Oswego Lake Watershed Council
The mission of the Oswego Lake Watershed Council is to foster stewardship, education, participation, and financial support for the purpose of the conservation, restoration, enhancement, and maintenance of watershed functions that achieve and sustain a healthy watershed.
Soil Your Undies for Science!
What’s an easy way to learn about your soil’s health? Bury a pair of cotton undies, provided by the Oswego Lake Watershed Council.
Try out this science experiment with us in your own backyard! We’ll provide the materials (undies, flag markers), all you need to do is bury them and show us what happens in two months after digging them up! Join OLWC’s 5th Annual Soil Your Undies challenge and put your soil to the test! We’ll bury undies at the end of April and have a celebration “reveal” event in July after we’ve all dug up the undies. Contribute to a long-term community science study of Lake Oswego’s soil health already made up of nearly a hundred of former participants.
Winter Volunteer Opportunities
LOHS Campus Stewardship with LOHS Green Team
February 24th, 2024 10:00am-12:00pm
Monthly Work Party at Westlake Oak Woodland
March 16, 2024 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
View our scheduled event calendar for details about registration.
Dealing with the Aftermath of Winter Storms
In light of the recent storm, our hearts go out to the 30+ residents who have had trees fall on their homes, and hundreds more whose homes have been damaged by tree limbs and freezing pipes.
Click here for some tips and resources for folks dealing with the fallout of fallen and damaged trees.
Check out the recording for This IS Kalapuyan Land, a virtual talk with Steph Littlebird, an indigenous writer and artist, and curator of a physical and online history, culture, and land acknowledgment exhibition of the Kalapuyan peoples. The recording includes Steph’s process of annotating panels from the museum’s prior exhibit on Kalapuyan peoples and curating contemporary Native artwork into the exhibition.
Weed of the Month: Scotch Broom
Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is one of the most damaging weeds in Oregon. A recent analysis of the economic impact of noxious weeds in Oregon found that Scotch broom alone results in a loss of $39.5 million in personal income to Oregonians. Unfortunately, as a class B noxious weed Scotch broom is a relatively widespread invasive weed in our area.
Originally introduced as an ornamental shrub and as a dune stabilizer Scotch broom is now one of our most widespread weeds.
2024 Local Native Plant Sales
Whether you’re planting or planning, good things to know!
Click on the image above to find local sources of native plants, including local plant sales, as well as retail, wholesale and native plant seed suppliers.
For more resources including what plants to use for different conditions (sunny & dry, shady & wet, etc.), you may want to also look HERE.