Exploring Oregon’s Greatest Wetlands
Learn about wetlands. Wetlands occur in all corners of Oregon and are among the most biologically productive and species-rich habitats in the state. Coastal salt marshes, wet prairies, spruce swamps and fresh water marshes are a small sampling of the diversity of wetland types in Oregon.
Grab your rubber boots, binoculars and cameras and join TWC staff and some of the state’s leading wetland scientists, ecologists and conservationists for imaginative, interactive, and informative explorations of some of Oregon’s Greatest wetlands. Our 2015/2016 tours offer sunset kayaking in Scappoose Bay, exploring the tidelands and estuaries of the Central Oregon coast, birding at Malheur Wildlife Refuge, a weekend at Camp Westwind and searching for frog and salamander eggs in Tualatin. There’s something for wetland enthusiasts of every age and ability.
We hope you’ll join us out in Oregon’s Greatest Wetlands!
Lakes, Wetlands and Kelley Point Park by Bike: May 22nd, 2016
Celebrate National Wetlands Month with a bike tour at Smith and Bybee Lakes the largest urban wetland in the US. The trip will also take you to Kelly point Park the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. During the ride you may spot, beavers, rivers otters, osprey, bald eagles and blue herons.
Mud Slough Birding and Flower Tour: June…
Willamette Valley wet prairies are among the most endangered habitat types in the state of Oregon, and among the rarest of North American ecosystems. Come tour Mud Slough Wetland with wetland banker Mark Knaupp and TWC Executive Director Esther Lev. Over the past 24 years Mark has restored 550 acres of Willamette Valley Prairie Wetland. Twenty-three years later, thousands of native prairie plants, including some rare species, have sprung up on their own and turned the wetlands into a tapestry of color and texture. The purple and white popcorn flower, common downingia, and veronica, dark green tufts of sedge, and delicate tufted hairgrass provide habitat for a variety of wildlife including the showy pink Nelson’s checkermallow that is listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Malheur Birding Tour: SOLD OUT
Join TWC Executive Director Esther Lev and Tim Blount host of Harney Birder. com and director of Friends of the Malheur Refuge on a tour of Malheur Wildlife Refuge, a 187,757-acre oasis of water in the high desert of southeast Oregon. This area is one of the premiere sites for birds and birding in the U.S. These arid wetlands provide livelihoods for farmers and ranchers, and critical habitat for a large diversity of avian, plant, and amphibian species. The spring birding is about both abundance and diversity, which makes the experience equally enjoyable for beginners and experts alike. Learn about TWC’s work with the refuge, ranchers and other conservation groups to conserve these critical wetlands.