The Dirt

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.

As of June 2021, our new office location is 136 SW Washington Ave., Suite 201. Benton SWCD staff are temporarily working remotely to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.  The office is not open to the public at this time.  Please contact individual staff for assistance with your conservation needs. Staff can most easily be reached by email.

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.

In this post, Lauren offers 6 tips on how you can design a bird-friendly garden right in your own backyard.

Winter Native Plant Sale: order online from August 15-December 31 or until all plants are sold, whichever comes first. Then schedule your winter order pick-up for February 4, 5, or 7. Shop now at bentonswcd.org/shop/.

In my blog post The Native Link: The Importance of Native Plants to Birds, I describe the importance of native plants to the ecosystem, and more specifically, how birds benefit from native plants. But what exactly is the problem with nonnative, and more specifically invasive, plants and how do they affect birds and the ecosystem