Students from OSU and Crescent Valley High School pitch in

The Council is leading the restoration of an overgrown, deteriorated riparian forest at Fern Road Farm in Philomath. Along more than a half-mile of Marys River frontage, the river is exposed to lots of direct sunlight, which raises water temperature above healthy levels for cutthroat trout and other native fishes. Blackberry was the primary invader, present in patches as big as half an acre. The project goal is to establish a 50-foot riparian buffer of native plants, including willow, alder and maple. Planting began winter 2012, and has continued through this winter.