by John Sparks Saturday, December 6th witnessed Friends of Oaks Bottom’s last work party of the year. We convened at Tadpole Pond after rain sprinkles ended and patches of blue sky expanded overhead. The actual task was to get 150 red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) starts in the ground as a first stab at mitigating …
In September 2025, an invasive beetle no bigger than a sunflower seed was discovered at the David Douglas Aquatic Center in Northeast Portland. For those who love Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, this news marks the beginning of a profound transformation. The emerald ash borer (EAB) has arrived in Portland, and with it comes the near-certain …
A Tiny Beetle, A Big Threat: How the Emerald Ash Borer Will Transform Oaks Bottom Read More »
Friends of Oaks Bottom held its summer nature walk at the Bottom on Friday, July 11th. The refuge was a lush green oasis with swallows of several species diving and darting over the waters of Wapato Marsh snagging insects. Other summer residents included kingfishers, Canada geese, mallards, gadwalls, and wood ducks. We spotted a couple …
Hooded merganser male (Lophodytes cucullatus) There were nine attendees on Friends of Oaks Bottom’s fall nature walk, Saturday, November 9th. Joshua Meyers and John Sparks were the official guides, but we were fortunate to be joined by Laura Guderyahn, one of Portland Parks’ five urban ecologists. Laura contributed much interesting information about refuge projects. It …
by John Sparks Walking the trails at Oaks Bottom, one cannot help but notice the dominance of English ivy and Himalayan blackberry in the understory. These are but two of a number of Eurasian species which have come to settle under the native canopy of cottonwood, alder, ash, maple, red-cedar and Douglas-fir. Here’s a sampling …
Unwanted Guests: A Few Invasive Plants at Oaks Bottom Read More »