The City of Sweet Home and the South Santiam Watershed Council continue to collaborate on the restoration of approximately three acres of floodplain and wet meadow habitat along the east side of Ames Creek in Sankey Park, behind the Sweet Home Senior Center. This area has been greatly impacted by invasive plant species, particularly Himalayan blackberry and reed canarygrass. The restoration project aims to reestablish native streamside vegetation, improve the habitat, and provide community members with opportunities to experience a healthy lowland riparian forest and floodplain. Work began in spring 2025 with mowing and herbicide treatment to address the blackberries and other vegetation. In the fall of 2025, large silage tarps were placed over about an acre of reed canary grass to prevent it from regrowing.

On October 15 and 16, the City and SSWC removed the tarps and seeded the area with a mix of native wetland prairie species. Additional bare-root native plants are scheduled for planting this
winter.

The project builds on over two decades of restoration work by the City and SSWC in Ames Creek and Sankey Park. In the mid-2000s, SSWC partnered with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department and the South Santiam Youth Watershed Council on a stream restoration project. More than 1,000 feet of channel was shaped into a complex, meandering course, with boulder weirs, log revetments, and cobble rock added to increase in-stream habitat diversity. More than 10,000 riparian and wetland plants were established along the channel to improve habitat and help stabilize stream banks.

Many of the natural features found along the Sankey Park section of Ames Creek reflect this long-term restoration effort. The current project continues the City and SSWC’s collaboration, with a focus on streamside vegetation and floodplain habitat in another part of the park.