• Washington County Master Gardener programs
• Cedar Mill Volunteer Tree Planting
• Treekeepers of Washington County
• September Gardening Calendar
• Audubon programs and information

Washington County Master Gardener programs

Lawn Be Gone! Now What?

Saturday, September 9, 9-11 am, PCC Rock Creek, 17705 NW Springville Rd, Bldg. 7, Room 105, free, 30 people max

Join the Washington County Master Gardeners Association (WCMGA) for an in-person class that will cover methods to remove turf and a look at what to do next. Whether it is installing an eco-lawn, planting drought tolerant plants (both native and non-native) or moving towards all-native planting, we will cover planning, prepping, planting, irrigation and growing. OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers Susan Albright and Lisa Barnhart will lead you through the steps and answer your questions. Approved for one hour of MG Education Credit. Please visit the WCMGA website for more information about the event. A disability-friendly map is also available to plan your trip.

Lisa Barnhart became a Master Gardener because of her love of growing and preserving fruits and vegetables. She serves on the board of the WCMGA. When not gardening, Lisa enjoys sewing, crafting, cooking, and spending time in the great Oregon outdoors. Susan Albright has participated in the Xerces’ PNW Bumblebee Atlas, the Oregon Bee Atlas (OBA) and the Oregon Bee Project. She has led many MG classes on a variety of topics and was honored by the Oregon Master Gardener Association as one of their 2021 Statewide Master Gardeners of the Year.

Putting the Garden to Bed

Saturday, September 23, 9-11 am, PCC Rock Creek, 17705 NW Springville Rd, Bldg. 4, Room 103, free

Fall is terrific timing for planning and completing tasks to prepare for winter, as well as to set up your garden for success year-round, whether it be landscaping plants, fruits, or vegetables. We will share tips on planting trees and shrubs in the fall, tasks to prepare the vegetable and fruit garden for winter, and techniques to protect the soil. The session begins in the building and then after the presentation we will take a short five-minute walk to the WCMGA Education Garden to demonstrate some of these tips. Approved for one hour of MG Education Credit. Please visit the WCMGA website for more information about the event. A disability-friendly map is also available to plan your trip.

Sustainable Light at Night: Preserving the Stars is Not Just for the Birds

Tuesday, September 5, 7-8 pm, free, online webinar via Zoom, registration required

Join WCMGA for an exploration of the night’s wondrous mysteries and the impacts of light pollution. Learn how you can help in the effort to preserve our starry skies and reduce impacts to wildlife while simultaneously maintaining safe and vibrant nighttime cityscapes.

Mary Coolidge has been on Portland Audubon’s Conservation team since 2008. Today she serves as Audubon’s Bird Safe Campaign Coordinator, working to reduce hazards for birds in the urban environment. She is dedicated to improving efforts to connect people to nature in cities. Mary splits her time between Portland Audubon and the Oregon Zoo’s California Condor breeding program. For more information and to register for this event, please visit the WCMGA website.

Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest

Saturday, September 16, 10-12 pm, WCMGA Learning Garden at Jenkins Estate, 8005 SW Grabhorn Rd., Beaverton, free

Join the Washington County Master Gardeners for one of the Learning Garden’s most popular classes. The native plant area of the garden at Jenkins Estate provides the ideal setting for learning first-hand about the beautiful native plant communities that you can include in your own landscape. OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Sandy Japely will lead the class and answer questions about the benefits of native plants. Approved for one hour of Master Gardener Education Credit. Visit this event page of the THPRD website to learn more about the Jenkins Estate.

Sandy Japely became a Master Gardener in 2009. She enjoys teaching others how to beautify their landscapes and grow healthy food. Sandy loves to cook using culinary herbs from her garden and has a passion for travel and education.

For more information about Master Gardeners, please visit the WCMGA website. WCMGA sponsors a wide variety of gardening-related demonstrations, lectures, seminars and workshops in various Washington County Oregon locations. Most of our events are free and open to the public. The WCMGA is a 501c3 non-profit supported by hundreds of volunteers, who work to educate the public about sustainable, affordable gardening.

Cedar Mill Volunteer Tree Planting

Saturday, March 23, 9-1, St. Andrews Lutheran Church, 12405 SW Butner Rd., Beaverton

Friends of Trees is organizing another volunteer, neighborhood tree planting with Clean Water Services this spring! That may feel like a long way away, but, with all this heat that we’ve been getting, I think we are thinking about how important shade/tree canopy is to our communities. We just launched our tree store which includes over 100 different species of trees (flowering, native, street, yard, fall color, big, small, etc). I wanted to share this with the neighborhood in case folks were interested in ways to get trees planted at your home. If you are interested in getting involved, whether that be planting a tree at your house or volunteering, message me and we’d love to help plant some trees with you. You can reach me at marioc@friendsoftrees.org. Looking forward to meeting you all and getting some more trees planted in the neighborhood!

Treekeepers of Washington County

We work to protect and advocate for trees in urban unincorporated Washington County.

Fanno Creek Tree Walk

Saturday, September 23, 9:45-11:30 am, Garden Home Community Library, 7475 SW Oleson Rd., Beaverton, free, registration required

Walk along the Fanno Creek Trail while identifying and learning about trees with Garden Home’s Barb Stroud. This event is in partnership with the Garden Home Community Library. Register by September 20 at 1 pm through the registration form. Protecting mature trees is the mission of Treekeepers of Washington County. Contact us at treekeeperswc@gmail.com.

Tree enthusiast meetup

Wednesday, September 27, 6:30-8 pm, location when you register

It brings Brooke Bachelor great joy to host our next Treekeepers meetup in a different part of unincorporated Washington County! Come take this opportunity to build community with your tree-loving neighbors in a backyard oasis. Tea will be available, and you are also welcome to bring a beverage of your own to enjoy. Please bring your ideas about neighborhood trees.

September Gardening Calendar

OSU Extension brings us a monthly checklist of gardening reminders. Scroll to the bottom for available seminars and more information. Sign up here to get their informative monthly newsletter.

Audubon programs and information

Nature Night: Wild Stories from the History of Bird Migration Research

Wednesday, September 13, 7-8:30 pm, virtual, register for link

We’ve all heard amazing facts about bird migration—the long distances that birds travel, the ways that they navigate, etc. But did you ever wonder how we figured all of this out? While working for the American Ornithological Society, Rebecca Heisman became fascinated with the varied and creative techniques that scientists have used to study bird migration, and this eventually became the basis for her book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. In her talk, she’ll share some surprising stories from the history of bird migration research and discuss why understanding migration is so crucial for bird conservation.

Quail, Turkey, and Grouse of Oregon

Tuesday, September 26, 6-7 pm, Audubon of Portland, $20 members / $30 non-members, registration required

Despite their large size, gallinaceous (domestic poultry and game birds) birds can be hard to find and identify. This class will introduce you to all the quail, turkeys, grouse, pheasants, and partridges found in Oregon, with tips on identifying and where to look for each.

Take the Pledge to Go Lights Out

Lights Out programs help reduce the impacts of light pollution on birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants, and humans. They also save energy and money, reduce our carbon emissions, safeguard our own human health, and preserve our view of the night sky!

By Taking the Pledge to go Lights Out, you can help make our region safer and healthier for wildlife and humans alike and help raise awareness about the growing impact that light pollution has on the world around us.