Willamette River Field Tour

July 16th, 2025 | 9:30 am - 12 noon
Willamette Mission State Park | Keizer, OR

This event, hosted by the Oregon Invasive Species Council, aims to highlight the critical work being done along the mid-Willamette River to prevent and manage invasive aquatic plants and other priority weed species and identify future challenges. The tour will showcase three Oregon Lottery-funded grant projects, giving participants a firsthand look at key projects and partnerships along the Willamette River, tackling aquatic weeds and the negative impacts weeds can have on water quality and water users, from irrigators to recreators. This event will spotlight the work being done along the mid-Willamette by Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District, Yamhill County Soil and Water Conservation District, Willamette Riverkeeper, and more.  

Participants will receive an overview of how invasive species management plays a crucial role in protecting investments in the Willamette Valley and how, without public-private partnerships, outreach efforts, and concerned Oregonians, invasive weeds can rapidly overwhelm the many uses of the Willamette River. Over the course of the field tour, participants will learn about the importance of coalition building across multiple jurisdictions for successful invasive species prevention, planning, and capacity building, what is at risk if these efforts aren’t undertaken, and the successes and challenges facing invasive species management in the mid-Willamette. Participants will have the unique opportunity to hear from and interact with experts in the field as well as with entities whose investments, livelihoods, and culture are impacted or threatened by invasive species.

The event aims to:

• Showcase the productive partnerships and diversified collaborations that are actively addressing the threats posed by aquatic weeds to the local ecology, economy, and cultural resources thanks to Oregon Lottery project funding distributed by OWEB and ODA.

• Provide a platform for discussing other projects and efforts related to aquatic weed prevention, control, and mitigation in the Willamette.

• Highlight the impacts that invasive aquatic weeds have on the riverscape and our communities. Featured species will include water primrose, knotweed, yellow loosestrife, and more.

• Discuss potential new threats that may arrive via vectors such as the ornamental plant and aquarium trade and recreational boaters.

• Identify and discuss the challenges and future needs for invasive species management in the mid-Willamette and throughout the basin.

This event's target audience includes members of local media organizations, elected officials and other decision-makers, and local stakeholders and water users. The tour will feature brief presentations of ongoing projects and prevention efforts along the route, including a walking tour of invasive aquatic weed efforts in Willamette Mission State Park and a question-and-answer session with project leaders and state agencies involved in invasive species management.

Note: The field tour will include ~ 2 miles of walking through the park and a short ferry ride across the Willamette. If you have accessibility concerns, please contact the OISC Coordinator for options and accommodations.

Please register for the event using the link below; we will update you when the event agenda details have been finalized and send you a reminder before the event.

Location: Willamette Mission State Park - Mission Lake Shelter B
Parking fee $10/vehicle (pay at kiosk on site or display a State Park Day-Use Pass)

Draft Agenda:

(Times are approximate)

9:00 am | Coffee, mingle @ Mission Lake Picnic Shelter B

9:30 am | Welcome, Housekeeping & Introductions - Josh Emerson, 2025 OISC Chair

Site Welcome  (invited)

• Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

• Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde

Spotlight on Oregon “Lottery-Funded” Weed Board (OWEB/ODA) Grant Awardees - Tristen Berg, Oregon Department of Agriculture

9:45 am | Walk N Talk - Mission Trail to the Wheatland Ferry (~0.8mi) 

Topic: Ludwigia (water primrose)

• Mission Lake Ludwigia treatment - Willamette Riverkeeper

• Ludwigia on the Willamette - Oregon Department of Agriculture

10:15 | Wheatland Ferry Dock

Topic: Aquatic Weed Impacts on the Willamette

• Impacts to salmonids and other fishes - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

• Impacts to farmers and water delivery systems  - Peter Kenagy, Kenagy Family Farm 

Garden Loosestrife Site

• Michael Ahr, Benton SWCD

• Jordan Anderson, Yamhill SWCD

• Vanessa Youngblood, Willamette Riverkeeper

11:00 | Water and Watersheds in Oregon - a policy update

Invited: Watershed health and other State water priorities - Governor’s Natural Resource Staff 
Invited: Oregon Water Caucus Update - Water Caucus Co-Chair or Staff

11:15 | Wheatland Ferry Dock

Topic: Overview of other Willamette restoration and improvement projects - OWEB

11:30 | Walk N Talk  - Mission Trail to Mission Lake Shelter B

• Emerging weed issues - Oregon Department of Agriculture

• Western Invasives Network - Courtney Gattuso, WIN Coordinator

11:50 | Mission Lake Shelter B

Topic: Watercraft inspection and aquatic invasive species prevention - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, mobile inspection team

Mission Lake: | 2017 | prior to Ludwigia removal and | 2019 | after Ludwigia removal: see https://wapatorevival.org/aquatic-invasive-species/projects/