Leucistic Northern Flicker

Here is a photo of a leucistic Northern Flicker that Rick Ahrens captured on our last Wetland Wander, December 8th at Stewart Pond. You can see that there is partial pigment loss on his back, and other photos reveal a similar coloring on his chest.

Learn more about Leucism here:

Wrap up of December's Wetland Wander

Here is a list of all the birds we saw/heard on our Wetland Wander December 8th. Despite being a still and gray morning, Stewart Pond was bustling with life.

Bald Eagle
Scrub Jay
Cackling Geese
American Robin
European Starling
Canada Geese
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
Dark-eyed Junco
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Spotted Towhee
Northern Flicker
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Anna's Hummingbird
Pine Siskins

As we followed the bark trail from the parking area, we wove our way through open prairie, upland oak woodlands, Oregon ash swales, and followed levees along side the Amazon creek. We also saw many lichens, fungi, wetland and ash swale plants, heard Pacific Chorus frogs calling, and discussed species succession, invasive species impacts, and the behavior of raptors such as the Red-tailed hawk and American Kestrel. We saw a leucistic Northern Flicker, learn more about Leucism here.

Thank you to all who joined us and WREN hopes to see you on our next Wetland Wander on January 12th, 2016 at Golden Garden Ponds.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 Naturalist Rick Ahrens describing Western Red Cedar. 

There are 3 different lichen species, and a moss on this one tiny twig.

 Fungi and Slime mold, cool!

WREN's Wetland Wander at Stewart Pond

Tuesday, December 8th

9:00am-11:00am

Our fourth and final "seasonal" walk of 2015, Bertelsen Nature Park and Stewart Pond offer the highest diversity of dragonflies and damselflies (odonates) in the West Eugene Wetlands. Western pond turtles are present in the ponds, and river otters have also been observed using this natural area. WREN Naturalist Rick Ahrens will lead this wander. Participants should bring water. Waterproof clothing and footwear is ideal for late Autumn outings. WREN will provide binoculars.

Directions: From West 11th Ave, North on Bertlesen Rd, right on Stewart Rd, approx. 1/2 mile on left. 

For more information 

call 541.338.7047 

or 

email info@wewetlands.org

FREE!

CANCELLED - WREN's October Family Exploration Day at Meadowlark Prairie

WREN has cancelled it's October Family Exploration Day. We hope you will stay tuned for our Spring Family Exploration Day series, starting March 2016. 

Until then, feel free to get out with your family and friends and explore the West Eugene Wetlands. These are YOUR public lands!

WREN’s Wetland Wander at Wild Iris Ridge

Tuesday, October 13th

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

***Please Note Extended Time***

Explore the West Eugene Wetlands at our monthly Wetland Wander held this month at Wild Iris Ridge. WREN Wanders are casual walks through various West Eugene Wetlands sites each second Tuesday of every month. These exciting opportunities are FREE to the public and provide observation, education and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces.  WREN staff and volunteers will guide this walk.

Directions to Wild Iris Ridge:

From Bailey Hill go 1/3 mile south on Bailey Hill Rd.

Turn left on Warren St. and go 1/3 mile; Turn right on Warren St.

Right on Summit Terrace

Right on Bailey View

Participants are asked to Park on Bailey View Drive in Eugene, walk to the end of the street and meet our group at the entrance. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information 

call 541.338.7047 

or 

email info@wewetlands.org

FREE!

An Evening with WREN

photo (c) Dennis Galloway

Join us at Oakshire Public House

to learn about our programs and projects,

and the work we do in the West Eugene Wetlands.

Wednesday, September 30th

5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Oakshire Public House

207 Madison Street, Eugene, OR

Oakshire will donate $1.00 to WREN for every pint sold.

For more information

(541) 338-7047

info@wewetlands.org

WREN's Autumn Volunteer Orientation

                 Volunteer with Us!

Enjoy spending time in the West Eugene Wetlands? Looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community? Then you should be a volunteer with Willamette Resources & Educational Network!

WREN Wetlands Guides assist staff with classroom and/or field programs, community events, prepare education materials, complete special projects, and conduct workshops. Special training is provided for all wetland guides.

Creative, skilled Operations Volunteers assist WREN with projects “behind-the-scenes”, including web design, membership development, grant writing, and photography -- just to name a few.

WREN offers unpaid Internship opportunities to college and university students.

If you can’t make this meeting contact WREN soon to let us know you are interested.

Join us to learn more!

Volunteer Meet & Greet

Thursday, September 17, 2015

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

West Eugene Wetlands Partnership Office

751 S. Danebo Ave., Eugene

~ ~ ~

RSVP by September 15th

Susanna Hamilton

Volunteer & Staff Coordinator Environmental Educator

541.338.7046 

susanna@wewetlands.org

WREN’s Wetland Wander at Stewart Pond

Tuesday, September 8th

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Explore the West Eugene Wetlands at our monthly Wetland Wander held this month at Stewart Pond. WREN Wanders are casual walks through various West Eugene Wetlands sites each second Tuesday of every month. These exciting opportunities are FREE to the public and provide observation, education and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces.  WREN staff and volunteers will guide this walk.

Participants are asked to meet at the Stewart Pond Overlook, the gravel parking area east of the intersection with Bertelsen Road on Stewart Road in Eugene. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information call 541.338.7047 or email info@wewetlands.org
FREE!

WREN’s Family Exploration Day at Golden Gardens Ponds

Saturday, September 12^th

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Autumn is an exciting time to explore the West Eugene Wetlands with your family. “WREN’s Family Exploration Days provide children of all ages the opportunity to investigate the wonders of the great outdoors,” said Susanna Hamilton, WREN Staff & Volunteer Coordinator and Environmental Educator. “It’s an opportunity to learn and play in the wild places that exist within the City of Eugene.”

This family program is FREE to the public and provides unstructured observation, education, and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces.  WREN staff and volunteers will be on hand to check-out nature exploration equipment (backpacks containing field guides, hand magnifiers, bug boxes, as well as bug nets, macroinvertebrate/pond dipping supplies, and binoculars) and provide guidance for independent exploration of the wonders in the wetlands.

Participants are asked to meet at the pull-off located north of Barger Drive, at the intersection of Golden Gardens Street and Jessen Drive. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information call 541.338.7047 or email info@wewetlands.org
FREE!

WREN's August Wetland Wander at Willow Creek Natural Area

Tuesday, August 11th

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Explore the West Eugene Wetlands at our monthly Wetland Wander held this month at Willow Creek Natural Area. Wanders are casual walks through various West Eugene Wetlands sites each second Tuesday of every month. These exciting opportunities are FREE to the public and provide observation, education, and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces. WREN staff and volunteers will guide this walk.

Participants are asked to meet at the vehicle turn-out on W. 18^th Ave. between Willow Creek Road and Bertelsen Road. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information call 541.338.7047 or email info@wewetlands.org
FREE!

Summer Bat Walk

Small-footed bat (c) Renee Eisenbart

Delta Ponds City Park

Saturday, July 25th

8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Join WREN and special guest leaders Stuart Perlmeter and Aimee Hart to learn more about these amazing creatures of the night! Yearning for a look at these splendid creatures? Join our bat walk!

Great for kids!

Look at live bats. Listen with bat detectors. Participants are asked to meet at the Delta Ponds parking lot on Goodpasture Island Road (and Alexander Loop) just north of the auto dealership. Additional parking is available in the parking lot further north along Goodpasture Island Road. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. 

For more information and to RSVP

(as well as detailed directions) 

call 541.338.7047 

or 

email info@wewetlands.org 

FREE!

An Evening with WREN

(c) Dennis Galloway

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

We invite you to join us at Hop Valley Brewing to learn about WREN, our programs and projects, and the work we do in the West Eugene Wetlands. For every pint sold, Hop Valley will donate $1.00 to WREN.

Hop Valley Brewing

990 W 1st Ave

Eugene, OR

For more information call (541) 338-7047 

or email info@wewetlands.org

WREN's Wetland Wander at Golden Gardens Ponds

Tuesday, July 14^th

9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Explore the West Eugene Wetlands at our monthly Wetland Wander held this month at Golden Gardens Ponds. WREN Wanders are casual walks through various West Eugene Wetlands sites each second Tuesday of every month. These exciting opportunities are FREE to the public and provide observation, education and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces.  WREN staff and volunteers will guide this walk.

Participants are asked to meet at the intersection of Golden Gardens Street and Jessen Drive. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information call 541.338.7047 or email info@wewetlands.org
FREE!

WREN’s Wetland Wander at Stewart Pond

Tuesday, June 9th

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Explore the West Eugene Wetlands at our monthly Wetland Wander held this month at Stewart Pond. WREN Wanders are casual walks through various West Eugene Wetlands sites each second Tuesday of every month. These exciting opportunities are FREE to the public and provide observation, education and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces.  WREN staff and volunteers will guide this walk.

Participants are asked to meet at the Stewart Pond Overlook, the gravel parking area east of the intersection with Bertelsen Road on Stewart Road in Eugene. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information call 541.338.7047 

or email info@wewetlands.org

FREE!

WREN's 9th Annual Walkin' & Rollin'

Saturday, May 16, 2015

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Join us in the Wetlands for a FREE, family-friendly event! 

Whether you walk, bike, scoot or trike, board, or blade, come celebrate the 25th Anniversary of American Wetlands Month. Enjoy a scenic adventure along the Fern Ridge Bike Path, through the last 0.5% of Oregon’s Wetland Prairie. Learn about this unique ecosystem, in Eugene’s own back yard. Journey from Euphoria Chocolate Company, at the corner of Bertelsen Road and Stewart Road, to the Terry Street Railroad Bridge.

Get your Wetlands Passport stamped at each booth to win fabulous prizes! Prizes donated by: Cascades Raptor Center, City of Eugene Aquatics, City of Eugene Recreation, Euphoria Chocolate Company, Mountain Rose Herbs, Mt. Pisgah Arboretum, REI, Science Factory, and others.

Parking:

Euphoria Chocolate Co., 4090 Stewart Road

WREN, 751 S. Danebo Avenue

Data Logic, 959 Terry Street

For more information: call 541-338-7047 or email info@wewetlands.org.

WREN’s Wetland Wander Eight Thousand Years of Dirt! Legacy of Mt. Mazama: Special WEW Soils Program

Tuesday, May 12th

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join us for a very special Wetland Wander. Morning and early afternoon activities include: (indoors), Geopmorphologist Karin Baitis will present her research into the soils of the wetlands and discuss its implications, using a PowerPoint presentation. Hands-on activities will let audience members touch clay samples and other soils; we'll see ash from Mt. St. Helens, and see tools used in soils studies. WREN will provide light refreshments.

 

Karin will then lead us on a field trip through our local wetlands. She will core the gray clay and show wetland features such as soil layers, hummocks and vernal pools, and explain changes in the landscape and how they relate to conservation and water quality. BRING A LUNCH AND ALL WEATHER WEAR.

Preregistration required. 

Contact Susanna Hamilton @ 541.338.7046 

or susanna@wewetlands.org. 

WREN’s Family Exploration Day at Golden Gardens Ponds

Saturday, May 9, 2015

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Springtime is an exciting time to explore the West Eugene Wetlands with your family!”

This family program is FREE to the public and provides unstructured observation, education, and inspiration in our surrounding natural spaces.  WREN staff and volunteers will be on hand to check-out nature exploration equipment (backpacks containing field guides, hand magnifiers, bug boxes, as well as bug nets, macroinvertebrate/pond dipping supplies, and binoculars) and provide guidance for independent exploration of the wonders in the wetlands.

Participants are asked to meet at the pull-off located north of Barger Drive, at the intersection of Golden Gardens Street and Jessen Drive. Participants should bring water and wear sturdy shoes. WREN will provide binoculars.

For more information call 541.338.7047 or email info@wewetlands.org

FREE!

You are invited to WREN's 9th Annual

Walkin' & Rollin'

through the 

West Eugene Wetlands

photo (c) Dennis Galloway

Saturday, May 16, 2015

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Join us in the Wetlands for a FREE, family-friendly event!

Whether you walk, bike, scoot or trike, board, or blade, come celebrate the 25th Anniversary of American Wetlands Month.

Enjoy a scenic adventure along the Fern Ridge Bike Path, through the last 0.5% of Oregon's Wetland Prairie. learn about this unique ecosystem in Eugene's own backyard.

Journey from Euphoria Chocolate Company, at the corner of Bertelsen Road and Stewart Road, to the Terry Street Railroad Bridge.

Get your Wetlands Passport stamped at each booth to win fabulous prizes!

Prizes donated by:

Cascades Raptor Center

City of Eugene Aquatics

City of Eugene Recreation

Euphoria Chocolate Company

Mountain Rose Herbs

Mt. Pisgah Arboretum

REI

The Science Factory

Participating Organizations

The Nature Conservancy

Bureau of Land Management

City of Eugene

Northwest Youth Corps

GEARS

Lane County Parks

Long Tom Watershed Council

Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

Whole Earth Nature School

Lane Metro Youth Corps.

Euphoria Chocolate Company

Parking:

Euphoria Chocolate Co., 4090 Stewart Road

WREN, 751 S. Danebo Ave

Data Logic, 959 Terry Street

For more information: 

call 541-338-7047

or email info@wewetlands.org