Flour Power on the Mill Race: 2015 Urban Creek Tour

You are invited to attend the 8^th Annual Urban Creek Tour on May 30^th from 1-4 pm. Local experts will lead you on this free guided tour of the Mill Race, where you will discover the history, biology, and noteworthy features of this short but significant waterway that turned Corvallis into a major economic force for the Willamette Valley. The tour can be taken by bicycle or by trolley. Contact Heath Keirstead for more information or to RSVP. And if you want to see the inlet and outlet of the Mill Race, a paddle tour down the Marys River is scheduled for June 13^th from 1-4 pm. Contact Dave Eckert for more information.

The tour’s planning team has collaborated to present a series of blog posts devoted to the Mill Race. The blog posts are titled:

1. Industry Generated by the Corvallis Mill Race
2. Southtown’s Mill Race: Community Benefits
3. The Mill Race: Community Interest on the Rise
4. Ditch: A poem about the Mill Race by Abby Metzger

We hope the information presented here piques your curiosity and entices you to attend what promises to be a fascinating journey. Remember to RSVP for the Creek Tour on May 30^th and/or Paddle Tour on June 13^th.

Creek Tour shirts are available for anyone who makes a donation to a local environmental non-profit during the month of May or June 2015. $20 donations receive a t-shirt and $30 donations receive a sweatshirt. Just bring a donation receipt in to the BSWCD office to claim your shirt.

The 8th Annual Urban Creek Tour is sponsored by Benton Soil & Water Conservation District, City of Corvallis Stormwater Program, Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Water Action Team, and Marys River Watershed Council. Presenters on the May 30th tour include Xan Augerot, Executive Director of Marys River Watershed Council; Phil Sollins, OSU Emeritus Professor of Forest Ecology and Soils; Jeff Schiminksy, President of Natural Opus; Iris Benson, City of Corvallis Stormwater Program Specialist; Anita Ragan, Environmental & Safety Officer, Hollingsworth and Vose Inc.; and graduate students: Andrew Esterson, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology; Sofyan Kurnianto, Department of Fish and Wildlife; Grant Livingston, Water Resources Engineering; Chris Conatser, Water Resources Engineering.

About the Author

Heath Keirstead

Heath Keirstead manages Benton SWCD’s Communications and Community Engagement as well as the Native Plant Program and Youth Education. She has a Master’s in Soil Science from Oregon State University. With a dual passion for people and the planet, she loves building relationships with partners, customers, volunteers, and students.