I was alarmed at the recent post that native oaks had been removed from Ankeny
Wildlife Refuge to make room for the new Nature Center. I’ve always been a
believer in letter writing, so I emailed a message to the contact at Ankeny. I
received the following response, which made me breathe a sigh of relief! I
probably should have researched the issue more before I wrote; it looks like
there is a lot out there as far as pertinent information.
Susie Deagle
Hi Ms. Deagle,
Good morning, my name is Graham Peters and I am the Refuge manager here at
Ankeny and Baskett Slough. Only one Oregon white oak was cut down up at Ankeny
Hill and it was a very tough decision for us as managing, conserving, and
restoring Oregon white oak communities is high priority on all Willamette
Valley Refuges. The tree was nearly dead and could not be saved, it posed a
safety hazard to the public as we will be attracting a significant increase in
visitors with the new Nature Center, and we will be incorporating the tree and
oak conservation awareness in the new Nature Center building. The other trees
that were cut down included non-native silver poplar and non-native walnut. Our
eventual goal will be to restore the Ankeny Hill area to native upland prairie
with oak savanna on the top of the hill. Therefore, removing non-native trees
is a first step in the restoration process. We would never intentionally remove
oak without assessing all of our options and it requires significant
justification. Thank you for your concern.
The Refuge reached out to the public via various outlets to inform folks about
Nature Center site developments including removing the oak tree. We posted on
our Willamette Valley Complex Facebook page, asked our Nature Center project
partners, including Salem Audubon to do the same, and we have three signs
posted up at Ankeny Hill letting people know that Nature Center site
developments are under way. Please see the text from the Facebook post on
February 9th below:
Next week you'll start to see a few changes at Ankeny Hill Overlook, a popular
spot at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. The work to be completed has multiple
objectives: clear non-native tree species such as poplar and walnut; re-purpose
the declining white oak tree; and ready the site for the Nature Center that
will be constructed in 2017.
Unfortunately, the large oak tree that has been a dominant feature of this
landscape can't be saved and is a safety hazard. An arborist examined the tree
last year and it only has an estimated 10% of its leaves left and less than a
20% chance of survival. It would still have enormous value as a snag but since
this is the future home of an education center, it poses a risk to visitors and
school groups that frequent the site. Fortunately, a local, family-owned mill
(Zena Forest Products) will help turn this tree into features you'll see
throughout the new Nature Center. It is proposed to take on many important
roles: an educational display, tables, a children's experience zone, flooring,
and much more.
Oak habitat is a rare and priority habitat type in the Willamette Valley and at
Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. White oaks are being replanted as part of the
future site and habitat restoration.
Do you have pictures of this legacy oak that you could share with us? We have
some but we know there are neighbors, friends, birders and visitors out there
that have captured beautiful photos of this tree and the wildlife it attracts.
This tree will be an important part of the new Nature Center and we'd like to
include some photos. Share pictures, comments and stories with us:
willamettevalley@xxxxxxx <mailto:willamettevalley@xxxxxxx>.
Sincerely,
Graham Evans-Peters
Refuge Manager
Ankeny and Baskett Slough NWR
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
10995 Hwy. 22
Dallas, OR 97338
503-623-2749 (o)
541-760-2872 (c)
graham_evans-peters@xxxxxxx <mailto:graham_evans-peters@xxxxxxx>
