On Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, OHS welcomed volunteers from US Bank and SOLVE for some special Earth Day projects. Group volunteers like these make a major difference for the shelter by helping to maintain the dog-walking path and natural area behind the shelter building on NE Columbia Blvd.
A total of 36 volunteers from our community, including US Bank, Swinerton Builders and Stericycle, accomplished the following over the course of 96 hours this Earth Day weekend:
- Planted six native blueberry bushes and one Oregon grape
- Cleared about 120 sq. ft. and planted a healthy-grass grazing zone for dogs being walked along the path
- Cleared about 1600 sq. ft. on a western slope of the property and seeded with native wildflowers
- Repaired no-skid material on the footbridge adjacent to the pond
- Removed 40 lbs. of poison hemlock weed (using appropriate precautions)
Teamwork! Demonstrated by the group from US Bank. - Planted eight salal on the steep slope by the path entrance
- Planted four ceanothus and two ocean spray on the pond edge
- Cleared another 1600 sq. ft. of blackberry and thistle by the pond
- Mulched areas of the path that were mushy and failing
- Recycled planting containers
- Removed about 20 lbs. of garbage from the back fence line
Thank you to SOLVE for their $100 grant to buy salal plants, as well as donating 10 utility buckets and trash bags. Thank you also to Portland Nursery for their donation of blueberry, ceanothus and ocean spray plants, soil amendments and mulch. An anonymous donor gave wildflower and dog-grass seeds.
Now our dog path is not only a safe place for our dogs and volunteers, but it is also more inviting for our native plants and animals and is contributing to the health of our watershed.
Thank you also to OHS volunteer Jessica Haggin and the Youth Volunteers for walking shelter dogs down to meet the groups!
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