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

Sunday May 19, 2024    9 a.m. - Noon                    Field Trip # 91

Difficulty:     Easy or moderate  (0.3 mile interpretive walk and optional 4.5 miles) - There will be an easy, short interpretive walk and an optional moderate outer trail with some steep inclines.

Elevation:     Short trails on fairly level ground. Elevation gain of 450 feet on outer trail.

Group Size Limit:     LIMIT REACHED, TRIP FULL

Trip Description:     The 130 acres of forest and grassland that make up Miller Woods were bequeathed to the Yamhill Soil & Water Conservation District by Frieda Miller in 2004. The property contains a wide array of ecosystems, including hayfield, oak savanna, timber stands of varying ages, ponds, and streams, which are home to a diverse group of native plants, birds, and other wildlife. A portion of the pasture has been restored to upland prairie with Roemer's fescue (Festuca roemeri) and other prairie species. Through demonstrations and education programs, Miller Woods inspires visitors and members of the community to be responsible and caring stewards of our natural resources; hundreds of young visitors participate annually in local school and outdoor education programs on the property.

Miller Woods houses a native plant nursery that provides restoration materials for local, state, and federal agencies. It also provides plants for its annual native plant sale, a spring fundraiser for Miller Woods. Cheahmill Chapter members are active participants in preparing and selling native plants at the sale.

After a tour of the native plant nursery, a 4.5-mile hike around the property will highlight thinning of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) for long-term sustainability, the oak savanna (Quercus garryana), and test plots for a variety of native plants being raised in the nursery. The shorter Discovery Loop Trail is a one-third mile loop developed to increase the education and recreational opportunities at Miller Woods, with interpretive signs that introduce native plant and animal communities.

Special Considerations:     Bathrooms and picnic tables are available.

Meeting Place and Time:     Trip # 91 leaves at 9 a.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 9:35 a.m at Miller Woods parking lot, 15580 NW Orchard View Road, McMinnville, Oregon. If you choose this option, be sure to notify your trip leader in advance.

Driving Miles and Time from Spirit Mountain Hotel:     27 miles, 37 minutes on paved roads

Driving Directions:     Trip leaders will provide detailed driving instructions.

Leaders:       Rachel Kato, Jim Kreutzbender

Rachel Kato: Riparian Conservationist, Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District. Jim Kreutzbender: Native plant enthusiast and volunteer at the native garden at McMinnville Library