Summer is here and that means there's a lot going on in Portland's watersheds. Here are some updates from recent events in the Columbia Slough. 

Stay tuned to the City Green blog for future events on the Slough (like the Annual Regatta, coming up on July 28!), and updates on restoration projects underway this summer.

Explorando el Columbia Slough

Over 450 people attended Explorando el Columbia Slough at Whitaker Ponds last month. Environmental Services has been a sponsor of this bilingual nature festival since the Columbia Slough Watershed Council launched the event 12 years ago. Participants enjoyed music and dance, games, food, guided canoe trips on the slough, live birds and hands-on environmental activities. Over 90 volunteers and staff from the watershed council and partner agencies worked on the event. Click here to see more Explorando photos on Flickr.

Corps of Rediscovery

It wasn’t quite as epic as the Lewis and Clark expedition, but it was an eye-opening experience for guests on the BES Columbia Slough Watershed team’s annual Corps of Rediscovery slough paddle. Participants in the June 14th event included staff from Mayor Charlie Hales' office, the Division of State Lands, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Portland Parks & Recreation, Multnomah County Drainage District, the Oregon Department of Transportation, the Portland Water Bureau and Metro. Participants got to see the slough from the water and view stormwater management and restoration projects on a nine-mile paddle from Fairview Lake to the NE 18th Avenue levee.

Want to join in the fun and learn more about the Columbia Slough? Check out upcoming events on the Columbia Slough Watershed Council's website: www.columbiaslough.org