Fall is in full effect here in the South Santiam, and the council has been busy. This is my favorite time of year to be out- it's beautiful, and each day holds the possibility of Autumn treasures. Brightly colored leaves, fungi in every direction, changed visual displays in creeks and streams as water rises and mobilizes wood and leaves. Take a quick tour through our work so far this week!Photo 1. McDowell Creek near the mouth, where it flows into the South Santiam river. Trees with yellow and orange leaves line a small creek. Photo 2. Restoration and Education Manager, Mike, holds a thermometer mid-creek.Photo 3. Restoration and Education Manager, Mike, holds a thermometer mid-creek. Mike is collecting instantaneous water temperature for calibrating the temperature logger that's deployed here. Photo 4. This resilient yew tree provides shade and nutrients, protecting the streamside and everything that lives in and around the water. Photo 5. McDowell Creek higher up in the watershed. Creek lined by trees with orange and yellow leaves and a small white bridge crossing the bridge. Photo 6. Crabtree Creek, midway up the basin. Broad creek lined by trees with yellow and orange leaves. Photo 7: A close-up of brown and cream colored fungi growing along a small tree trunk. Photo 8. Leaving our parking spot by the creek better than we found it. Mike, on the side of the road above the creek next to a car, holds a bag of trash.On the ancestral lands of the Kalapuya, Tsankupi and Santiam peoples.

Posted to Instagram October 27, 2021

Fall is in full effect here in the South Santiam, and the council has been busy. This is my favorite time of year to be out- it's beautiful, and each day holds the possibility of Autumn treasures. Brightly colored leaves, fungi in every direction, changed visual displays in creeks and streams as water rises and mobilizes wood and leaves. Take a quick tour through our work so far this week!Photo 1. McDowell Creek near the mouth, where it flows into the South Santiam river. Trees with yellow and orange leaves line a small creek. Photo 2. Restoration and Education Manager, Mike, holds a thermometer mid-creek.Photo 3. Restoration and Education Manager, Mike, holds a thermometer mid-creek. Mike is collecting instantaneous water temperature for calibrating the temperature logger that's deployed here. Photo 4. This resilient yew tree provides shade and nutrients, protecting the streamside and everything that lives in and around the water. Photo 5. McDowell Creek higher up in the watershed. Creek lined by trees with orange and yellow leaves and a small white bridge crossing the bridge. Photo 6. Crabtree Creek, midway up the basin. Broad creek lined by trees with yellow and orange leaves. Photo 7: A close-up of brown and cream colored fungi growing along a small tree trunk. Photo 8. Leaving our parking spot by the creek better than we found it. Mike, on the side of the road above the creek next to a car, holds a bag of trash.On the ancestral lands of the Kalapuya, Tsankupi and Santiam peoples.