COOS WATERSHED ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 

Here are some volunteer opportunities with the Coos Watershed Association. This listing will be updated as new opportunities are created. Feel free to check this website periodically or email us if you would like to be notified when a particular type of volunteer opportunity becomes available.

Planting Native Plants in the Coos Watershed
Dates: any day in December 2009 and January 2010
Location: Various planting locations, mostly along the South Fork Coos River

Volunteer with CoosWA this Winter!

In 2009, the Coos Watershed Association sprayed knotweed patches for almost 30 individual landowners and 8 businesses along the Millicoma and Coos Rivers and in the towns adjacent to the Coos Bay. Additionally, due to press coverage of the knotweed program this year, we were able to help 7 other people and learn about other knotweed patches in the area. Visit our knotweed resource webpage to learn more about why knotweed is so invasive: http://www.cooswatershed.org/knotweed.

CoosWA has received a grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture to replant these areas with beneficial native plants. We are looking for volunteers to help us plant these trees in December and January. This is a great way to get involved in restoring your local watershed. Tree planting will take place in December 2009 and January 2010, mostly on the South Coos River. No experience is necessary.

What can you do?
Volunteer to help plant native trees along local rivers to replace invasive knotweed that degrades stream bank ecosystems.

When?
Any day of the week in December 2009 and January 2010, excluding holidays.

What to bring?
Be prepared for cold, wet conditions with rain gear and boots. Please also bring a sack lunch. CoosWA will provide coffee, snacks, and gloves.

Who to contact?
Contact Tyler Pedersen at 541-888-5922 or tpedersen@cooswatershed.org. When contacting Tyler, please specify what days of the week and times you are available, and whether you have tree-planting experience.

We look forward to hearing from you!

CoosWA Nursery
Dates: Almost any time
Location: Matson Creek Wetland Preserve

Contact Dan Draper to schedule your volunteer time at the nursery. We need volunteers through out the spring and summer to help care for plants, including watering. We also have opportunities for volunteers to pull invasive plants on the property where the nursery is located.

Storm Water Watch
Dates: Any time it rains
Location: Anywhere in the Coos watershed

This program is still in the planning stage, but we need to know if anyone is interested and we are looking for your input at this point. Please contact us if you are interested in this program. As a Storm Water Watcher you will report observations of water conditions in your neighborhood after rain events. Your observations could then be used to help us identify areas in need of storm water management or sediment remediation. You can even be involved in implementing some of the remediation projects that you helped identify (see below).

Watershed-Friendly Storm Water Remediation Projects
Dates: To be determined
Location: Anywhere in the Coos watershed

Our outreach organizer is passionate about low-impact development and is excited to start building rain gardens and other bio-retention projects to help manage storm water runoff in the watershed with the help of volunteers. First, we need your help to observe runoff patterns and coordinate permission to install these bio-retention projects. Contact us to become involved in this type of project.

Oregon Adopt-A-River
Dates: To be determined
Location: River stretch to be determined, within the Coos watershed

This is a two-year contract to perform at least two cleanup project activities for the adopted waterway and report on the activities for a total of four cleanup projects. This program is part of a broad-based stewardship effort created by the 1993 Oregon Legislature and is administered by SOLV in partnership with the Oregon State Marine Board. Contact us if you are interested in this activity.

Oregon Adopt-A-Highway
Dates: To be determined
Location: Highway stretch to be determined, within the Coos watershed

This is a minimum one-year commitment to clean-up the adopted stretch of highway as needed. This program is administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation. Contact us if you are interested in this activity.

Coos Watershed Association :: P.O. Box 5860 , Charleston, Oregon 97420 :: Ph. (541) 888-5922 / Fax (541) 888-6111