Spring into Action

Conservationists work to protect a slice of natural habitat in the middle of the city

By Ellen Spitaleri

The Clackamas Review, Aug 30, 2006, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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“The beavers built a dam, so we put a pipe underneath and built an elaborate fence in here to keep him out,” Hughes explained.

As for the water itself, Hughes said, “Half the water goes to Crystal Springs, by the Ledding Library and the Waldorf School. It comes out half a block from my house, crosses Monroe to Harris and to the library; it is piped out to Johnson Creek. Then, Minthorn Creek flows on down to Blount Industries and comes out at Lake Road and Railroad Avenue, connects with Kellogg Creek and ultimately to the Willamette.”

He cautioned, “It looks shallow, but there is algae on top – it is about six-feet deep.”

In addition to water and animals, Minthorn is principally a green place, chock-a-block with vegetation.

“This was all grassland, originally. Here we’ve got a multi-layer tree canopy – the tall shrubs are elderberry and dogwood, the ground layer is composed of sedges, native impatiens and snowberry. The soil is black, like an organic peat bog with clay mixed in,” he said.

Volunteers have planted red dozier dogwood, native woodland sedge, and red elderberry, among others.

The elderberry is “a good restoration plant – it provides shade and keeps weeds from moving in,” Hughes said.

Not all the greenery is good, however, as invasive plants have infested the area.

Hughes noted that one spot was a 12-foot “wall of blackberry” before it was cut down. He also spotted one purple loosestrife plant that needed to be removed.

“A lot of work needs to be done here – there are still invasive plants,” he added.

Hughes would like to see more volunteers take an interest in the Minthorn area.

“It protects the water in our community, and provides a place for wildlife to reproduce. It brings birds into our community. We also need a place to support the butterfly population – everyone delights in seeing butterflies in their garden. They need a place to exist,” Hughes said.

He added, “For people it is a place of quiet and solitude – even to just sit for half an hour. It is a place for education. All the work here was done by volunteer labor. It is a chance for people to learn about local plants – to learn about the interaction between plants and animals. A functioning native wetland connects us to our past.”

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