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CLEAR Temp: 59 °F Wind: NE at 6 mph Monday, May 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend April 14, 2003 Miriam Nunnally, right, of Central Point, and Amanda Thiel-Setterberg, an Ashland High School junior, spread mulch in the "Butterfly Garden" at North Mountain Park in Ashland. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Volunteers restore North Mountain Park Many people come out to plant grass, spread mulch, weed and tend gardens By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Keeping things natural is not always as easy as someone might think. At North Mountain Park, fifty volunteers showed up on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon to continue their restoration of a 14-acre area that was once choked with non-native weeds and heavily damaged by years of gravel extraction. Ashland parks commission member JoAnne Eggers said, "I’m just so impressed that so many people came out today." The project is being paid for through $1 million in grants that have also created ballfields in the 37.5 acre park. Volunteers, many of whom have worked on the restoration since 1999, planted grasses, trees and tended to gardens that have been designed to attract butterflies, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Bear Creek, once surrounded by walls of blackberry bushes, is now easy to find by following a meandering, rock-lined trail that leads to its banks. Volunteers have tamed the raging waters by putting boulders in the creek bed, which slows the flow and minimizes damage to the banks. The calmer water behind the boulders also creates a home for insects and food for steelhead. Gordon Nunnally of Central Point and his wife, Miriam, drove the distance to lend a helping hand. "I wish they’d do this in Central Point," commented Nunnally as he looked around at the volunteers toiling in the gardens. He is hoping that similar restoration can be done on the Bear Creek Greenway project, which will provide an 18-mile path from Ashland to Central Point. Nunnally was impressed that people showed up year after year to help out. "A lot of people have good intentions for a day," he said. Paige Prewett, outreach coordinator for North Mountain Nature Conservancy of the Ashland Parks and Recreation Dept., said that twice a year a large party of volunteers shows up to work the gardens. One of the projects is the creation of a "bioswale," which will demonstrate how plants filter out pollution. Runoff from parking lots, which have oil and other pollutants from cars, will flow into the bioswale — essentially a marshy area with native grasses. "There is a misconception that most runoff goes to the water treatment plants before it goes into the creek," said Prewett. If all goes as planned the pollutants will be absorbed by the plants before the runoff enters Bear Creek, she said. Prewett said an ethnobotanical trail, which wends past ponds and gardens, will be an important part of the park. "It will feature native plants that were used by Native Americans," she said. A swale, or marsh depression, featured clusters of camas plants, which produce purple flowers. Prewett said some of the plants will be roasted and eaten this spring in honor of a practice enjoyed by American Indians. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S