A community member sent us a short video of three river otters in the creek at Westmoreland Park.  Thanks!

On Saturday, September 21 the CSP teamed up with SOLVE, local residents and members of Girl Scout Troop 18 from Capital Hill Elementary to tend to the shrubs and trees planted last fall and winter.  We removed piles of reed canary grass, nightshade, clematis, and especially Himalayan blackberry from the planted area.

And then we mulched it all thoroughly, thanks to the giant pile of chipped wood that was provided by the golf course staff (PP&R).

Thanks again to all the volunteers, SOLVE, the Johnson Creek Watershed Council, and the Portland Parks and Recreation staff at the Eastmoreland Golf Course for helping this section of the creek become better habitat for all of the creatures that make their home here!

By CSP member Patrick Norton

The site now occupied by Westmoreland Park was originally (prior to the park's development in the 1920s) an area of marsh and damp meadows with a creek running through it.  According to the 1852 General Land Office Cadastral Map TS 1S1E,  the creek that issued from the future site of the Reed College campus flowed into a marsh that drained both south (along the current path of Crystal Springs Creek to join Johnson Creek at Johnson Creek Park) and also north, to an unnamed set of channels and marshes that passed through the future site of the Brooklyn neighborhood (the name says it all) and flowed into the Willamette River near what is now the location of the Hawthorne Bridge.  Note on the map that there is no defined stream channel connecting the Reed College branch and the channel flowing into Johnson Creek south of the park, possibly indicating that it spread both north and south via indistinct marshy pathways.

So what does this have to do with turtles?  Well, all species of animals have their own preferred or required habitat, and turtles need logs to bask on in bodies of slow-moving water. Females apparently lay their eggs away from water, but nearby.  As far as I know most don't thrive in narrow stream channels hemmed in by human walkways and buildings.

Since the big restoration project at Westmoreland Park was completed in 2014 the habitat has been greatly improved for many species, turtles included.  The inclusion of 'large woody debris' (tree trunks complete with root balls) projecting into the creek from the banks, along with marginal areas of wetlands on either side of the meandering stream channel has apparently attracted turtles to a location where they have not been seen in decades.  

CSP board member Kathy Parker saw this one on the walking path on Tuesday, July 16.  It was unable to make it through the wire attached to the rail fence to keep dogs out of the creek.  The wire may have to be trimmed in spots to allow the passage of small animals such as turtles.  It was picked up and passed over the fence so it could access the creek.

The most common pet turtle species seems to be the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), which, a native to the eastern US and parts of Mexico, is often released into the wild when the owners tire of it.  This turtle has become a problem for the native species in areas in which it is introduced.  It seems clear that the turtles observed in Westmoreland Park are not the red-eared slider, and so it is heartening to see that the return of the native species here where they have long been absent.

By CSP member Patrick Norton

​There are three large rodent species that live in the watershed of Crystal Springs Creek.  One is the North American Beaver  (Castor canadensis), builder of dams and (sometimes) lodges, another is the ubiquitous nutria (Myocastor coypus) from South America which is easily seen out and about during daylight and is usually unafraid of humans but (sensibly) runs at the sight of a dog.  The third species is the muskrat.  More on muskrats later.

The beaver lodge at Westmoreland Park. 

Beavers are shy of humans and mainly active in the hours of darkness or at twilight and in the early morning.  Mostly they are unseen by humans but their works are often very evident as they are great modifiers of their habitat, constructing dams to raise and stabilize the water level, lodges for living quarters (and sometimes other purposes), and canals and slides (muddy trackways) for moving about unseen and to ease the transport of materials and food.  Other evidence of their presence are the chewed stumps of trees and branches stripped of their bark seen floating in the water.

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) at Westmoreland Park.  Dec. 2018

The nutria (which is called by the common name coypu in Latin America) is generally similar in appearance to the beaver, with the obvious exception of the tail, which is thin, scaly and ratlike, as opposed to the beaver's flattened paddle-like tail.  This distinction is not always visible when the animal is swimming, and unless the viewing conditions are right the tail may not be visible at all under the water.  Both animals have roughly similar fur with buff or even reddish-brown areas, but the beaver's is more generally brown.  Both species have small rounded ears that are visible while swimming.  The nutria's snout is somewhat more truncated and its muzzle and whiskers are whitish, and its front teeth more distinctly orange than that of the beaver.  The two creatures resemble each other enough that they are often misidentified in photographs posted on the websites of government agencies and wildlife nonprofits, so don't feel bad if you are unsure of what you see!​

A pair of nutria kits at Westmoreland Park.  They ignored the photographer but sped to the water at the approach of a man and (more importantly) his dog.  Feb. 2019

​The nutria/coypu were introduced into North America (including Oregon) in the 1930s as a replacement for the over-hunted and (then) rare beaver in the fur trade.  Apparently the market for the pelts never developed and disgruntled nutria ranchers released the animals into the wild.  Currently the nutria occupies the entire Willamette Valley, portions of the lower Columbia and many watersheds on the Oregon coast, as well as areas of Washington state.  Here, as in other areas of North America, Europe and Asia (where they have also been introduced) they damage critical wetland plants, destabilize river and canal banks and levees, and compete with muskrats (native to North America but also introduced to Eurasia).  Efforts have been made in some locations to eliminate them from areas where they have been introduced.  They were successfully eradicated from California by the 1970s but have returned since.  Eradication has failed in the Gulf Coast of the US, but has succeeded in Sweden.  I am not aware of any ongoing effort to eradicate them in Oregon.

Adult nutria swimming at Reed Lake, November 2016

​Muskrats also have a long history in the fur trade in North America (where they are native) and have been introduced into Europe and Asia and southern South America.  We don't see them very often in the watershed probably for two reasons: a) like the beaver they are mostly active at night or in the twilight hours and b) (possibly) because they are in direct competition for food sources with the apparently more numerous nutria, which are also larger.  Both species feed primarily on soft herbaceous vegetation, while beavers diet consists mostly of the inner bark of woody plants.

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) swimming at Westmoreland Park.  March 16, 2019

Okay, now for the muskrat in the park!  I have not personally seen one in the Crystal Springs Watershed in a few years, and never managed to photograph one before, but this past Saturday I spotted this individual swimming underwater against the current at Westmoreland Park, south of the casting pond.  It was using its tail as well as its feet for propulsion and did not surface during the minute or so that I viewed it.

Another view of the muskrat swimming at Westmoreland Park.  March 16, 2019

I am fairly sure of my identification of this individual as a muskrat.  It is clearly not a beaver, it uses its tail for propulsion, it seems to have a more pointed snout than a nutria, and the white whiskers are not apparent.  I have uploaded the images to the website iNaturalist.org, and the identification has been confirmed by several others, but what do you think? ​

Yet another image.  Are those hind feet fully webbed like a nutria's, or only partially, which would indicate a muskrat?

As always, if you see a muskrat or have other sightings, or if you have video or photos to share, please contact the CSP at [email protected] or https://www.crystalspringspdx.org/

(above)  Video of the coyote poking around the water's edge on the west side of the creek, taken from the curved boardwalk on the east side.
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Much thanks to all of the volunteers and to David Granfield from Portland Parks and Recreation for another morning of improving the watershed- this time planting, weeding, mulching, and installing beaver-resistant caging at the Brannen Property. This event was a partnership between the Crystal Springs Partnership, Portland Parks and Restoration, and as usual, the Johnson Creek Watershed Council.

(above) A furloughed USGS worker extracting Pacific ninebark bare root stock for planting at the Brannen Property on Crystal Springs Creek.  Thanks Kate!

In addition to some of the regular CSP core and a regular Johnson Creek Watershed Council volunteer, we had two furloughed federal government workers, one from the Bureau of Land Management and another from the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, some of the plants were provided courtesy of another furloughed worker from the United States Geological Survey.   

(above) Pacific ninebark bare root stock and live stakes delivered to the Brannen Property on Crystal Springs Creek.​

(above) Cages trees and live stakes at the Brannen Property Natural Area after the event.

Yes, they would much rather be doing their regular jobs (important, socially relevant, and not incidentally paid work) but thanks to them the federal shutdown has helped the Crystal Springs Watershed be a little better habitat for salmon and other wildlife. Thanks federal workers- hope you get back to your jobs soon!

Community member Donna Cloud has kindly shared with us four photos and a short video of a coyote hunting at Westmoreland Park on Saturday, January, 5. In the video there seems to be a small mammal (probably a nutria) swimming away. Better luck next time!   In the third photo it seems to be removing a piece of trash from the creek (is that a paper to-go cup?). We at the Crystal Springs Partnership congratulate the creature and hope it keeps up the good work. Hopefully it will attend one of our events in the future.

If you have other wildlife sightings, or if you have video or photos to share, please contact the CSP at [email protected] or https://www.crystalspringspdx.org/

A trio of river otters playing in Crystal Springs Creek at Westmoreland Park.  Thanks again to community member Jessica Goin for this longer video of a river otter family in Crystal Springs Creek at Westmoreland Park, this time near the nature play area. Vivacity embodied!  They have been seen many times there in recent months, and seem to have taken up residence there.
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If you have other sightings, or if you have video or photos to share, please contact the CSP at [email protected] or https://www.crystalspringspdx.org/