Spring 2023 Frenkel Lecture Series on Wetlands Now on YouTube

The three 2023 Liz and Bob Frenkel Environment and Hiking Spring Series webinars are now available on YouTube with closed caption subtitles.

Reviving the Wetlands at Finley National Wildlife Refuge - This webinar will entice both those who have never been to Finley and those who have been there many times to visit the refuge with new eyes and new expectations. A high level of wetland restoration work has already established the Finley Wildlife National Refuge as a significant wildlife refuge that also attracts thousands of visitors each year. This webinar will show you a mature restoration site and how you can best enjoy it. Presenter: Jarod Jebousek is a wildlife biologist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife currently focusing on the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program for the Willamette Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex. His office is at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge ten miles south of Corvallis.

Reviving the Wetlands at Herbert Farm Natural Area - Herbert Natural Area is a little visited, beautiful natural area in the middle of a restoration process. Owned by the City of Corvallis and purchased to be restored as a natural area, the Institute for Applied Ecology has been managing the restoration process, assisted by the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. This webinar will show you the areas in the restoration process, how they are accomplishing this complex task and how you can enjoy the area now. Presenters: Jude Geist, Parks Division Manager, City of Corvallis; Tom Kaye, Executive Director, Institute for Applied Ecology; Sara Alaica, Restoration Ecologist, Institute for Applied Ecology.

Owens Farm/Jackson-Frazier Wetland Complex - While the Jackson-Frazier Wetland has been a popular hiking area for decades, the wetland extends far beyond the current publicly accessible area. The wetland extends to the northwest across 99W into an area called Owens Farm. This webinar will present a bold plan to restore the entire wetland and make it publicly accessible through a network of extensive trails. This will not only open up a new wildlife refuge area, but it will open up a whole new hiking experience in the region. Presenters: Jessica McDonald, Executive Director, Greenbelt Land Trust;Jesse Ott, Acting Director, Benton County Natural Areas, Parks and Events Dept., Meredith Petit, Director, Corvallis Parks and Recreation Dept.; Ellen Tappon, President, Alliance for Recreation and Natural Areas (AFRANA)