In a brief update issued Friday, Clean Water Services said that the bulk of their work at Balm Grove was complete, but work would continue to “ensure our engineered log jams and other project elements are working,” the agency said.
“We expanded the creek’s access to the floodplain, which will help prevent flooding and erosion downstream, and we installed engineered log jams to help provide wildlife habitat and improve the natural environment,” Clean Water Services noted.
Next, crews will move to working on enhancing vegetation at the property along Gales Creek.
“We are transitioning our work to vegetation enhancement. We are already seeing volunteer trees peek through the soil along the stream.”
Clean Water Services expects to plant more native plants and trees over the next few years, and will monitor Gales Creek for the presence of a number of aquatic species.
And for those who wish to pitch in, a February 17 volunteer tree planting event will be held starting at 8:45 a.m. at Balm Grove. More information can be found online.
Participants must sign a waiver; those 15 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, while those ages 16 to 17 are welcome to attend on their own, provided they sign a youth waiver.
Editor’s note: We’ve corrected the date for the tree planting event; as it turns out, there are TWO tree planting events in February; another will be held Feb. 10 at 8:45 a.m. at the Clean Water Services’ Lower Gales Creek site in Forest Grove.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Gales Creek Journal and sister news publications the Banks Post and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
