​Thanks to community member Jessica Goin for this short video of river otters frolicking on the creek bank in Westmoreland Park, near the casting pond.  They have been seen many times there in recent months, and seem to have taken up residence there.

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/

​A few of us gathered early by the planting site and awaited the rest who walked down the road with the supply of snacks and hot coffee. Once the essential liability waivers were signed we began with the work of planting the trees.

​The holes were (pre)dug by volunteers on November 18 in decidedly less chilly weather, and so we had a pretty pleasant morning removing the trees from their pots, freeing their pot-bound roots from their circular habits, and integrating them with the soil of their new creekside home. A few of the holes had to be drained of the rainwater that had pooled in them during the previous weeks so that the trees would not have waterlogged roots which might prove fatal to them.

​Mulch was supplied by the PP&R staff at the golf course. 
In fact, there is a perpetual mound fifteen feet tall a dozen yards from the planting site, the residue of trees brought down by storms and disease from all over the golf course. This was applied around the young trees to prevent erosion and to retain soil moisture in the summer. Wire cages were erected and staked to protect the trees from beavers.

By CSP member Patrick Norton

​This year, the fifth since the restoration of the wetlands and stream channel at Westmoreland Park, the Salmon Celebration was hosted by the Indigenous Nations Studies department at Portland State University and the Native American Community Advisory Council to Portland Parks (NACAC).  

It was a bit wet and chilly, but I suppose that it would be fine for any salmon coming up the creek.  Here a few attendees warm up around the fire at the salmon bake.  Samples were available for tasting- and they were delicious!

Representatives of Healing Feathers, an organization that provides wellness resources to students on the Portland States University campus and within the Portland American Indian community. 

​Trackers Earth had a very intriguing display of handicrafts and natural objects at their booth.

Oddly, I neglected to take a photo of the Crystal Springs Partnership booth, but we did have one, with walking tour maps and rubber wildlife stamps for making cards and more complex pieces of art.  Here are a couple of examples from our own youngest member, Samara Norton.

All in all, though smaller than previous years (when it coincided with Sunday Parkways walking /cycling events) it was a successful event and a good time.  We look forward to seeing you there next year.

By Patrick Norton
CSP board member

River otters have been observed for years in Crystal Springs Creek.  One of our members has seen them at the Union Manor property where they apparently had (and maybe still have) a den under s stump at the water's edge.  Another member of our group has seen them at Westmoreland Park (see VIDEO)  in March 2017.  Recently there have been frequent sightings of them at the park, and this past Saturday several of us were at the bridge by the nature play area when a family of three otters appeared just downstream of the bridge.

At first we saw one otter in the water and then climbing up on the bank.  Then another appeared, and as we watched the two otters swimming about, clambering up on the shore, popping their heads up chewing on something, it became apparent that there were three individuals in all.  They were alternately diving, eating whatever it was that they had caught, and watching us watch them.

When they had done feeding at that location, and having decided that we were not a threat, they submerged and passed beneath the bridge and headed upstream.  We saw them reemerge briefly about 30 yards up, then they disappeared around a bend.  

As we were ​engaged with showing passers-by the view from our Creek Cam (GoPro camera on a pole, with a tablet computer for display) we did not try to follow them.  We were so delighted that we forgot to watch the display to see if we could capture them on the underwater camera!

We don't know where this family spends their resting hours.  Perhaps it is at the old suspected den at Union Manor, or maybe this is a different family that has a den at a different location.  Probably there are not two families occupying our small watershed at once- river otters are territorial and require a lot of food to sustain them, and their home ranges can be pretty large.  River otters eat fish, including salmon and steelhead (check here for a great photo of one munching down at Reed Canyon) as well as frogs, freshwater mussels, and other small prey.

It was really a treat to see three river otters at such a close range and for so long an encounter.  They are beautiful animals and delightful to watch.  Please remember that they are wild animals and predators to boot, and should be viewed at a respectful distance.  In addition, they are listed as Strategy Species in the Oregon Conservation Strategy and should not be interfered with.

We also checked out the beaver lodge that has been constructed by our resident beaver family farther up the creek.  To my knowledge this is the first time an actual lodge has been constructed in the Crystal Springs Watershed in recent decades.  Beaver have been present in the watershed for many years (at least since the end of trapping pressure has allowed the population to rebound) but apparently have lived in bank burrows similar to the otter's dens.  

We hope you keep an eye out for the otters when you visit the park or at other locations along the creek.  If you do spot them, and especially if you can get a photo or video, please share with us via email:  [email protected]

Patrick Norton, Crystal Springs Partnership, July 18, 2018

Recently our family was on an outing with some friends to Reed Canyon, the uppermost source of Crystal Springs Creek, and as usual, I was on the lookout for one of my favorite denizens of the local waterways.  When we came to the dam and the viewpoints over the fish ladder I spotted a mussel shell on the downstream side.  What I first mistook for the eroded outer surface of the shell turned out to be the shining inside.  Just a shell, probably washed down from the lake above where they have been identified before (and see blog post here) but it was partially buried in the sediment in the manner of a live one, so it is possible that it was a resident at that location previously.  

The particular freshwater mussel genus here (the particulars of the species involved are currently under taxonomic review) is Anodonta, or floater mussels, though I could not be really sure of the ID from this sighting.  There is a population of another type, Margaritifera falcata, the western pearlshell, in the main stem of Johnson Creek, and also in the Willamette, but they favor faster flow and rockier bottoms and none have ever been located in Crystal Springs Creek.  Anyhow, we saw one probable Anodonta in the first pool below the downstream side of the dam at the fish ladder at Reed Lake.  It was probably washed down from the lake after expiring (these mussels only live ten to fifteen years, as opposed to the western pearlshell's 150+ year lifespan).  Sorry, no photo- didn't have the telephoto lens with a polarized filter.

Then we were at the little pool above the waterfall fed by the pipe from the lake.  The output is hidden in the cobbles and finer sediment, but you can see the water welling up.  A week or so ago my daughter Samara and I were there and she spotted a nice example of a floater mussel shell (empty) near the north edge.  It was interesting, but not proof that there were live mussels in this little pool perched above a waterfall.  This Sunday I didn't see that shell but found a live floater just by the waterfall itself (see photo) and then Samara found a feeding midden on a rock at the east edge of the top of the waterfall. There were raccoon tracks in the mud at the other side, by the chain embedded in the concrete. My friend grabbed the mussel and I photographed it (please don't do that- it stresses the mussels to be exposed to air, higher temperatures, and threat of death) and handling them is prohibited by Oregon law- but he did not know it was alive, and neither did I!  I assumed it was an empty shell until I held it but it was alive, with the foot and siphons retracted to be sure, but complete and just waiting for death or to be put back in the water. We put it back and a minute later it buried itself in the sediment.

I couldn't figure out how the young mussels got there.  There are sculpins of some sort or other in the pool, which are a reputed a host species, but that leads to the question of how the sculpins got there in the first place. I did find one reference on the internet of the Paiute sculpin using its pectoral fins to climb a waterfall in the Yellowstone River, but that seemed a long shot.  

Then my friend pointed out that they both probably came from the lake via the pipe.  Occam's razor states that, all things being equal, the simplest explanation is th​e most likely one.  The young sculpin (carrying mussel larvae or not) and/or the immature mussels, probably got there via the pipe from Reed Lake which is resupplied with mussel larvae (glochidia) by Coho salmon, three-spined stickleback, one or more sculpin species, and possibly other fish that are host to Anodonta glochidia, via the fish ladder.  Freshwater mussels are not immobilized throughout their adult lives by their own sticky threads as saltwater mussels are adhered to rocks, and although freshwater mussels can use their extensible foot to move through the substrate to find better conditions for filter-feeding, they probably travel only a few meters in their lifespans.  So, to expand or even to maintain their range in a watershed they rely on more mobile animals; they hitch a ride on the gills or fins of fish.

My daughter Samara then found a feeding platform used by a predator of freshwater mussels on the far side of the waterfall.  There were several broken shells both above and below the uppermost rock, and with raccoon tracks visible in the mud of the near shore, it seems that the culprit was a raccoon instead of a mink, otter, or muskrat, all of which eat mussels and have been seen in the canyon and which are known to consume freshwater mussels.

To see more about the life-cycle, ecological importance, and sheer beauty of western freshwater mussels please see these links:
​Xerces Society PNW mussel book
OregonLive mussel article
​​2017 Freshwater Mussel Rescue and Relocation

These mussels, aside from being fascinating creatures in their own right, and, by far the largest fraction of animal biomass in many stretches of the creek, do an enormous favor to salmon, trout and steelhead by clarifying the water by their filter-feeding of fecal matter (mostly duck and fish poop) and other suspended matter from the water column, thus simultaneously clarifying the water so that salmon can find their prey, and also reducing water temperatures (clouded water absorbs more heat from sunlight than clear water).  In turn, native salmonid species transport mussel glochidea throughout the watershed, including upstream where the mussels could not themselves colonize.

So I hope you keep an eye out for these marvelous inhabitants of the watershed whenever you visit the creek.  The live individuals are usually very difficult to spot, and if you see a symmetrical shell under 1.5 inches it is a non-native Corbicua clam (especially common below Westmoreland Park) but they are there in the tens of thousands (in some stretches of the creek).  And as they are filter-feeding most of the hours of the year, consider the clarity of the water to be significantly dependent upon these hidden marvels of the creek.

By Bob Wilson
CSP board member
​
Green Herons are secretive and not very common in and around Portland, but they can be glimpsed with some regularity along Crystal Springs Creek, from Reed Canyon to Johnson Creek Park. This one landed alongside the Brannen Property Natural Area near SE 21st and Umatilla.

​​At about 17”, Green Herons are much smaller than their great blue relatives, and unlike the “blues”, Green Herons are in Portland only during the summer months, roughly from April to August or September. After nesting, most of the herons—except for small numbers of widely-scattered overwinterers—return to California, Mexico and points south.   

As you follow the Crystal Springs Walking Tour map, be sure to keep on the lookout for these sharp-looking herons.
​

The CSP hosted one of the ten restoration locations during the Johnson Creek Watershed's 20th Anniversary Watershed-Wide Event.  Our location was at Westmoreland's Union Manor, where the creek emerges from the new (2017) culvert at McLaughlin Blvd. and flows down through the property to the new (2016) culvert at SE Glenwood St.

We had about 45 volunteers including a Girl Scout troop and a team from Bullseye Glass.  Much reed canary grass and other invasive species was removed from the banks and the stream channel and hundreds of live stakes of Pacific ninebark, black twinberry, and snowberry were placed along the banks to control erosion, and provide food and habitat for wildlife, and to shade the creek.

The event went quite well, thanks to all the volunteers who came out, but since we were all busy we didn't get photos of the rest of the volunteers at work.  Better luck (or planning) next time!

​Thanks so much to our volunteers and to the Johnson Creek Watershed Council for making this happen!

Any fish biologists or fisherpersons out there that can help us with some fish identifications?
Recently Sellwood resident James sent us a video of some juvenile salmonid (salmon/trout/steelhead) feeding in the creek at Westmoreland Park. I was curious to see if I could catch a glimpse of them myself or get a photo or video of them on our submersible camera. One day while at the viewing platform at the north end of the park I saw some small fish that seemed to have parr marks (vertical oval markings that salmonid fry have) but I didn't have the camera with me.

I visited the site again this week with the camera and got some images of at least two types of fish, though neither seem to be salmonids. Most of the fish appear to be some member of the family Cyprinidae (minnows and their allies) possibly dace or shiners. In a few images there are what appears to be three-spined sticklebacks schooling with the Cyprinids.

The location is the lagoon on the west side of the creek that surrounds the viewing platform. The water level in the creek is very high right now and the lagoon currently has direct communication with the creek channel (as does the larger wetland area on the other side, by the curved boardwalk).  The sediment visible was stirred up by the camera and pole.
​
Check out the video and see if you can ID the fish for us!

Thousands of people who came for the whole event or who stopped by as part of Sellwood-Milwaukie Sunday Parkways.  Much thanks to all of the participating organizations, volunteers, and attendees for making the event a success.  

CSP member Bob Federoff spotted a river otter feeding on a large fish (10"-12") at Westmoreland Park on Friday evening (3/30/17) and made this video.  He couldn't get close enough to identify the fish (and one should never disturb an otter at their meal) but we think it is the same type that member Celeste Searles Mazzacano  took this photo of at the north end of the park on the same day.  

Between us, we think it is a member of the Catostomidae family, commonly called suckers.  This one is likely a largescale sucker (Catostomus macrocheilus).  They say when spawning the female lays an enormous number of eggs and there is another one born every minute.

Here is the one Celeste saw ​near the footbridge closest to Bybee.  

And a much clearer view by the awesome fish artist ​Joseph Tomelleri (this one from the Idaho Fish and Game Dept.).