Planting 6,000 native trees and shrubs at Canemah Bluff Natural Area this winter helped restore this forested gem, which overlooks Oregon City and the Willamette River. The only downside? All those trees and shrubs need to be mulched.
Metro got a helping hand last weekend from 13 Gardiner Middle School students and an AmeriCorps team from California. The volunteers spent four hours in the sun, mulching hundreds of native plantings.
Their work advances Metro’s restoration goals at the 330-acre natural area, which was protected piece by piece through two voter-approved bond measures. It also exemplifies Metro’s volunteer program, which brings together nature lovers of many ages and interests.
“When I meet these kids, I see myself in them,” AmeriCorps team member Rachael Williams said at Canemah Bluff. “I hope they enjoy service work like this, because I do.”