Metro’s Nature University prepared Beavercreek resident to be a site stewardBy Ellen Spitaleri, The Oregon City News,Nov 9, 2011
Leo Mellon points out deer tracks in the mud at the Clear Creek Natural Area near Carver. Mellon is the site steward for the area, which was purchased by Metro in 1995.
Leo Mellon finds inspiration in the Clear Creek Natural Area near Springwater Road, two miles from the Carver Boat Ramp.
The Beavercreek resident also likes the opportunities for reflection at the natural area. He is a volunteer steward for site that includes 502 acres of prairie, forest and wetland. It is home to elk, cougars, coyotes, foxes, deer, beavers and more than 50 species of birds.
“I’ve been the site steward since the spring of 2006,” Mellon said. “A steward is supposed to be one who takes care of something, and in my own small way, I take care of this site. There is not much better a person can be.”
Mellon is one of several area stewards trained through Metro’s Nature University. His duties include keeping an eye on the site, planting trees, removing invasives, leading work parties and field trips, picking up trash, observing wildlife and filing reports after every visit.
Metro purchased the Clear Creek site in 1995, through the Greenspaces program, Mellon said. The land had to meet criteria as habitat and as a buffer between housing developments. Metro is working on a long-range plan to restore the prairie area closer to what its natural state would have been, he said.
The Clear Creek site is not open to the public, but at some point will be, he said. Clear Creek (the actual creek) forms the southern boundary of the site. The creek originates in the Cascade Mountains and flows into the Clackamas River at Carver.
Near the creek are large stands of towering timber, including Douglas fir, red cedar, western hemlock, big leaf maple and Oregon white oak – all native species.
Because part of the site is adjacent to the Oregon City School District’s Springwater Environmental Sciences School, students and teachers treat the natural area as a learning lab, and Mellon has worked with the elementary school students planting trees there.
“I’m impressed by how smart the kids are – they really have a good sense of the natural world. Kudos to their teachers and parents,” he added.
Mellon retired as principal at Washington Elementary School in Woodburn in 2002, and decided to enroll in Metro’s Nature University in 2004. The 12-week program from late January through mid-April develops volunteers who work with children and adults interpreting natural areas. Each volunteer puts in 40 hours of work after completing the training.
After he finished the program, Mellon found out about Metro’s site steward program, and he chose to be the steward at Clear Creek Natural Area, because it was in Clackamas County and so close to his home.
John Sheehan, Metro’s education program manager, sold Metro benefits in several ways from its Nature University program.
“Trained volunteers help us offer small-group nature exploration experiences to groups as large as 60 with only one Metro staff naturalist on hand and Nature U. gives participants the skills, tools and know-how that allow them to deepen their connection to the natural world, and the confidence to do so with others in their community,” Sheehan said.
The program also offers participants “a community and a structure in which to transform their relationship with the natural world and learn how to help others do the same,” Sheehan said.
“I thought I was knowledgeable about nature, but I found out how much more there was to learn. The classes give you an appreciation for the beauty and complexity of this home of ours and you see the interconnectiveness of it all.”
Nature University is a free, 12-week training course that starts people along the path of becoming naturalists and teachers. No special experience is needed, but a background in natural history and biology and working with groups is helpful.
The application for Nature University 2012 is now available; the due date is Monday, Nov. 21.
Classes meet from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, starting the last Tuesday in January, and running through mid-April.
For more information, call Sandy Jamison, 503-813-7565, or visit the website to see a course catalog and to download an application: www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=11884.
