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When I bought my farm 23 years ago it was 20 acres of wheat stubble. The woman who owned the land was living with her family and the land and house had been rented out for a long time. Except for trees along the slough and around the house the land had been cleared for farming..The owner, Vivian Sandow, told me about crawdad fishing in the stream and the western pond turtles sunning themselves on the lilies in the slough. She told me development of Corvallis had changed the water flow and she did not think much wild life was around anymore.
We planted pasture, built fences and revitalized a apple and plum orchard in the north west corner. We fenced our cattle out of the slough area to protect the bank and water quality. In the winter months the stream and slough are connected to the Willamette River. (Steve Smith, ODFW while inspecting my land confirmed the stream's connection to the Willamette River.) The river backs up into the tributaries that feed it. It is that action that allows the large fish I see in the slough to come upstream from the river.
In the spring as the river recedes my slough becomes an excellent fishing ground for the Osprey and Great Blue and Green Herons that live in the area. At this point deep water holes and water flow from Sequoia Creek are essential for this wildlife habitat to be sustained. To do our part we planted hundreds of trees and shrubs along the fence rows and slough for wildlife habitat and food. The trees also provide shade for the stream and cattle on hot summer days. When we needed a larger farm office, we built the office 13 feet above the shop floor so the office floor would be above flood level. We built our farm around and with the natural features of our land.
In the first 14 years we managed to earn a profit on our farm and turn our land into excellent wildlife habit. We had a Wildlife Study done on our land. We give school tours and State and Federal wildlife employees have full access to enter our land. The Audubon Society does annual bird counts, we allow bird watchers. We maintain bird and owl boxes and give teachers owl pellets. We built an 80 foot high Osprey platform overlooking the slough and last summer a young family started to build a nest for next year.
We have continued to be good stewards of the land but we are hampered by the city development allowed in the watershed area of Sequoia Creek and Stewart Slough. Development has not addressed the downstream impact and has caused high winter water flows through the unchecked storm system which brings trash, oil and sediment into the creek and sloughs. Development increasing impervious ground cover has decreased percolation and clean summer water flows. Not maintaining Sequoia Creek as a valuable resource has created a polluted stream system.(Benton County Health Dept., Ron Smith stated at a Benton Soil and Water Conservation District meeting that summer flow in Sequoia Creek is the most polluted water in the county). Low water flow also increases stream temperature and kills fish.
Seavy Meadows is an important piece of open space because it contributes by percolation to the summer water supply and has the ability with minor improvements to slow winter water flows. Seavy Meadows is also a major connection to a vegetation and wildlife corridor that connects the NE section of Corvallis to the vast wild life habitat NW of Corvallis (Hospital hill) and along the Seavy Road area and habitat east of Hwy 20 to the Willamette River.
To sustain wildlife and the natural beauty of our area I am
willing to do my part on my land. I only ask that the City of
Corvallis do their part and preserve Seavy Meadows and the NE
wildlife corridor. I also request that Benton County Commissioners
do everything possible to protect our streams and sloughs from
upstream development damage.