May 23 to remove trash and make Audrey McCall Beach in Portland safer for swimmers and other beach-goers. Seventeen youth and three adults from the STREAM~N Team participated!
The group enjoyed a beautiful day of service and also explored history, science, and nature along the Springwater Corridor Trail and Eastbank Esplanade.
Tygr, Rahim, Yusheng, and Sangat discover moving rocks is so much easier with a rock sling and teamwork!
On May 17 we teamed up with our partner the Bee-Lieve Foundation to prepare their new bee/pollinator site at Clackamas Community College for these essential insects!
The STREAM~N Team feeling great after our work party with Bee-Lieve Foundation: Our amazing youth teamed up with Co-Founder Steve Leitz (second from right), Washo Shadowhawk and his partner Jordan from the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots program and veterans. They removed large woody debris, tackled tricky ivy, and removed disruptive Himalayan blackberry.
Students team up with an honored veteran from Bee-Lieve Foundation to remove debris, make room for pollinator plants, and help bees and other pollinators thrive! The plant matter will be composted.
Quinn, Sophie, Angel, and Tizo cut away thick ivy from a bigleaf maple at the new pollinator site. It took A LOT of persistent sawing and chopping!
On May 9 we teamed up for habitat restoration at the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center in Oregon City. We also did a little tree survey research and installed a new nesting box and post.
Angel, Tizo, and Sorelle blast through invasive reed canary grass and blackberry from around native trees and shrubs we planted at Canyon’s Edge.
Sorelle and Tizo pose with a bird nesting box they just helped install at Canyon’s Edge. Thank you to our amazing partner Rivers of Life Center for donating it! We are hoping for a woodpecker family, and we plan to build more habitat boxes. 🙂
STREAM~N Network Board member / STREAM~N Team volunteer Derek Grant, M.Ed. helps us move a motion-activated, night vision wildlife camera to a tree by the creek. A loan from our partner the Jane Goodall Institute, we are hoping to document a variety of rare species, such as mountain beaver, bobcats, and cougar at the special site at the edge of Newell Creek Canyon.
On May 2, some of the Team chose to be part of a fascinating Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Research Training with Clackamas County Soil & Water Conservation District in Oregon City. Some Team members also chose to be part of our regular Stewardship Saturday service-learning event at the Environment Learning Center (ELC) at Clackamas Community College. Then we linked up at the ELC to finish the work party together and set an EAB trap! We gathered afterwards for lunch and team-building/leadership development activities.
Zac, Xicheng and Team look for signs of emerald ash borer during the Oregon City training. Click here to learn about the signs and ways to help on Oregon’s EAB site.
Eliseo, Dondre, Anthony and Angel work on setting up an EAB trap at the ELC. We also cleared out invasive plants from around the ash trees and practiced tying the useful bowline knot we learned at the training!
Setting a baited EAB trap high up in a tree at the edge of a group of ash trees. We learned that this is where the adults most often fly in to lay eggs. The bait must be kept in the freezer until use and has a strong smell of ash trees.
Thank you to Drew and Jordan (below trap on right) for training us to help slow down these tiny destroyers of beautiful, ecologically-important ash trees. The super-sticky traps are covered in wax paper until we’re ready to set them high up in the trees.
Farrin teams up with fellow biodiversity warrior Sandy to clear disruptive plants from around natives at (ELC) on May 2.
Angel, Efeydi, Anthony, and Pranay try to keep the symbolic Buzz Rings spinning. The Team chose respect, communication, cooperation, loyalty, and willingness to try to new things and grow as key characteristics of successful teams.
On Apr. 25 we worked with inspiring volunteers from SOLVE to remove ivy and other ecologically disruptive plants at the ELC that were threatening the forest trees. Afterwards, the Team enjoyed lunch together and practiced interviewing each other, including sharing hopes and dreams for the future. We discussed some possible careers the students were thinking about and strategies to help attain their goals.
Dondre, Eliseo, Derek and team made great progress clearing ivy around the trees at the ELC.
Biodiversity warriors unite! Natalia, Sorelle and team were relentless battling back the pesky plants.
On Apr. 11 we were part of a Woodmansee Park Native Plants & Foods event in Salem, OR. We teamed up with the Native and Indigenous Student Union (NISU) at Willamette University, Castaway WU, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the City of Salem, Salem Environmental Education, and the Oregon Garden to plant natives along the creek, learn about the cultural significance of native plants, and enjoy a delicious “Three Sisters Stew with Buffalo” lovingly prepared by NISU.
Sharean teams up with Alex from Willamette University / Castaway WU to plant natives along the creek. The plants will provide shade, reduce runoff, and provide other benefits to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.
Learning about and enjoying Three Sisters Stew with Bison together. Thank you amazing students from Willamette University’s NICU, including May (speaking at top), and Castaway WU! It was SO delicious and inspirational. Eyan Hackney from Willamette / Castaway WU (shown in upper left) and Brandy Slawik from Salem Environmental Education (shown in upper right) did an amazing job of coordinating with the partners to help make it happen.
Jeremy from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s native plant nursery discusses native camas with a group from STREAM~N Team and Willamette Univ.
Sangat and team plant native red osier dogwood along the creek in Salem.
On Sat., Apr. 4, team members chose from two fun service-learning options:
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- A beehive maintenance workshop with Bee-Lieve Foundation at a farm in West Linn, or
- A Stewardship Saturday work party at the Environmental Learning Center (ELC) in Oregon City with ivy pulling and more.
Part of the Team poses with other members of the Bee-Lieve Foundation work party. Bee-Lieve works with veterans and serves the needs of families in our community with children who have complex medical and developmental needs. They also help bees and produce a lot of delicious honey to fund their mission!
Sorelle, Angel, Efeydi and Team clean beehive boxes and frames to prepare them for the season. Many of them were donated by producers that lost their hives, so we set aside ones with signs of destructive wax moths to burn as a precaution. We learned that 70% of Northwest hives have been lost in recent years due to a variety of challenges–a powerful call to action!
STREAM~N Team Spring Break!
For our STREAM~N Spring Break, we helped remove ecologically disruptive plants and downed wood at a variety of beautiful restoration sites. These have included Leach Botanical Garden and their Back 5 Community Enhancement Project, Wilkes Creek Headwaters, Mt. Tabor Park, and the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center site. The youth also had the opportunity to plan and conduct their own service projects in their neighborhoods, such as trash pickups and helping elder neighbors.
Feeling great after an impactful day at Wilkes Creek Headwaters with inspiring folks from our partners including Better Chances.
We’ve got this! Muscling out invasive blackberry and ivy.
Digging out Himalayan blackberry plants to protect natives at Wilkes Creek Headwaters in NE Portland.
Cutting up downed wood to haul away at Leach
Tygr and Rahim smile through a wet day of service-learning work in Leach’s Back 5.
Feeling good after an impactful day of trail work and removing downed wood at Leach Botanical Garden.
A group of us had to snap a quick selfie at the top of Mt. Tabor!
Wrapping up a great day of service on Mt Tabor at their Visitor Center.
Young biodiversity warriors have also been hard at work improving the ecological health and resilience of the Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center site in Oregon City. Projects have included removing ecologically disruptive plants, especially Himalayan blackberry and English ivy, planting natives, creating beautiful wood “plant name tags,” and protecting the young natives from herbivores. We also adding mulch to hold in moisture, control erosion, and add more nutrients/carbon to the soil.
Tygr and Team help out a young ninebark live stake plant and other natives at the new Canyon’s Edge site in Oregon City on March 22, 2026.
Rasheed and Yusheng add bamboo stakes to wrap chicken wire around. They will protect this young salmonberry plant from deer, mountain beaver, and other herbivores at Canyon’s Edge.
The STREAM~N Team feeling pumped up after a successful work party to start our STREAM~N Spring Break, 2026! Thanks to everyone who joined, including (from from left): Efeydi, Derek, Farrin, Taleitha, Sorrell, Numa, Tygr, Jordan, Rasheed, Sangat, Merritt, Rahim, Washo, Krista, Kite, Yuseng and Angel. An extra special thanks to our new partners from Better Chances, led by their wonderful Executive Director, Talietha Mathis (center).
Our wonderful partner Washo Shadowhawk from the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots program tells us more about the baby garter snake he found at Canyon’s Edge. For instance, they are are born live–NOT from eggs–like most reptiles!
Both veteran and new STREAM~N Team members tour the Canyon’s Edge site with our partner Dr Heidi Blackwell, Director of the Environmental Learning Center at Clackamas Community College.
Impactful Stewardship Saturdays
We had our first gathering of the year on January 10, 2026 at our home base, the Environmental Learning Center (ELC) at Clackamas Community College for Stewardship Saturday. Our service-learning work party helped rejuvenate the ELC’s Community Garden, including clearing paths, adding lots of mulch, and measuring new rented plots. Afterwards, we enjoyed lunch together, go to know each other better, and discussed ideas for STREAM~N Team and career pathway explorations in the coming year.
Part of the January 2026 ELC Community Garden work party group squeezes in along one of the paths we restored.
Engineer and educator Craig Connors explains the amazing technology behind the SawStop table saw. Developed by nearby scientist/woodworker Dr. Steve Gass, its sensors make the saw stop instantly if it contacts skin. It has been a revolutionary safety breakthrough, and has helped the Tualatin-based company become the #1 maker of cabinet saws in North America.
Jemma shares beautiful “Plant Name Tags” she made from wood using a laser engraver, computer software, table saw, power sander, and other tools. She created them for the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center in Oregon City, where they will help other students learn about native plants and their many benefits.
Sophie and one of our fantastic STREAM~N Team volunteers with the sign she made for “Nurse,” a young serviceberry shrub at the Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center in development. Sophie and Quinn named the plant in honor of nurses, who generously serve people, just like serviceberries take care of people and wildlife in myriad ways. You can learn more about these bountiful, beneficial plants in botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer’s powerful essay The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance, available free online via Emergence magazine. It is also published as a beautifully-illustrated book that helped inspire the creation of the STREAM~N Center after we received it as a gift. Just let us know if you’d like to borrow our copy. 🙂
On Jan. 24 we had a super-interesting tour of the North Clackamas County Water Commission Treatment Facility in Oregon City. Plant Manager Brent Carrar and Education Coordinator Christine Hollenbeck showed us the whole process of how river water is made clean and safe to drink. They are passionate and enthusiastic about their jobs, and explained how our partner Clackamas Community College has an excellent Water Environmental Technology (WET) training program for those interested in joining the profession. Many skilled folks are expected to retire in the coming years, creating a lot of opportunities.
Brent Carrar shows us where the water is drawn in from a gate in the beautiful Clackamas River.
Christine Hollenbeck explains how the intense recent flooding impacted the river and came close to reaching the treatment facility. The Commission is having to plan for more frequent flooding, droughts, and less reliable summer snow melt due to human-caused climate change.
Plant manager Brent shows us how the water is filtered and treated.
Students inspect the high-tech membrane filter material that can even clean water as turbid as chocolate milk. The facility also has huge filtration ponds to filter water, but they cannot process as much water on days when it is very turbid, such as during the recent flooding.
Brent shows us the different types of filters they use and talks about the pros and cons. We also got to check out some of the heavy equipment they use, and learned that Brent has also loved the many physical aspects of his jobs in both drinking water and waste water treatment.
On January 24 we also visited the new Canyon’s Edge STREAM~N Center site to begin a tree survey and install the “Plant Name Tag” signs we made. One of our goals is to be ready to participate in emerald ash borer (EAB) research and mitigation efforts in the coming year, so we need to know where all the ash trees are and what condition they are in. We hope to eventually create a GIS/mapped database of all the trees and shrubs on site.
Taking a selfie with “Carly,” a red-flowering currant. She is protected with chicken wire from the many deer and other herbivores at the site until she grows a bit more.
On January 31 we teamed up with Columbia Slough Watershed Council for a Stewardship Saturday work party at Wilkes Creek Headwaters. We planted native cascara trees (Franjula purshiana) and wildflowers, including yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and goldenrod (solidago, Asteraceae spp.) to improve wildlife habitat, control erosion, and reduce pollution entering the creek.
Delilah and Nolan plant native cascara trees (a favorite of our feathered friends) near Wilkes Creek.
Kloee, Delilah, Sorelle, Wes, Nolan, Brad, Farrin, Kira, Krista and Rick take a break at the beautiful bridge over Wilkes Creek.
Delilah, Kloee, Lilly, and Francis team up to plant native yarrow and goldenrod wildflowers near Wilkes Creek that are important for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
Kira and Nolan tackle some English ivy near Wilkes Creek to protect the trees and prepare for more diverse, native plants.
At Stewardship Saturday at the Environmental Learning Center (ELC) on Feb. 7, Team members chose from a few fun activities:
Rick, Wes, Nolan, Sophie, Bethany, Wyatt, and Ros braved the rain to restore paths at the ELC’s Community Garden. The great conversation and laughs kept us going!
Gavin, Brindi, and Jasmin were some of the students that chose to create environmental education kits at the ELC on Feb. 7. Here they’re measuring out string for groups of early learners to create models of bird’s nests. 🙂
Krista, Kate, Terry, Jacoby, and Evie bravely tackled some of the pesky ivy killing trees during the Feb. 7 work party. Sorry ivy, the team won the tug of war competitions!
Team members Otis, Alec, Triston, Sawyer, and Tyler celebrate after clearing invasive ivy from around the bases and surrounding areas of two native Douglas fir trees selected for restoration.
A look at a restored spot following the Team’s work. By cutting English ivy from the trunk and clearing it from the area surrounding the tree, the team disconnects climbing vines from their root system. The ivy remaining higher in the canopy will gradually die back and fall away over time.
Keeping ivy off the trees is key, as it can make them so top-heavy, they may fall over from the added weight. Good job protecting these trees, team!
These Salem teens know that cutting the ivy from the bottom of the tree will kill vines further up. Excellent technique!
Tygr prepares his design for a vinyl cutter in the C.A.T. Studio.
Khalid had extra time, so he created a small logo for the front of his shirt in the C.A.T. Studio.
Sophie and Rahim team up to cut and dig out pesky non-native blackberry at Leach Botanical Garden’s East 5 restoration project.
Justin, Talietha, Tygr, Khalid and Team power through a big patch of blackerry, being careful to watch out for native, medicinal stinging nettle.
Trevor holds up one of the blackberry root balls he tenaciously dug out, while Ilhan, Talietha, and Eloise clear the way to remove more of them.
Some of the interesting native signal crayfish, snails and other living things we found in Johnson Creek. Their pressence and the chemical tests we conducted told us that the water quality was quite high. Thank you, forest, for helping to cool and clean the water!
Eloise, Isabelle, Sophie, Leon, Andre, and Rahim removing fishing line, glass, cigarette butts, cans, bottles, styrofoam, fireworks, and so much more at Kelley Point Park in Portland. Thanks, team!
The final step in our cleanup was sorting out the recyclables from other materials. The good news – the beach was relatively clean, given how many people visit it!
Sophie and Farrin helped make this tree happy at Canyon’s Edge by cutting pesky English ivy away from its base.
Otis presents to other members of STREAM~N Team Salem, including coordinator Eyan Hackney (right), about the plant he studied during the “Botany Blitz” activity at Woodmansee Park.
Eloise, a valuable new member of the team, proved she is a master at removing unwanted plants. Welcome, Eloise!
Yecheng and Pranay stay cool in the shade and work on keeping the road clear.
Farrin, Sangat, and Tien work with Peter Matzga, Ph.D. to secure the log, in preparation for the next cut.
Pranay and Peter make a cut by moving the saw across the log. All of the new structures at Hopkins were built using wood processed on-site using this equipment!
Expert woodworker Bill Hamilton coached us through safe use of the equipment in the Les de Isis Makerspace at Clackamas Community College.
Farrin takes a turn operating an excavator to retrieve a ball. Practice makes perfect! This excavator only uses biofuels and lubricants to protect the environment.
Donde rocks his first climb on a big western redcedar.
The sparks fly as a professional welder coaches us how to cut metal in preparation for a welding project.
Biodiversity warriors Isabelle, Farrin, and Leon braved pesky mosquitoes to cut back and dig out disruptive blackberry at the new Canyon’s Edge site in Oregon City. Every bit makes a difference!
Trevor demonstrates great work habits – keep sharp tools away from others, wear sturdy boots, and use eye protection!
Quinn shows off a millipede discovered on Audrey McCall Beach while pickup up trash and moving rocks…life amongst the rocks.
We discovered and picked up hundreds of old nails near the Hawthorne Bridge. Could they have come from the bridge scaffolding 100+ years ago?
Natalia clears away downed wood, ivy, and invasive blackberry at the new Bee-Lieve site in Oregon City.
Sorelle, Farrin and team cut ivy that was threatening a bigleaf maple.
Our wonderful neighbor Freddy helped us clear out disruptive plants at Canyon’s Edge on May 9, too. 
Yusheng, Tien, Sangat, and Yecheng blasted through an area of disruptive plants at the ELC.
Jeremy from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde’s native plant nursery teaches us about riparian restoration with native plants, including live staking, during the Native Planting & Foods event.
Jack from Willamette’s Castaway WU teams up with Angel from STREAM~N Team for a Botany Blitz activity near the creek in Salem. A field of native camas is behind them.
Yoko Silk from Portland Parks & Recreation shows us the natural spring that forms the headwaters of Wilkes Creek.
Who knew digging up thistle could be this much fun? Ahmed and Cleveland build community and smiles at Wilkes Creek Headwaters…
Good times saving and observing worms at Wilkes Creek!
A thistle-busting all-star!
Enjoying Johnson Creek while restoring the trails on the far side of it at Leach Botanical Garden. We helped prepare the site to reopen to the public after the bridge replacement was complete.
It’s been a long time coming! We observed workers installing the exciting new footbridge at Leach. The last bridge was destroyed 3 years ago by flooding, closing off the trails and cottage on the far side of the creek from visitors.
Girl power! Numa and Krista pull out ivy to protect natives at Wilkes Creek Headwaters.
Angel vs. Thistle at Wilkes Creek Headwaters
Yoko Silk from Portland Parks teaches us about the beautiful and important native plants we have been working to protect.
Rain won’t stop us! Ms. Flores from Leach Botanical Garden (left) guided us through restoration work in their Back 5 Community Enhancement Project.
Some of the beehive boxes and worker bees we learned about in our workshop with Bee-Lieve Foundation on April 4, 2026. If you look closely you can see them in action. Way to go, ladies!
Ros, Sorelle, and Delilah measure out Community Garden plots at the ELC and add stakes at the corners after calculating the correct square footage of each plot. Fun applied math with mallets and silliness!
Quinn shows Jemma how he is clamping together small pieces of hardwood to make a beautiful cutting board.
Thanks so much to our skilled friends, who have volunteered to help the Team learn to use the tools safely. Here Jemma is coached before she makes her first practice cut with a table saw.
Quinn puts the finishing touches on his cutting board. Sophie holds up her sign in progress.
Les de Isis (right) with son John (left), the current CEO of Benchmade Knives, the Oregon City-based company that Les founded. The family helped create the amazing Les de Isis Makerspace at CCC, which we have enjoyed for Fab Fridays.
Ros, Sophie, Wyatt, and Bethany had fun restoring the ELC’s Community Garden paths on Feb. 7.
Nolan hauls in mulch while Sophie hacks out the heavy grass and weeds that were taking over the paths of the ELC’s Community Garden.
On Sat., Feb. 21, 2026 we planted native trees, sedges, and ferns at
Sophie carefully plants a native crabapple tree at
Farrin gets ready to plant a sedge in the muddy streambank to reduce erosion and improve wildlife habitat at
Sorelle and Delilah smile through the raindrops planting young sword ferns at
Ros and Igor stayed tough planting natives on the cold, wet February day at
Ros’ younger brother Ingvar also lent a hand planting sedges and sharing peace signs at
On Sat., March 7 we enjoyed a Stewardship Saturday service-learning work party at the ELC, followed by a STREAM~N Team gathering to get to know each other better and talk about our plans for the future.
Mario and Will have fun tackling pesky Himalayan blackberry at the ELC on a beautiful sunny day in March.
Biodiversity warriors Quinn and Farrin clear out pesky plants at the ELC to make room for natives and prepare for thousands of young visitors this spring.
Olivia, James, Jacoby, Quinn, Mario, and Will take care of some last cleanup of pesky plants at the ELC.
Brook and Angie work on making the ELC trails safe and open for thousands of young visitors this spring.
Angie, Nolan and other STREAM~N Team members interview each other about their interests and ideas for the future.
Brook and Farrin conduct interviews before they present about each other’s interests to the group. The ideas that they and the rest of the group shared are helping us plan different service projects and career-connected experiences.
Piper and team get a fun cardio workout while making Hopkins Demonstration Forest more fire safe in 2025. We’re planning to return soon.
The January 10, 2026 ELC Stewardship Saturday crew feeling good after an impactful team experience in the Community Garden.