Restoration and conservation efforts along the Bear Branch tributary to the North Santiam River are part of a larger regional initiative to improve watershed health. Watershed Quick Facts 1. How large is the area of land that drains into Bear Branch Creek? 13 square miles 2. How long is Bear Branch Creek? 10 miles 3.…
Read more
If you’ve ever driven through the Santiam Canyon, you’ve probably seen Stout Creek. It runs pretty close to State Highway 22 for a couple of miles before it joins the North Santiam near Mehama. On the other hand, you might have missed it. It isn’t very big, the entire watershed is about eleven and a…
Read more
The decade of the 1930’s was an era of large government building projects. Many undertaken to counter the economic hardships of the Great Depression. The 1930’s also saw the population and industrial development in the North Santiam Canyon finally reach levels that would economically justify a flood control project. So the Detroit Dam complex, which includes…
Read more
Fish are moving into the Willamette River at the moment. ODFW reported the number of winter and summer steelhead passing above Willamette Falls at 7,556 and 11,261 respectively, as of May 29. Based on their video monitoring at Bennett dam near Stayton, several hundred summer steelhead have moved into the North Santiam River. Spring chinook…
Read more
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this weekend is Free Fishing Weekend in Oregon, and many ponds, lakes and streams have been stocked in anticipation of this event. Fishing licenses and tags are not required for anybody who wants to fish Saturday and Sunday June 9-10. Large numbers of summer steelhead are moving…
Read more
The North Santiam Watershed Council meets on the second Thursday of every month. Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and usually last about an hour and a half or so. This Thursday’s Agenda includes: council business by-laws review, outreach strategy/marketing organizational review (e.g. how organization operates day-to-day). All Council meetings are open to anyone with an…
Read more
You can learn how the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife raise Chinook salmon and rainbow trout at the Marion Forks Fish Hatchery. There’s also a large pond where visitors can feed adult rainbow trout. The best time to visit is May through October. There is camping nearby in a U.S. Forest Service campgrounds, but…
Read more
Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Santiam River watershed, lying just below the confluence where the North and South Santiam rivers join. It encompasses about 2,800 acres of flat to gently rolling land near the confluence of the Willamette and Santiam rivers south of Salem, Oregon. Ankeny Refuge was created to provide vital…
Read more
When you add native plants to your landscape it really enhances the habitat for wildlife, birds and beneficial insect like bees. And native plants have so many other advantages: Once established they require minimal or no water. They don’t need fertilizers and They’re naturally resistant to local pests, so pesticides. And you can plant them…
Read more
