Behind the Waterfall
A NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF SILVER FALLS MEMBERS
Winter Festival 2024
by Kim Maley, Park Interpreter
3400 happy attendees enjoyed this year’s Winter Festival activities at Silver Falls last weekend! Enjoy a pictorial tour of the event:
The wreath-making was a hit, as always! For over 40 years, Silver Falls has offered fresh cut boughs and handmade bows for visitors to create their own masterpieces for the holiday season.
Winter Birds were a theme. Paper Bird Crafts , Pinecone Bird Feeders, and Nest Boxes offered visitors a chance to learn about our winter birds and to make a bird related item to take home.
Salem Audubon Society spends hours making and bringing hundreds of Nest Box kits to the Silver Falls Winter Festival every year.
Volunteers enjoyed helping visitors assemble these boxes and educating them about the difference between birdhouses and nest boxes.
Who knew Big-leaf maple trees in Oregon could be tapped for syrup?
Oregon Maple Project joined the Festival this year! Visitors and staff alike were fascinated with their project and to learn how to tap local maple species!
Mushroom Walks and Winter Tree Walks were well attended by enthusiastic visitors looking for a more active experience to learn about nature in the park.
Marion County Soil & Water Conservation partnered with us this year, offering classes in Native Plant Propagation! Pre-registration was required and the classes filled up quickly. Participants learned about native plant species and were able to take home several starts. Starts were also donated to Silver Falls to add to the Native Plant Garden and other locations around the park.
Pudding River Watershed Council (PRWC) participated in the festival this year! MacKayla Fithian joined volunteers at the Waterfall Discovery Table and charmed visitors with a fun, interactive message about our watershed.
PRWC has also been involved at the park with a meadow restoration project (read all about this project below!).
Discovery Tables were a big hit this year as well! Topics included:
Winter Solstice
Winter Tracks
Waterfalls
Lichens
Oregon Maple Project
A huge thank you to the volunteers and staff who hosted these tables and made it fun for the visitors!
This year’s Commemorative Ornament design was once again created by Ranger Rowan and featured Upper North Falls. Visitors could earn one by collecting 6 out of 10 available activity stamps. Thank you Rowan for sharing your talents!
Restoration in a Historic District
by Sean Stewart, Oregon State Parks Natural Resource Specialist, Valleys Region
You may have recently noticed the mowing, brush cutting and chipping in the meadow across from the historic Silver Falls Lodge. State Parks, working with the Pudding River Watershed Council (PRWC), is restoring the meadow according to the Historic Landscape Plan for the South Falls area. What’s different about this meadow restoration is that in addition to planting and seeding native plants, openings are being created to enhance the views towards the falls and the historic buildings. The landscape plan has a level of detail you would not see in a restoration area away from public view. Even individual rhododendrons and ferns get special treatment!
Native planting along the borders of the meadow will occur in early spring, and you will notice continued work to control invasive blackberry. Annual mowing will keep the views open and the meadow plants thriving. Please continue to stay on the trails and keep an eye out for the native species popping up in the spring.
Thank you business sponsors!
First Hikes, Last Hikes
By Mike Niemeyer, Board President
At the South Falls Trailhead, I often see adults with tiny babies. Sometimes I ask, “Is this their first hike?” The parents are universally proud and happy to answer the question. Proud of their wonderful child and of themselves for beginning that child’s life by exposing them to the natural world, to beauty and to adventure. At the recent Oregon Outdoor Recreation Conference, I attended seminars by several organizations whose purpose was to make it easier for everyone to experience Oregon’s outdoors. One of these organizations was Out Grown (https://www.weareoutgrown.org/) whose mission is to aid parents of 0-5 year olds to explore the outdoors. The group provides resources for parents including a gear library, trip calendar and a program to promote mental well-being for new caregivers, focusing on maternal wellness, called “Turn the Blues to Green.”
On the other end of the spectrum is our last hike in life: the last time we are able to venture outdoors. I’ve seen those families at the park as well. Aiding their loved one, under blankets and aided with a walker or in a wheelchair to view the waterfall one last time. We all know what that end of life looks like when it’s marked by chronic disease or cancer and hours spent in clinical environments that, in order to deliver care efficiently, take us far from nature and from our own humanity. No one wants their last meaningful experience to be one of stainless steel surfaces and 2000 watt florescent lights.
This Spring, Nelson Kline, a volunteer with Trail Keepers of Oregon, will be working with Ranger John Hilbert to install two benches on the North Rim Trail. The benches are to honor his dad, LeRoy Kline, who took his last hike on that trail a month before he died in October, 2023. The North Canyon trail is one that is promoted as accessible to those looking for an easier hike or who have mobility challenges. While not fully “ADA” the compacted trail surface is relatively flat and can be navigated by many mobility devices and leads to a beautiful view of North Falls. Silver Falls has always been a special place for Nelson’s dad. LeRoy volunteered at the Park’s Winter Festival. Occupationally, LeRoy spent time outdoors as Director of Insect and Disease Management for the Oregon Department of Forestry and recreationally, Silver Falls was always special to him and his children and grandchildren.
Nelson recalled his dad’s last hike and that, while he was able to make it all the way to the viewpoint, it would have been easier if there had been some places for him to stop and rest along the way. The plan is to use some leftover, odd-shaped gabions (wirework container that is filled with rock in the construction of retaining walls) to create benches at a couple wide spots in the trail. For parents resting with their 9 pound baby and 42 pounds of baby gear, or the cancer patient on their last hike, you can thank Nelson and the other volunteers who helped build the North Rim Trail and the places you have to rest and reflect along the way.
2024 Project Recap
By Chelsea Sims, Administrator
If you’ve been following our newsletters or visiting the park, you’re likely aware of the incredible events and programs Friends of Silver Falls works to support. We pride ourselves on being present in the park to assist and educate visitors so they can form a deeper connection to this natural space.
Enhancing that connection extends beyond the visitor services and programs we provide. We work alongside park management to prioritize financial support for preservation efforts, improve access to interpretive facilities and materials, and encourage innovative stewardship practices. Below are some highlights from the past year and examples of your contributions at work!
Stone Kitchen Shelter
The board voted to fund repairs of the Stone Kitchen Shelter in May, which came to $61,511. The repairs are complete and focused on masonry work repointing and repairing sandstone. These repairs are now the Friends’ largest infrastructure project to date (outside of the youth camp’s ongoing repairs). Over the years, FOSF has contributed a total of $67,534 to this building. Much of this came from the effort and donations of late board member and volunteer, Tom Dill. Revenue from the Nature Store and membership fees enabled the board to add an additional $45,000 so the project could be completed by the end of summer 2024.
FOSF App
In an effort to decrease printed material and increase access to information about the park, Friends of Silver Falls published an interpretive app. This simple but extensive database features the flora, fauna, and history of the park. Hiking trails and general park information can also be found on the app. The app’s content was available in brochures and online but has never been available in a single easy-to-use place until now. The app is 100% free to download and use - get it on the App Store or Google Play.
Camp Silver Creek
Ongoing repairs to the historic Camp Silver Creek are funded through the Weatherspoon Charitable Foundation’s annual donation to the Friends of Silver Falls. Heating and light fixture upgrades totaled over $12,000 this year. Through the years, Friends have contributed a total of $74,287 to Camp Silver Creek’s preservation efforts. You can donate directly to this fund here.
Native Plant Garden and Botanical Drawings
Labels, plants, and QR codes were purchased for the South Falls Native Plant Garden. Pacific rhododendron was added to the botanical drawing collection at the lodge by local artist Aislinn Adams. The funding for these projects comes from late volunteer and board member Maroe Brown. Maroe was instrumental in the early success of the Friends of Silver Falls and left a generous one-third of her estate to be used for mission-driven projects. Maroe had a passion for native plants and her legacy continues today.
Monument Signs
Progress has been made in the design work of the entrance monuments. Landscape architecture firm Mayer/Reed has just completed the plans for this exciting project. The entrance monument signs will be located on the north and south ends of the park and feature the iconic Oregon Parks and Recreation Department shield and rustic stonework found throughout the park. More information to come soon!
Events, Invitations, and Announcements
Maple Ridge Trail Closed
Maple Ridge Trail is closed until Jan. 10th due to the massive tree that fell on Dec. 25th.
Owl Prowls
Dates have not been announced for the popular Owl Prowls. These fun, informative programs are typically offered in February and March. Check back for details!
