Behind the Waterfall

A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF SILVER FALLS MEMBERS

Board Designates $98k to Fund Park Projects

by Chelsea Sims, Administrator

Stone Kitchen Shelter Repairs

The Stone Kitchen Shelter is located in the South Falls Historic District and is an artifact in itself dating back to 1936. The past few summers, Friends have opened it during the busy season to showcase the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Soon it will be getting some much-needed repairs and restoration. The board voted to fully fund this endeavor at their May meeting, which came to $61,511.

Tom Dill, FOSF Board Member, Store Volunteer, Trail Ambassador

This historic building is special for many volunteers, staff, and board members which is why it was chosen for the the Friends logo update three years ago. In particular, we couldn’t have funded this project without late board member, Tom Dill. Tom was very passionate about using the building and personally contributed to its funding and plans for years. We’ve received annual donations in his memory since his passing in 2021. All donations for the Stone Kitchen Shelter (including any in memory of Tom) will be used for this project and the remaining balance will be paid with revenue from the Nature Store, membership fees, and general donations.

Park Entrance Monuments

Entrance monument signs will be installed at the North and South sides of the park. The Friends board voted to contribute $37,000, paying for the installation and construction of the South sign. This project is being funded through Nature Store revenue, membership fees, and general donations.

These signs will signal to visitors that they have entered (or exited) park boundaries and will have pull-out areas for photo-ops. They will feature the iconic Oregon State Parks shield and rustic stonework found throughout the historic areas of the park.

46th Annual Mother's Day Birding & Wildflower Festival

by Kim Maley, Park Interpreter

Springtime

Tiny blooms begin to poke out of young foliage, the buzz of pollinators returns, and the song of Swainson’s thrush heralds the return of migratory birds and the coming of warmer weather. And, as has been the case since the 1970’s, Silver Falls State Park and the Friends of Silver Falls host the Annual Birding and Wildflower Festival!

Flower Power

The Festival’s early days emphasized wildflowers, and though the popular wildflower display continues, several additional engaging educational activities have been added:

Guided Walks and Talks peppered throughout each day of the festival allow visitors to meander around areas of the park with a charismatic and knowledgeable guide, or to take part in an interactive and informative talk in the South Falls Theater. Patti Lindquist, Earl McCollum, Aislinn Adams, Kim Maley, and Ranger Matt Palmquist each enthralled guests with harrowing tales of the lives of the native plants at Silver Falls, including nearly successful coups by invasive plants, the intense competition for the best germination spots, and the complicated relationships with both pollinators and herbivores!

Discovery Tables provided different topics for visitors to explore. Even the young visitors enjoyed matching insects to their host plants and learning about how plants and insects rely on each other.

Native Plant Sale: An annual Friends of Silver Falls fundraiser

The main goal is of course education! The entire event is meant to encourage visitors to learn more about the natural world around us and to deepen our understanding of how everything works together! The Native Plant Sale offers visitors a chance to consider what plants are native vs introduced to the area and to purchase some that are native to their home area. This year we completely sold out and raised $1900 for the park!

Feathered Friends

Bird lovers were pleased to have several activities devoted to the birds of Silver Falls! World-renowned birder and author Steve Shunk has been generously offering festival visitors guided bird walks for 15+ years and provided several bird walks each day for this year’s event. Both experienced and novice birders alike were not disappointed to walk with an expert and learn/witness the abundant bird activity all around us!

Post from World Migratory Bird Day

Raptors from Perch

Perch

Discovery Table

PERCH Raptor Presentations

The very popular live raptor show drew large crowds to get up close to and learn about some magnificent birds of prey species.

Bird-focused Discovery Tables invited guests to examine different bird beak styles and how they are associated with the birds’ diet. Volunteer Elliot was highly engaging and a big hit with visitors of all ages!

World Migratory Bird Day focuses on insects for the 2024 campaign. To support this, the Discovery Tables emphasized the role of insects in plant and bird ecology: who eats who and how the cycle continues!!

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS AND VOLUNTEERS!

A Woodpecker at Last!

Photos by Richard Niemeyer

by Patti Lindquist, Board Member

It has been a long-standing joke at Silver Falls about the fact that Patti had never seen a pileated woodpecker. I have been volunteering in the park for almost 20 years, but all leads to this magnificent bird came to naught – until now!

Thanks to Ranger Matt accompanying me, I went a few steps up the trail and stopped and watched the large oval hole in the big snag. After ½ an hour mom showed up – wow – she is big! She entered the nest and came out in a bit with a beak full of detritus to empty.

I returned a few days later and almost immediately focused my binoculars on the hole to find – two fuzzy little heads peeping out, beaks agape and squawking like crazy. Pretty soon here came a parent to stuff those beaks – they really ram it down.

My next sighting was about a week later – this time a gangly teenager with a mop of messy red fuzz was half out of the hole, loudly demanding attention. I watched for a while but only heard the parent.

What a treat to finally see this bird – with the demise of the Ivory Bill and the Imperial the Pileated is the largest woodpecker on the North American continent.

The bird is mostly black with white markings and a stunning red crest. The male sports a red mustache mark. They stand at 16 inches tall.

Ranger Matt also pointed out a short snag where the woodpecker had excavated a huge amount of wood looking for insects. It almost looked like a bear had been there.

Keep your eyes open for this wonderful bird as you explore our park!

Thank you business sponsors!

Tree Climbing at Silver Falls

By Leo Rosen-Fischer, Owner: Tree Climbing at Silver Falls

Tree Climbing at Silver Falls has new kids, teens, and overnight camps this year! Also new and improved battery ascenders are available this year for no-effort climbs and for people with disabilities.

No matter what abilities and strength someone has, anyone can climb a giant 200-300ft old-growth tree with us, literally anyone! We even have one ADA-accessible tree. Just add on the extra $75 battery ascender to any experience, to explore the canopy with the push of a button. Our oldest climber so far was 98 years old. Or maybe you are just feeling a chill lazy day instead, and you want to play with a cool piece of technology. Climb your way!

The kid camps are Monday - Friday 9am-4pm, July 15-19 or August 5-9. They are for Ages 7-13, $600pp. There is an overnight option with food for $2200pp if the kids want to spend the night sleeping in the trees all week.

One of the most unique camps in Oregon and the only camps in the nation about climbing giant 200-300ft old-growth trees is right here at Silver Falls State Park. The personal growth experienced at our camp is incredible, and it is very impressive what the kids can learn and accomplish in 5 days. Participants learn about climbing safely, fun climbing games, forest ecology, flying drones, unique problem-solving skills, teamwork, and so much more.

Teen Camps are for ages 13-17 and are from July 29 - August 2, for $600 per person. There is also a three-day camp from July 1-3 for $400. Special full day workshops for teens are also offered July 12th or 26th for $200. Teens also have the opportunity to upgrade their camps to overnight camps and sleep in the trees too!

Info & Booking

Friends of Silver Falls App

by Chelsea Sims, Administrator

The Friends of Silver Falls App is live on the Apple App Store and Google Play. This project was completed in-house and has been about two years in the making. It has searchable flora/fauna species lists, hiking and camping info, history, geology, where to take dogs and pets, and how to get involved by donating, volunteering, and becoming a member.

All interpretive brochures and park maps are downloadable in the app, which we hope will reduce printing and increase visitors’ access to information about the park.

The Notorious EAB has reached Oregon!

by Matt Palmquist, Park Ranger 2

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an invasive and highly destructive beetle native to East Asia that attacks ash trees. EAB was first documented in Michigan in 2002, where it probably arrived on infested shipping pallets. Since then, it has killed over 100 million ash trees in the eastern US before being confirmed in Oregon in 2022. The EAB lays its eggs on the bark of ash trees, which then hatch and the larvae burrow under the bark of the tree. There they tunnel through and eat the cambium layer of the tree, cutting off the flow of water and sugars within the tree, which will die within 3-5 years. There is currently a known infestation of 10 square miles in Forest Grove (Washington County), but it is expected to spread throughout western Oregon in the next 15 years. Oregon ash trees are abundant in wet areas in valley bottoms, especially in the Willamette Valley, where they shade the water to keep it cool for fish and their roots help to stabilize streambanks. Silver Falls is home to three small ash stands – the largest in the South Falls District (Parking Lot F) with smaller stands at the North Canyon District and the Davidson Ranch.

While there is no way to eradicate EAB, its spread can be slowed. Knowing how to identify an ash tree is the first step, and spreading the news about this pest is an important way to help. The biggest thing we can all do is not move firewood from one location to another, as this can unwittingly lead to spreading the infestation to new areas. Park staff have been partnering with the Oregon Department of Forestry to bring awareness of this pest to park visitors.

by Chelsea Sims, Administrator

Friends of Silver Falls has joined the BottleDrop Give program. While we promote the “pack it in, pack it out” mindset as much as possible, we still see numerous single-use water bottles thrown in the trash each day at Silver Falls. This prompted us to begin a trial program at the Nature Store where visitors can responsibly dispose of used bottles. The bottles are brought to BottleDrop, and bottle returns are contributed back to the park through the Friends.

This brings us to the very exciting event that BottleDrop puts on each to year celebrate Oregon’s 1971 Bottle Bill: Hidden Bottle Hunt. Six commemorative bottles will be hidden across the state. Beginning July 3rd, BottleDrop will release a separate clue for each bottle’s location at 10:00 am over five days to help seekers find the bottles. Each person who finds a bottle gets to keep the bottle and direct a $1,000 donation to the BottleDrop Give nonprofit of their choice, which could be the Friends of Silver Falls!

If you’re interested in donating your BottleDrop returns to the Friends of Silver Falls, click here.

Upcoming Events & Invitations

Something fun and educational is happening just about every day at Silver Falls! Join a guided hike, a campground program, or special event. All activities are free, a $5 day-use fee is required. You don’t have to be camping at the park to stop by the Campground Amphitheater for an informative and fun presentation! Check our calendar for up-to date information and scheduled events.