Past Events

See stormwater practices at work on our workshop sites 

May 5, 2024

This workshop was a partnership between Friendly House, the Westside Watershed Resource Center and Stormwater Stars.  We worked together to plant native plants and install porous pathways in an area where the lawn had been removed. Friendly House is a community center located in the Tanner Creek Watershed in the Northwest Neighborhood of Portland. We improved approximately 900 square feet of landscaping with 118 Native Plants.

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May 4, 2024

This workshop was a demonstration of the sheet mulching process in the Hayhurst Neighborhood and the Fanno Creek Watershed. The future plans for the site include vegetable garden boxes, porous woodchips walkways and native plants. 

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April 21, 2024

For this workshop our volunteers worked to plant Willamette Valley Native Plants on a bare slope and within a swale in the Fanno Creek Watershed. We improved approximately 700 square feet of landscaping with 176 Willamette Valley Native Plants.

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March 10, 2024

Project Description: This workshop focused on lawn replacement in the Hayhurst Neighborhood and the Fanno Creek Watershed.  Prior to the workshop the homeowner had the lawn removed using a sod cutter and amended the soil with compost. A temporary silt fence was installed at the bottom of the slope to prevent material from leaving the site. Due to the moderate slope of the site a jute net erosion control blanket was installed and arborist chips placed over the bare soil to provide slope stability and prevent erosion while the plants are established. During the workshop we planted 117 Willamette Valley Native Plants and installed 155 square feet of cedar chip porous pathway. The project replaced approximately 920 square feet of lawn. 

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December 3, 2023

Project Description: This workshop focused on adding Willamette Valley native plants around the parking lot at the Oregon Society of Artists in the Goose Hollow Neighborhood and the Willamette River Watershed.  Here we focused on removing several large invasive Holly shrubs (prior to the event), a patch of English Ivy and replacing them with Native plants. During the workshop the ivy was pulled, Willamette Valley natives were planted and the site was mulched with compost to amend the soil.  We improved approximately 600 square feet of landscaping with 130 Willamette Valley Native Plants. 

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November 5, 2023

Project Description: Located in the Willamette River Watershed this was a large lawn replacement workshop at Hopewell House in the Hillsdale Neighborhood. During heavy rainfall events the site had a problem with runoff from the lawn causing ponding at the top of the retaining wall below the lawn area. The goal of the project was to improve infiltration by replacing the lawn with mixture of trees, shrubs and perennials that will allow rainwater to infiltrate rather than becoming runoff.  Approximately 1000 square feet of lawn was removed and the soil amended prior to the event.  During the event we planting over 240 Willamette Valley Native Plants to improve approximately 1200 square feet of landscaping. 

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October 25, 2023

Project Description: Located in the Willamette River Watershed Stormwater Stars and the Westside Watershed Resource Center worked together to help middle school students at Metro Montessori in the Pearl District plant two large containers with Willamette Valley Native plants. Prior to the workshop there was no landscaping in this space. During the workshop we also planted two existing garden beds in another location with native plants to create a diverse pollinator garden.

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April 30, 2023

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed here we worked to amend the soil and plant Willamette Valley Native plants in a front yard that had be neglected and used to park cars on by previous owners.  Prior to the workshop the homeowner removed a significant amount of rounded rock, sheet mulched the space to keep weeds down and created a porous pathway using woodchips.  

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December 8, 2022

Project Description: Stormwater Stars partnered with Neighborhood House and the Westside Watershed Resouce Center for this workshop. With a wonderful group of volunteers, we learned about root systems, stormwater drainage as well as planted Willamette Valley native trees and shrubs to offset flooding on the property and enhancing the Stephen Creek Watersheds need for balanced ecology.

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December 4, 2022

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed here we worked with a dedicated group of volunteers to plant Willamette Valley Native Plants on a bare slope and within a swale during a light snow event.

*The large Douglas Fir at the center of this project came down in the January 2024 storm, 13 months after the workshop.  Fortunately only a small section of the workshop site was impacted and many plants were able to be salvaged. Look at the photos to see how the site changed.

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November 16, 2022

Project Description: Located in the Willamette Watershed here we partnered with the CoHo Theater in NW Portland to improve the landscaping for watershed health. We amended the existing soil using compost, installed Contained Planters over an impervious concrete surface and planted Willamette Valley Native Plants.  

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November 13, 2022

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed here we replaced a lawn with Willamette Valley Native Plants.  The home owner sheet mulched the lawn in July 2022 using cardboard and compost.  For the workshop we gathered together to plant the area. 

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April 30, 2022

Project Description: Located in the Tryon Creek Watershed we partnered with Seeking Space Yoga to bring some landscaping to their otherwise paved entry way/parking lot using two large containers and planted with Willamette Valley Native plants.    

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March 6, 2022

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed here we planted Shade loving shurbs, trees & perennials. Mulched the areas with wood chips and created a porous pathway. 

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February 26, 2022

Project Description: Here we amended soil and planted Willamette Valley Native plants at a site in the Tryon Creek Watershed.  The site receives significant sun exposure, so we created three planting zones: a small wet meadow, sun loving shrubs & perennials and part shade shrubs & perennials 

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October 23, 2021

Project Description: Located in the Willamette River Watershed with this project lawn was replaced with Willamette Valley Natives and a pollinator meadow along the sidewalk.    

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April 18, 2021

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed in this project lawn was replaced with Willamette Valley Natives, a permeable seating area and stepping stones.   

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March 26 & 27, 2021

Project Description: Located in the Tryon Creek Watershed this project involved improving a long rain collecting swale in front of two adjacent properties.  

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October 24, 2020

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed this project involved replacing an area of soggy sod using the sheet mulch method and regetating with native plants.   

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September 22, 2020

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed this project involved replacing lawn and seeding with pollinator friendly natives.    

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November 1, 2019

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed this project involved amending the soil in an area that had been depaved by the property owner and planting Native Plants.   

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October 19, 2019

Project Description: Located in the Fanno Creek Watershed this project involved replacing lawn and concrete with Native Plants and a pervious walkway.   

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April 6, 2019

Project Description: In this project we amended soil, created a wood chip walkway and planted native plants to help improve the Fanno Creek Watershed.   

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December 10, 2018 & 

March 30, 2019

Project Description: In this two part project we removed the grass with sheet mulching to remove the grass and replaced with native plants to help improve the Fanno Creek Watershed.   

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March 24, 2019

Project Description: Here grass was removed using shovels and replaced with native plants to help improve the Willamette Watershed.   

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November 1, 2020

October 9, 2020

March 16, 2019

December 8, 2018

November 11, 2018

April 8, 2018

March 18, 2018

March 10, 2018

March 3, 2018