On Dec. 9, Graham Evans-Peters gave a talk to the Salem Audubon Society.  He’s the refuge manager at Baskett Slough and Ankeny national wildlife refuges. Evans-Peters described the restoration project underway at Baskett Slough in Polk County.  The slough became a wildlife refuge in 1965.  Decades before that it was agricultural land, reshaped for farming. Baskett Slough flows into Rickreall Creek which then flows into the Willamette across the river from the southwest corner of Minto-Brown Island Park.  The refuge contains 2,644 acres including two oak-topped hills, Morgan Reservoir, hillside and lowland prairie and the wetlands along the slough. The refuge is restoring natural habitat in the grasslands and oak chaparral.  The hardest work is going on along Baskett Slough. This has required heavy equipment and lots of earth-moving. Manmade berms had been placed at five locations along the slough, and its winding path had been forced into straight-sided manmade channels. In March 2021, work began on the first wetlands restoration project.  It was in the refuge’s Dusky Marsh, at the furthest downstream end of the slough.  A berm was removed and old straight channel filled with that dirt.  The creek was given an historically curved path and it was now open to fish from downstream. Native riparian trees were planted parallel to the creek about fifty feet from the stream. An open invitation for beavers to return and manage the flow. In 2023 the first juvenile coho salmon was found in the restored slough. They will feed there, but lack of natural gravel bottom will prevent spawning. A pair of eagles. (ALBERT RYCKMAN photo) Work on the next step began in 2024. That’s on Cackler Marsh upstream from Dusky, and still south of Coville Road.  The old straight channel is gone, the slough now wanders, and 200 acres of naturalized wetlands have been restored. Native plants are encouraged and efforts continue to try to remove invasives. One crucial part of the project is planned for August-September, 2026. A large bridge will replace culverts through the berm between these two downstream wetlands.  That will allow the creek natural flow.  Along Coville Road where the slough passes through a culvert beneath the road, a major project is planned. This spot is called The Narrows as the wet months will find water up the edge of the road on both sides.  And waterfowl galore. An old, decrepit culvert there will be removed, and a new bridge built for Coville Road.  Again, that will allow more natural flow of the slough.  Further ahead are plans to remove all three berms upstream, north of The Narrows. Morgan Reservoir will be maintained.  It’s a year-round water supply for Baskett Slough. Prairie restoration:  Evans-Peters says 290 acres have been restored from farmland to a more natural environment.   Work continues on protecting the oak chaparral on the hills. Invasive Douglas firs are removed. Good news for Fender’s blue butterfly. Overall the restoration work means more habitat for waterfowl, bald eagles, bluebirds, acorn woodpeckers, plus hundreds of species from insects to beavers. Here’s a list of species at Baskett Slough, including those threatened or endangered. For information about upcoming Salem Audubon programs and activities, see www.salemaudubon.org, or Salem Audubon’s Facebook page. Harry Fuller is an Oregon birder and natural history author of “Freeway Birding” and the newly-published “Birding Harney County.” He is a member of the Salem Audubon Society. Contact him at [email protected] or atowhee.blog. His “Some Fascinating Things About Birds” column appears regularly in Salem Reporter. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE – If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post COLUMN: Habitat restoration is the future at Baskett Slough appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less