EDITOR’S NOTE: The Tillamook County Pioneer is pleased (and so excited!) to introduce our first high school journalism intern, Ashley Hamann. Ashley is a recent graduate from Neah-Kah-Nie High school. Born and raised in Tillamook County, she is incredibly grateful for the community she’s been brought up in. Growing up, Ashley has done a lot of camping and always enjoy taking the quad out to Sandlake with her family. She has a passion for music and has been in the Neah-Kah-Nie High School Choir for five years, plays a few instruments, and writes her own music. Aside from music, writing stories has also been a huge part of her life as it’s something that allows her to connect with other people. She will be attending the University of Oregon with an honors scholarship, majoring in Journalism and Marketing. Ashley said, “I’m so excited to be writing for the Tillamook County Pioneer!” We couldn’t agree more, Ashley. Welcome aboard!
Here is Ashley’s first contribution and watch for more stories from the Pioneer’s journalism intern throughout the next six months.
By Ashley Hamann
Living on the coast where nature surrounds our home, it could be said that most people in this area are aware of coho salmon. What you may not know is that they are a threatened species because of various reasons, including issues with their habitat. The Oregon silverspot butterfly is another threatened species on the coast due to a shortage in their food supply. There is something you can do to help. The Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP) is hosting events that can help the species get off the threatened list.
The event called, “Nurturing Natives” is a volunteer event on April 21st, May 5th and May 19th from Noon to 4:00pm at the Native Plant Nursery in Tillamook. TEP’s Native Plant Scientist Asa Skinner, explained, “This event is to help the plant nursery in our efforts to grow species of plants that will help the coho salmon habitats and that will feed the Oregon silverspot butterfly and caterpillar population.”
Coho Salmon require a multitude of things in order to thrive in the environment; the planting of just one kind of plant, the red flowering current, can help. This plant provides much needed shade for the salmon and also acts as filter for pollutants in the water. If you decide to volunteer for the events coming up, you will be doing your part in helping this plant grow so that it can be distributed to our river banks and help the coho salmon.
The Oregon silverspot butterfly has a different issue. You see, this species of butterfly is a specialist, meaning that it has specific eating patterns. This particular species of butterfly needs early blue violets in their environment because it is the only thing that the caterpillars can eat so that they may mature. So, growing this violet species helps provide food to the species so it can thrive. TEP is also growing flowers for the adult butterflies — lupines, golden rods, asters, pearly everlasting, and lilies to name a few.
This volunteer opportunity is an eye-opening experience. While thinning out the baby plants and repotting them, the volunteers chatted about why they were there, Some said that it helped them to stay active and social while others discussed how it felt good to get out and make a positive impact on the natural world here in Tillamook County. At last week’s Nurturing Natives event, volunteers thinned and spaced a total of 1,300 native plants!! This is just a fraction of the work that needs to be done, so celebrate Earth Day and help us grow native plants for improving our local environments.
If you would like to volunteer for any of the Nurturing Natives events, the link for registration is below.
TEP has a wonderful partnership with the Oregon Youth Authority and provides opportunities for incarcerated youth to gain work experience and skills. Helping with these events also helps the youth that currently work in the nursery. However, because of this arrangement, volunteers must be 18 years or older to attend this event. Come prepared with warm clothes, boots, and maybe some gloves.
Join TEP next week to celebrate Earth Day by volunteering a few hours to help plants that will restore local habitat for decades to come!
Next Friday, April 21st, at the TEP Native Plant Nursery from Noon-4pm, the second Nurturing Natives event of the spring. Volunteers will be spacing and thinning three native species: Bigleaf maple, edible thistle, and coyote brush
Volunteers will be given a brief training on how to thin and space overcrowded seedlings. This part of the growing process is vital to maximize plant growth. TEP has thousands of plants that need thinning during the spring season, and we need your help to thin all of them during this critical timeframe.
Volunteers will be invited to take home free seedlings to plant in your own yards to commemorate Earth Day!
**Must be 18 or older to attend this event.**
Save these dates for our upcoming Nurturing Natives events: May 5 and May 19.
Registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nurturing-natives-april-21-2023-tickets-603991433637?aff=erelexpmlt
Tillamook Estuaries Partnership Newsletter:
https://www.tbnep.org/newsletter.php
This is an Explore Nature Tillamook Coast event.