Placing the trees

from left, back row: Bill Robinson, Doug Ray, Walt Weber, Rod Lundberg, Byron Thompson, Bob May, David Illig, Tom Scoggins, Hunter Thompson, seated: Mike Gentry, Jim Ackerman, Ruger Thompson, Richard Hardy, Herb Thompson, Michael Ellis

On July 14th, TVTU members Mike Gentry, Rod Lundberg Doug Ray and David Illig, joined myself, my friend, Richard Hardy, and members of the Rainland Flycasters to place all the trees we have been collecting this Winter and Spring. The Rainland Flycasters were ably represented by Bill Robinson, Walt Weber, Bob May, Jim Ackerman and Tom Scoggins. The Thompson family contingent consisted of Herb Thompson, Byron Thompson, Hunter Thompson and Ruger Thompson. I apologize if I have inadvertently left anyone out.

A large pile of trees awaits placement

When we arrived, Walt Weber was already in the river taking a population survey of the area we would be covering with the trees. He counted about two dozen fish (fry and a few small cutthroat) in the area we were going to cover. 

we will construct the tree raft along the left bank

Walt Weber surveys the construction zone for fish

Walt Weber and Herb Thompson discuss the survey results

Mike and Rod got to work putting together the pontoon boats while everyone else put together a game plan.

Mike and Rod ready the pontoon fleet

Bob May talks over the anchoring method with the crew

We would tie the trees to a rope and use old milk jugs as floats. With this boom we would outline the slack water area we were going to cover with the trees. The pontoon boats would position and anchor the boom and then fill the middle in with trees. 

We tied the trees to a rope and used milk jugs for floats

The tree line grows

By the time Mike got in the water we were ready to start taking the rope across river.

Mike Gentry pushes off to begin building the tree corral

Mike is ready to grab the line 

Mike pulls the line across the river

Mike grabbed the end of the line and began to row. As more trees were added to the river the current started to have an effect.

more trees were added as the line was pulled across the river

Mike Gentry and Rod Lundberg pull the line down to the tie off point

                          we have the bottom of the line anchored and now are positioning the top end

It took a while to get the boom positioned correctly

                            

it's looking pretty good now

As we filled the boom, we used the current of the river to move the trees

Byron Thompson, Rod Lundgren and Mike Gentry corral and wrangle the trees into the structure

Byron Thompson brings more material to the structure

The completed structuture

Doug Ray points out some fish activity in the newly created habitat

The fish were waiting for this. They started inhabiting the trees as soon as they hit the water

The deed is done!

On Saturday, July 14th, members of the Rainland Flycasters and Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited met to complete our Christmas for Coho project. We created a large raft of trees in a slack water area on the Necanicum River to provide food and cover for the little fishes. They started utilizing the trees even while we were placing them. It was incredible.

Coho habitat enhancement project update

Photos and text by Michael Ellis
TVTU Conservation Director





On Friday, June 8th, TVTU members Jeff Price, Mark and Janet Rogers, and Michael Ellis Met at Mckenzie Farms Headquarters by Colton, Oregon to pick up over 100 culled christmas trees.

All were in the 4 to 6 ft. Range. Mckenzie Farms is one of the largest growers of high quality christmas trees in Oregon.

They had a surprise for us when we arrived. There was a crew ready to load our vehicles! 

Those guys were good. They were really able to load trees. I was envious of their packing ability. 

We were loaded up in less than 1/2 hour and we all left for our respective homes.

Saturday morning we got up early and drove to Seaside where we met TVTU members Doug Ray, Mike Coddington and Byron Thompson to drop off the trees at the work site. 

from left: Jeff Price, Doug Ray, Mike Coddington, and Byron Thompson unload the U Haul truck

Our volunteers, from left: 

Janet Rogers, Mark Rogers, Doug Ray, Byron Thompson, Jeff Price, and Mike Coddington

We then headed up to Longview Timber land to harvest more trees for the habitat project. 

Doug and Byron handled the chainsaw duty while the rest of us cut with handsaws and loaded the trucks and trailers. 

Jeff looks for more trees to cut

Byron had a trailer that appeared to be made from a 20 yard dumpster. It was huge.

 In about an hour we had cut about all the material our trucks and trailers could hold so we headed back to add to the pile.

back at the Thompson property ready to unload

We collected lots of trees for habitat

Mark and Janet begin unloading their trailer

Mike starts unloading his pickup

Mike and Jeff next to the load from Mike's truck

now we start in on Byron's trailer

The pile has grown a lot today!

After unloading we walked around the Thompson property and looked at the wetland area Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited is helping to complete. (see above photo)

Doug explains to the volunteers how and where we will be placing the trees we collected

 Byron also showed us some incredible video he has been shooting documenting the utilization of the wetland area as well as the christmas trees by Coho salmon young. These efforts are really paying off. If you would like to see some of Byrons video, check out his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/cohosanctuary . There are a few u tube videos, but his facebook page is the motherlode.

We are going to be helping place all this material in a large slack water pool on the Necanicum Saturday July 14. This pool is one of the best spots for juvenile fish on the river during the summer and the addition of the cover and food our tree rafts will provide will let them grow fat and sassy for heading out to sea! This should be a very interesting project to participate in. If you would like to help out with this project, let me know by e mail at tvturestoration@gmail.com .

Our dedicated volunteers, from left:

Michael Ellis, Mark Rogers, Janet Rogers, Byron Thompson, Jeff Price, Doug Ray, Mike Coddington

Thank you all for your help

Sincerely,

Michael Ellis

TVTU Conservation Director

Invasive plant removal at Thompson Creek

On May 12 a small but determined group of volunteers met at the North Coast Land Conservancies Thompson Creek site to do battle with the blackberries and scotch broom. I met TVTU members Travis Walters and Jeff Price at the Hillsboro Fred Meyer and we carpooled to the site where we were joined by Celeste Coulter, North coast Land Conservancy Stewardship Director, and volunteers David Lebo, Tyrone Snelling and Sharon Cook.

While there were some small amounts of scotch broom on the property most of the work consisted of blackberry removal. If you have helped out with this in the past, your hard work has really payed off. There are so many fewer blackberries now that removal is mainly patrolling for new growth and clipping stems at ground level.

We went for a walk upstream before getting started and enjoyed the spring weather along the creek.

The first order of business was to choose your weapon.

Then the work began. It was a sunny and warm day in Seaside!

We went over the property cutting all the blackberries and scotch broom we could see.

The hill provided the best site for large blackberry canes. 

All in all we had a very enjoyable day. The weather was great and the work was not too taxing.

From left: Michael Ellis, Celeste Coulter, Travis Walters, Jeff Price, David Lebo

If you think you are BAD enough

The Tualatin Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is looking for some of the baddest restoration volunteers out there to test themselves against two of Oregon’s most pernicious invasive plant species. Yes, that’s right, it is Broom Buster time at Thompson Creek. Come see the work the beavers have done, but more importantly, come prepared to work hard and dig out scotch broom and blackberries. This event will be on Saturday, May 12 and will go from 10 AM to about 2 PM. We will meet for carpooling in Hillsboro at 8 am as usual, (Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr., Hillsboro, Oregon).  Meet by the can return area. We will leave by 8:15 am and will arrive at the work site around 9:45 or 10 am. Bring gloves, water, a lunch, and appropriate clothing.

Please respond by e mail if you would like to participate at TVTURestoration@gmail.com 

March / April Chapter Newsletter Available

The latest (March/April) issue of the chapter newsletter is now available.  Click on the link to the right to download.

What happened to the christmas trees?

We hauled the trees we collected to an off channel wetland complex site on the Necanicum River. Byron Thompson and his family placed the trees into the complex as soon as they were delivered. Byron has been making underwater video of the action at the site. Here is a link to one of Byrons videos from August 2010 of activity at the site:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHwZv00EZAg&feature=g-all-u&context=G2d85f21F

Here you see some of the trees we collected placed in the off channel complex

(photo by Michael D. Ellis)

Here you see a christmas tree after being in the water for about a month

(photo by Byron Thompson)

Here you can see that the trees are being utilized by the Coho fry

(photo by Byron Thompson)

Tualatin Valley Trout Unllimited will be having a work party on March 11 (Sunday).  We will be helping to place woody debris, like christmas trees, in stream areas as well as planting some willow trees at the Neitzel Farm site. There should be newly emerged coho coming out of the gravel and seeking off channel habitat so we may get to see some of them. The young of the year pre-smolts will be on a diurnal schedule by then so we should get to see some of them too. Also, Mike Gentry, our President, will have just returned from a trip to Patagonia so there should be stories aplenty to share. 

You will definitely need rain gear, gloves and a lunch. You may want to bring waders too in case we anchor material in the water. We will rendezvous at our regular spot in Hillsboro (Sunset Fred Meyer, 22075 NW Imbrie Dr., Hillsboro, Oregon).  Meet by the can return area. We will leave by 8:15 am and will arrive at the work site around 9:45 or 10 am. For those who want to carpool/caravan from Portland. We can make a stop at Klootchy Creek park on the way to meet people already at the coast.

Please respond by e mail if you would like to attend to: tvturestoration@gmail.com

Michael Ellis

Last chance to drop off your tree for Ecocycling

Mike Gentry and Michael Ellis await the first tree

Saturday, Jan. 7th, we collected used christmas trees at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters, located at NE 108th and Halsey. We will be taking these trees down to the coast for placement on the Necanicum system.

Alan Moore, right, helps another tree find a home on the coast

A big thank you goes to TVTU volunteers, Mike Gentry, Ron Reinebach, Terry Turner and Alan Moore, who helped staff and make this project happen.  An even bigger thank you goes to Jack Hagen and the folks at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters for allowing us to use their store as a drop site. Be sure to let them know you appreciate their help the next time you are in their store. Thanks are also due to Cassandra Profita at the OPB Ecotrope blog for helping us get the word out.. Many of the folks dropping off trees heard about this through OPB or the Ecotrope blog.

Terry Turner and Ron Reinebach with a gradually filling trailer of Xmas trees

We will be collecting trees again next Saturday, January 14th, at Northwest Flyfishing Outfitters from 10 am to 4 pm, so if you haven't gotten rid of your tree yet or know someone who hasn't, here is your last chance! Also, I am the only person who has volunteered for next Saturday and could use some company! If you have the time, volunteer to staff the site for an hour or so next Saturday. My e mail is tvturestoration@gmail.com.

These trees will be fish habitat by Monday night!

There is a lot of interest in using ex christmas trees in this way and the response this year was good enough that we will be expanding our pick up sites and trying to get a lot more trees next year. If you would like to help out, let me know (tvturestoration@gmail.com). We would like to have at least one site on the west side of town in addition to an eastside dropoff and will be needing volunteers to staff the sites as well as volunteer co-ordinators to find sites, co-ordinate volunteers, and help arrange for delivery to the coast.

ADDENDUM: Jan. 9, 2012

The Christmas trees have all been placed in an off channel habitat area on the Necanicum River. There they will begin to break down both chemically and through biological processes. Biofilm will begin to grow on the needles and provide food for micro and macro organisms, allowing the Coho fry to have a ready source of food in addition to the cover the Christmas trees provide.