The South Santiam Watershed Council is hosting volunteer work days at Sankey Park Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 13 and 14, at 877 14th Ave.
In conjunction with the City of Sweet Home, the council is working to restore some three acres of wetland along Ames Creek just upstream of Weddle Bridge.
Next week’s project will focus on installing a silage tarp that is intended to remove weeds – particularly invasive creed canary grass, and other unwanted growth to prepare the area for planting of native trees, shrubs, and a grass-and-flower mix that will grow in wetter soils. The work will take place from 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. each day.
Volunteers should bring gloves, a lunch and some water, and are invited to join in rolling out and staking down an acre of silage tarp. The work will take place rain or shine.
The tarp will stay in place for a year to smother the invasive grass and its roots.
For more information on the event, visit the South Santiam Watershed Council website here; for more on the problem that is being addressed, the BC Wildlife Federation offers an explanation of reed canary grass here.