Soul River Inc.
$48,500  Willamette Valley   West Cascades 

SRI’s Eco Lab program is a unique initiative, focused on providing a holistic approach to outdoor education, environmental stewardship, design and awareness, and access to nature for youth and veterans. The program utilizes a diverse range of modules, led by veterans in collaboration with conservation experts and community partners. This program provides a comprehensive outdoor education and environmental stewardship experience where youth and veteran participants have unique opportunities to gain experience about various aspects of ecosystem health and function, i.e., biodiversity, botany, fisheries, pollinators, hydrology as well as Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous cultural practices associated with land stewardship/management and environmental design. Each Eco Lab has a field-based component which aims to promote hands-on learning and allow participants to directly experience the mental, physical, and emotional benefits of nature and gain a deeper connection to nature.

Experiential learning for this Eco Lab will take place at Riverside Park along the Clackamas River in Clackamas, OR and on adjacent properties owned by PGE and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Clackamas River provides critical freshwater habitat for Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey. Fifteen acres are targeted for ecological restoration. Soul River Inc. will collaborate with Mad Bears LLC to restore 1.5 of the total project acres, 2500 ft of streambank, create a pollinator garden and remove 1.5 acres of blackberry using manual techniques and then follow up with the establishment of native riparian vegetation species including trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species. CRBC, with additional and separate funding, will partner with AntFarm Youth Services and professional reforestation contractors to restore and revegetate the remaining 13.5 acres including an additional 2,200 ft of riverbank.