As a Metro scientist, Kate Holleran sees nature's biggest challenges and most glorious surprises – and she has the muddy boots to prove it. Read her latest reflections on restoring the land protected by Metro's voter-approved Natural Areas Program.
By Kate Holleran, Metro Scientist
Conserving nature, one acre at a time
Heavy rains falling on snow can create havoc or heaven, depending on your perspective. Last week, many streams throughout the region rapidly swelled as intense rains melted the snow that fell the day before. School kids might have considered our "major snow storm" a bust, but for the environment, it was a big deal.
Standing on the berm along Stark Street just east of Mt. Hood Community College, I was awed by the floodwaters filling the entire floodplain of Beaver Creek. I’ve been doing restoration working in the Beaver Creek riparian area for 10 years and have never seen the waters as high before – and as a natural resources person, I relished the opportunity to see the landscape transformed by the storm. The aptly named floodplain (the relatively flat land next to a stream) of Beaver Creek was living up to its name, capturing and containing the rush of brown water, logs and other debris swirling and pulsing toward the culvert under Stark Street. Some of the wood and sediment in the waters would be deposited in the Beaver Creek floodplain, a natural process that is beneficial in healthy stream systems.
My fascination with all things natural was tempered, though, by the reality that beneath the floodwaters were thousands of very young trees and shrubs recently planted as part of a continuing effort to improve the water quality and wildlife habitat along Beaver Creek. I headed over to Metro’s natural areas along Johnson Creek and found similar conditions: water flowing well above the stream banks, through recently planted forests and even over roads.
It was a tough day for young plants and neighbors with homes close to the streams, but a good day for floodplains to demonstrate their importance to our watersheds.