April 6, 2005 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
Update on the St. Johns Landfill Remedial Investigation
Presentation by Paul Vandenberg, Metro Senior Solid Waste
Planner
The 250-acre St. Johns Landfill lies within the Smith and Bybee
Wetlands Natural Area, and is managed by Metro’s Solid Waste and
Recycling Department. It was one of Portland’s primary garbage
disposal sites for over 50 years. Metro stopped accepting waste at
the landfill in 1991, and in the early 1990s constructed a cover
over all of the buried waste, and implemented an extensive
environmental monitoring program.
In October 2003, DEQ issued a renewed closure permit for the
landfill. The 10-year permit regulates all landfill closure
operations. Attached to the permit is a consent order requiring
Metro to conduct a Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study
(RI/FS) to assess risks posed by the landfill to human health and
the ecosystem. This process is expected to take 3-4 years and will
culminate in a record of decision by DEQ, including
recommendations for further remedial action and long-term
monitoring requirements for the site. This presentation will
provide an update on the RI/FS process.
February 2, 2005 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
Wetland Restoration at Smith-Bybee with the Water Control Structure
Presentation by Elaine
Stewart, Natural Resource Scientist, Metro Parks and Greenspaces
It's been a year since the new water control structure was
installed at Smith-Bybee. Is it producing results?
Elaine Stewart will provide an update on restoring the wetlands by
managing water levels. The winter of 2003-2004 was dry, but
some benefits of the new management tool are already apparent.
Stewart will review the structure's purpose, describe the management
strategy and show some of the results to date.
December 1, 2004 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
Aquatic Plants in the Pacific Northwest
Presentation by Dr. Mary Pfauth, Environmental Sciences and
Resources, Portland State University
Dr. Pfauth’s presentation will cover some of the unique
adaptations of aquatic plants and their role in aquatic ecosystems.
She will discuss native aquatic plant species as well as the impacts
that invasive, aquatic plants can have on a lake or other water
body.
October 6, 2004 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
Freshwater Mussels: their Ecology and their Status at Smith-Bybee
Lakes Presentation by Al Smith, retired biologist.
Al Smith found that in 2000 and 2001, when Smith-Bybee lakes were
very low, the lakes supported a population of three species of
native freshwater mussels. The mussels were very large and
old, indicating that there had been no reproduction for a number of
years. Al also compared the Smith-Bybee population to mussels
in a slough on the Columbia River. Unfortunately, all the
mussels in Smith-Bybee probably perished when the lakes dried up in
2001. If the lakes were to have water year around, the
mussels would likely return.
May 5, 2004 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
St. Johns Landfill Risk Assessment
Presentation by Paul Vandenberg, Metro Senior Solid Waste Planner
and Amanda Spencer, Principal Hydrogeologist, Hart Crowser.
The St. Johns Landfill, comprising about 250 acres, contains 50
years of Portland's garbage. The landfill was closed in
1991. The landfill site lies within the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area. The site is managed by Metro's
Solid Waste and Recycling Department. The landfill has been
capped and non-native grasses are now grown over the site.
Methane gas is being captured and sold to local industry. The
possibility of contaminated leachate seeping into surface and
groundwater is a major concern. Metro Solid Waste and Recycling maintains groundwater monitoring
wells in the wildlife area.
In October 2003, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a
closure permit for the landfill. The permit requires that Metro
conduct a Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to assess the
risks to human health and ecological receptors. This process will take
several years and will culminate in a record of decision by DEQ, including
recommendations for further remedial action and long-term monitoring
requirements for the site. This presentation will be an overview of this
risk assessment process and the environmental issues at the landfill.
April 7, 2004 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
Habitat Restoration with the New Water Control Structure at Smith-Bybee
Lakes Presentation by Elaine
Stewart, Wildlife Area Manager, Metro.
The last 100 years have not been kind to Smith-Bybee and other
lower Columbia River wetlands. The construction of dams and
levees along major rivers have altered the timing, frequency and
duration of flooding in these wetlands. Introductions of
invasive species have made profound changes to plant and animal
communities. Other changes have occurred, but these are the
most critical problems facing these wetlands today.
Join Elaine Stewart, Wildlife Area Manager, for an evening of
slides and discussion on wetland restoration at Smith-Bybee.
As a regionally significant natural area, this wetland complex is
managed to provide habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife
species. The newly installed water control structure, which
replaces an earth dam, is a crucial tool for habitat restoration.
Stewart will provide a photographic diary of the new structure's
construction and will discuss the old earth dam, wildlife and
habitat objectives, and operation of the new structure.
February 4, 2004 Wednesday 6:30 - 8 pm
Questions and Answers on Metro's
management of the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area.
This program starts with a 15 minute
presentation on Metro's Open Spaces program. Next a panel of Metro officials will answer questions about the
management of the wildlife area. This is an opportunity to learn
about the future of the wildlife area and how it fits in
Metro's Open Spaces program. Feel free to bring your own
questions. The panel consists of these
Metro officials:
David Bragdon, Metro President
Rex Burkholder, Metro District 5 Councilor
Jim Desmond, Director, Parks and Greenspaces
December 3, 2003 Wapato: the Plant and the
Wetland. Presentation by Eric Olson.
The Wapato plant Sagittaria
latifolia is a native wetland plant once important in the diet
of the Native American tribes of the lower Columbia River. The
Wapato Wetland, a side channel of the Columbia Slough in N.
Portland, represents a significant remnant example of Wapato
colonies once plentiful in our area. Eric Olson will speak on both
the Wapato plant, its cultural and historical value, and on the
Wapato Wetland and the restoration and protection issues surrounding
this wetland. Eric is a teacher at Chief Joseph Middle School in
North Portland.
February 5, 2003 Water
Management and Juvenile Salmonids at Smith and Bybee Lakes
Presentation by Chuck Lobdell, Biologist, Ducks
Unlimited.
Chuck Lobdell
is the Regional Biologist for the Lower Columbia River for Ducks
Unlimited (DU). He has a BS in Fisheries and a Masters in Wildlife,
both from the University of Idaho. Before coming to DU as their
first fisheries biologist, he worked for the Idaho Department of
Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Chuck will
briefly introduce the wetland restoration strategy at Smith and
Bybee Lakes, with emphasis on the role and function of the new water
control structure. Upon completion, the new structure will allow
Metro to mimic the natural hydrologic conditions of the lakes, while
providing fish passage to and from the lakes. DU and the City of
Portland's ESA staff have performed fish monitoring in the Columbia
Slough near the lakes. These studies have documented juvenile
salmonid use in the slough. Discussion will also address other
monitoring sites, seasonal use and habitat requirements of juvenile
salmonids, and the expected fish response to the Smith and Bybee
Lakes project.
December 4, 2002 Environmental
Monitoring at St. Johns Landfill
Presentation by Paul Vandenberg, Metro Senior Solid Waste Planner
St. Johns Landfill is a closed municipal solid
waste landfill owned and operated by Metro. It is located within the
Smith-Bybee Wetlands Natural Area in North Portland. It was one of the
primary disposal sites in Portland for over 50 years until Metro
stopped accepting waste there in 1990. From 1992-1996, a
multi-layered protective cover was constructed over the entire
landfill to prevent rainwater from flowing into the waste and
carrying waste-related contaminants into groundwater and the
surrounding environment. Landfill gas and stormwater collection
systems were also completed at that time. Since then, Metro has been
actively monitoring the site in accordance with the specifications
of various permits and the site environmental monitoring plan. A
remedial investigation and feasibility study will be implemented
under a DEQ cleanup process.
October 2, 2002 How Smith and
Bybee Lakes Were Formed
Presentation by Jim Morgan, Metro
What were
Smith and Bybee Lakes like before European settlement? How
were they formed? What is happening to them today? What are
the physical and biological processes that shape the lakes area?
Hear the results of research conducted in the past decade that
illuminate the nature of the lakes' formation. This
presentation explores how the results of sediment, hydrological,
macroinvertebrate, and biota studies corroborate with known
processes of large river bottomlands.
April 3, 2002 Western Painted Turtles in the Wildlife Area
Presentation by Elaine Stewart, Metro wildlife area manager.
In the spring
and summer you may see western painted turtles (Chrysemys
picta belli) basking in the sun on logs in the sloughs
and ponds in the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area. The western
painted turtle is listed as sensitive-critical by the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). This species has been
declining in Oregon, but not enough is known about them to warrant a
threatened or endangered listing. Metro has monitored western
painted turtles at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area for three
years. Work has focused on assessing the overall health of the
population and identifying important habitats at the wildlife area.
This presentation included a report on the status of this work, and
future monitoring and habitat improvement projects.
February 6, 2002 Biological control of
two introduced invasive wetland plants: Purple loosestrife and reed
canary grass. Presentation by Shon Schooler
from OSU.
The impact of invasive species is a leading
cause of decline in biodiversity worldwide. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum
salicaria L.) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinaceae
L.) are two introduced invasive plants that have been invading the
wildlife area, as well as many other wetlands across the United
States. These plants often crowd out native plants, degrading the
habitat and providing little or no food value for wildlife. The
presentation focused on the environmental impacts of these invasives and
various methods used to control these species in Oregon. This
includes a biological control program for purple loosestrife using
four species of herbivorous beetles.
December 5, 2001 Mammals in the Wildlife Area
Presentation by James Davis, Metro wildlife area naturalist.
Mink? River
otter? Coyote? At Smith and Bybee Lakes, right in the middle
of North Portland? You bet! Although the lakes are well-known
for their amazing diversity of birds, the list of mammals who also
make the lakes their home surprises most people. Smith and
Bybee naturalist James Davis presented a who's who of the lake's
furry critters using slides and some specimens of skins, skulls,
and, of course, scat!
October 3, 2001 The Archaeology of Smith and Bybee Lakes by David Ellis of
Archeological Investigations NW.
The area around Smith and Bybee lakes and along lower Columbia
Slough is one of the last undeveloped portions of the Columbia
River floodplain in the Portland metro area. Prehistoric
archaeological sites have been reported in this area for many
years but extensive research with these sites has been conducted
only within the last six years. This talk looked at the results of
this research in shedding light on the prehistory of Native
peoples of the Columbia River and changes in the floodplain
landscape over the past 3,000 years. Special attention was given
to the archaeological site discovered at the location of the new
Wapato Corrections Facility.
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