2020 NPSO Annual Meeting Cancelled Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the best interests for the health and safety of our members, the Cheahmill Chapter has decided to cancel the Annual Meeting this year. While the number of new cases should decline over the next several weeks and months, subsequent waves of COVID-19 are likely to recur once social distancing is relaxed. We are exploring hosting the meeting next year (2021) at Spirit Mountain Lodge and offering much the same program. If you have already sent in your registration form and payment, your checks will be shredded. Those whose checks were already deposited will receive a refund. We look forward to seeing all of you in 2021, hopefully at Spirit Mountain. Please stay safe and healthy through this difficult time.

NPSO 2020 Annual Meeting

May 29 - 31     Spirit Mountain Lodge, Grand Ronde, Oregon

Field Trips

Friday May 17, 2024    1 - 4 p.m.                    Field Trip # 5

Difficulty:     Easy  (3-miles round-trip, plus optional 1-mile North Loop to view old growth) - Wide, well-used trail, long suspension bridge.

Elevation:     490 feet elevation gain

Group Size Limit:     LIMIT REACHED, TRIP FULL

Trip Description:     East of Lincoln City, the 2.6-mile out-and-back trail to Drift Creek Falls descends gently through a second-growth rainforest in the Coast Range. This coniferous forest of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and western red cedar (Thuja plicata) is draped with moss and lichens, and many woodland species line the trail. The falls come into view as you cross a 100-foot high, 240-foot suspension bridge, the longest suspension bridge in Oregon and Washington. Engineers say it sways no more than 2 inches and can support 165,000 pounds. The water falls 75 feet in a single drop over columnar basalt that was created 55 million years ago. A short steep trail to the base of the falls allows a spectacular view of both the falls and the bridge. Crossing the bridge is not mandatory.

Notable species include goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus), salal (Gaultheria shallon), red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), deer fern (Blechnum spicant), western swordfern (Polystichum munitum), devil's club (Oplopanax horridus), bleedingheart (Dicentra formosa), foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata) and other coastal woodland species. Huge stumps of western red cedar bear the signs of planks that loggers stood on when using crosscut saws. Since there is no official plant list for the site, participants are requested to help generate a list for future visitors.

Appropriate Clothing and Footwear:     Unless it's been dry for a week, wear waterproof footwear.

Special Considerations:     NW Forest Pass or $5 fee for Suislaw National Forest required. This is a popular hiking site, so parking lot can be full.

Meeting Place and Time:     Trip # 5 leaves at 1 p.m. from parking lot west of Hotel. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before departure time to meet your group and arrange carpools.

Alternate Meeting:     Participants may also meet the trip at 1:45 p.m at Drift Creek Falls parking lot. If you choose this option, be sure to notify your trip leader in advance.

Driving Miles and Time from Spirit Mountain Hotel:     27 miles, one hour. Mostly paved, last few miles on one-lane, curvy road with occasional pullouts.

Driving Directions:     From Spirit Mountain Lodge, take Highway 18 west to Bear Creek Road. Turn south (left) on Bear Creek Road and follow the signs to the Drift Creek Falls parking lot.

Leader:       Bruce Waugh

Emerald Chapter. Bruce lived on the Oregon Coast for 35 years, gave presentations on native plant gardening to various community organizations and taught gardening with native plants for the Lincoln County Master Gardeners Association, worked as a native plant gardener at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, an Oregon Master Naturalist and volunteer naturalist at Cascade Head, volunteered at the Gerdemann botanical preserve, tended a garden with 200 varieties of native plants and was a linchpin for the Lincoln County Mycological Society.

Plant Lists and Other Information:     Clink on the links below for more information about this trip.

Photo: Marna Porath
Lisa Blackburn, Cheahmill Chapter, snaps a shot of the falls from the bridge. The suspension bridge offers safe handholds and solid footing. The sway amounts to only a couple of inches.

Photo: Marna Porath
Boykinia occidentalis, Rubus ursinus, Gaultheria shallon, Maianthemum stellatum, Viola sempervirens, and Polystichum munitum are among the many coastal woodland species along the well-maintained trail.