The Greater Oregon City Watershed Council partners with rural landowners, local municipalities, and suburban and urban communities to care for the streams and rivers that connect us all. We work with the many people who live, work, play, worship, and travel through these watersheds to restore healthy riparian areas—the green corridors along our waterways that provide shade, habitat, and cleaner water.

Abernethy Shade is all about helping Abernethy Creek stay cool and healthy for fish, wildlife, and people. When water gets too warm, it can be tough for native salmon, trout, and other creek life. The best natural solution? Planting trees and shrubs along the stream to create shade!

Through our Abernethy Shade Program, the Greater Oregon City Watershed Council teams up with local watershed residents to restore streamside areas on public and privately owned land.

We hire restoration contractors to remove invasive plants, like blackberry, and install native plants to help reduce erosion and keep our rivers and streams cool. Native plants provide a ton of other benefits; they provide food and shelter for wildlife, require less maintenance, and make the creek a more beautiful place to enjoy.

Thanks to support from the City of Oregon City, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, we’re able to bring resources, plants, and people together to care for this special watershed. With every tree we plant, we’re building a healthier Abernethy Creek for our community today and for generations to come.