Youths plant trees along Metolius River

Last Monday, a class of first graders from Sisters Elementary School enjoyed a chilly Camp Sherman morning of cocoa and tree planting along the Metolius River at Robert McLean's Cold Springs Resort.

The project, in cooperation with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the U.S. Forest Service, aims to get local schools partnered with activities to create and sustain disappearing riparian zones along the river and help build habitat to assist the salmon reintroduction efforts.

"We're the first private parcel to get involved with this project," said McLean, tending the campfire and directing bundled kids to volunteers holding pots of shrubs. "We've laid some big trees down and will be returning 170 native plants to the Metolius Basin, all raised in a Redmond nursery with clippings from original trees and shrubs in the area.

"The kids coming out get a first-rate curriculum and learn about salmon species and their life cycles and how the trees provide shade and nutrients as well as erosion protection for the ecosystem. This used to be the Madsen Dairy Farm in the '40s and '50s, and cows pretty much ate everything in sight and we're bringing it back to its normal equilibrium."

Children and parents wore garden gloves and dug holes for their plants and trees in the sunshine. Wyatt Maffey, 6, planted a spirea tree and carefully packed dirt with his trowel, having fun with his mom and classmates. Others took pride in plucking earthworms from the soil while listening to naturalists talking about the river habitats and ecology. Braelyn Shields, 7, carefully planted a woods rose plant with two friends.

"I like digging in the dirt and being out of school," she said, cringing from another discovered worm.

Aaron Maxwell of the watershed council is part of a larger salmon reintroduction program and is excited about seeing chinook and sockeye salmon appear back in the Metolius River.

"I think it's great the kids are out here and that Robert wants to do restorative work on his property," he said. "Some people like a nice, manicured river bank but over the years we've recognized that no logs and no trees and riparian zones don't make for a healthy river. We try to focus on the landscape and realizing its natural value and its importance to the river and the community as a whole."