Funny, but I started this blog posting two months ago - saved it as a "draft" and then, well, life kindof happened. So here I am again, ready to tell you about Pixieland!
Pixieland is one of several sections of the
Salmon River Estuary that have been restored - that is, dikes taken down and native plants added (and non-natives removed).
Pixieland was a short-lived amusement park here on the coast -- I remember when we moved to Oregon in 1971, Pixieland was one of the places our cousins took us - beyond that I remember nothing about it.
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| Pixieland! |
Restoration efforts in the Salmon River Estuary have been ongoing since the mid-1970s as part of the
Cascade Head Management Plan. Until I started doing some research, I had no idea that the Salmon River Estuary was part of that plan! The people at the Salmon/Drift Creek Watershed Council and the Siuslaw National Forest have been a great help assisting me in my research.
My first visit was in September, about a month after
Pixieland was opened to the public (foot traffic only). Remember our dry summer? Well, it was one DRY wetlands!
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| Main trail, 9-23-2012 |
Nonetheless, I wandered around and tallied 18 species that included a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK as well as a COOPER'S HAWK. A couple of photos of the habitat and scenery.
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Pacific Tree (Chorus) Frog |
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| American Robin |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
I have become captivated by Pixieland and the surrounding estuary. Since that first visit, I've been keeping records of my visits (
see my spreadsheet here) and gathering as much information as I can about the restoration project.
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| Harbor Seal with Salmon |
As autumn turned to winter, the wetlands has become, well... WET. I've added muck boots and wellies to my store of supplies. But that is another blog (promise).
