The Oregon oak tree is a towering marvel native to the Willamette Valley, providing a home to many animals and species crucial to the Oregon ecosystem.
For the Willamette University students who are part of the Stewarding Our Oregon Oaks project, the species also provides an important opportunity for research and education for others in the community about conservation.
This weekend, the Oregon Oaks project will host its first “Oaks Festival,” bringing people in the Salem community together to appreciate and learn more about the tree.
“We’re hosting this festival to celebrate the Oregon oak and its ecological historical and cultural significance, both on campus as well as within the larger community,” said Isabella Stone, a third-year Willamette student who serves as communications representative for the project.
The oaks project got its start in 2021 after students received a grant to address the issue of conserving the oaks. They came together after the February ice storm toppled many old oaks around the city, including one that dated back to 1666. The group of students then came together to collect acorns throughout the community, and start educating people on the importance of preserving and restoring Oregon oaks.
The festival will run from Friday to Sunday, and include many activities for people including acorn potting, acorn jelly sampling, a tree planting, field trips to native plant nurseries, and a panel discussion with Lindsey McClary of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde about oak related sustainability, native plant work and the connections between oaks and humans.
The event times vary depending on the day, and a full schedule can be found on the group’s website at linktr.ee/wugrowingoaks. Friday and Sunday’s activities will be free, though Sunday’s field trips will require sign-ups ahead of time.
Saturday’s activities will be part of a larger event at Willamette called ZenaFest, which celebrates fall on the university’s 305-acre Zena property, purchased in 2008. The site is located west of the main Willamette campus in Salem, and is largely used as an educational resource for conservation and environmental studies. This event requires a ticket to attend, and while the event is now sold out, those with tickets already can participate in some of the events the Oregon Oaks project will be hosting.
Students involved in the Oregon Oak project are focused on encouraging the restoration and conservation of the oak tree, Stone said.
“We do this through acorn collections and then growing saplings which are then going to be planted around our campus, as well as the rest of the Salem community,” she said. “We also want to focus on student research. We have some experimental plots going up in the Zena forest property owned by Willamette.”
The group is also working to create a stronger, reciprocal relationship with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Siletz Indians, she said, to acknowledge and respect that original land stewardship and provide more opportunities for people to learn about the oak.
“They were here on the land before us. They have so much knowledge that they can share with us,” she said.
Stone said the project is also working to be involved in more political action concerning oaks and sustainability statewide.
People interested in attending the festival or finding out more information about the Oregon Oaks project can go online at linktr.ee/wugrowingoaks.
Contact reporter Jordyn Brown at [email protected].
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Jordyn Brown is an Oregon journalist who formerly worked for the Eugene Register-Guard.
