The Dirt

A compilation of presentations and resources from the 2020 State of the Willamette workshop for Willamette Basin restoration partners to share perspectives on the current state of river restoration practice, science, funding, and ways to improve restoration outcomes from local to regional scales.

According to the City of Corvallis, single family residential customers use 46% more water in the summer than in the winter. These water conservation tips can keep lawns and gardens healthy while reducing costs and unnecessary losses.

In this post, Pam Wilson discusses steps to prepare the zones from 5 feet to 100+ feet out from your home for wildfire.

In Pam’s 8th post, we learn about defensible space and how to protect the immediate zone, nearest the home, from wildfire.

In this post, Pam writes about overall emergency preparedness, the Oregon Resilience Plan, and other practical reminders.

In this 6th post in the emergency preparedness series, Pam discuss smoke and first aid kits.

In the fifth emergency preparedness post, Pam focuses on extreme heat, fire, red flag warnings, and emergency alerts.

Pam shares some of the things she has learned about go-bag preparation in this companion post to Emergency Preparedness Tips #3.

Do you have a “go-bag”? What is a go-bag? How do you start a go-bag? Where should you keep a go-bag? Pam Wilson shares tips to answer these questions.

This is the second installment in Pam Wilson’s blog post series to help Benton County residents prepare for emergencies. It outlines six steps you can take this week – that’s about one item per day.

Whether it’s an ice storm, a wildfire, or another natural disaster, volunteers from Benton County Community Emergency Response Team (BC CERT) have been trained to help their neighbors respond. CERT volunteer Pam Wilson provides tips to get ready for the next event/disaster and to prepare for possible evacuation due to fire.

If you have nest boxes for swallows or bluebirds, you may have house sparrows too. House Sparrows are considered by many a pest because of their aggressive nesting behavior. Learn what you can do.