Newsroom

CORVALLIS - If you are looking to celebrate Earthweek with some good old-fashioned hard work that will benefit the environment, Oregon State University has a job for you.

The university is sponsoring a community revegetation project at the OSU Dairy Center and Sheep Center that will help restore and enhance the ecosystem along Oak Creek. More than 4,000 trees and shrubs have been donated by The National Tree Trust and will be planted on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m.

Volunteers will meet on the OSU campus at the Irish Bend Covered Bridge on Campus Way just west of the main campus.

"We need people willing to bring their gloves, shovels, good vibes and a willingness to work," said James Cassidy, one of the event's organizers and president of OSU's Organic Growers Club. "There are many historic hydrologic features adjacent to Oak Creek that can be reactivated through appropriate revegetation."

Volunteers can contact Cassidy at 541-752-7372 or james.cassidy@orst.edu. Ben Krahn, director of the OSU Dairy Center and Sheep Center, Cassidy and Greg Coleman of Watersheds Unlimited are organizing the event.

The OSU Dairy Center and the OSU Organic Growers Club will also sponsor "The Covered Bridge Concert and Earth Day Hoo Haa Kick Off!" on Tuesday, April 22, at 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Irish Bend Covered Bridge and will feature live music and food. Cassidy said community members are encouraged to bring their own musical instruments.

"We'll be planting native trees and wildflowers nearby and generating excitement for the upcoming Earthweek activities," Krahn said.

Krahn said people attending the kick off event can sign up to volunteer for the April 26 revegetation project.