Special plants and animals of Seavy Meadows

A few examples...

Tufted hairgrass, Deschampsia caespitosa, once dominated the native wet prairies in the Willamette Valley. This tall bunchgrass has lacy sprays of tiny green flowers. Tufted hairgrass seed from Seavy Meadows has been gathered in mass and used in prairie restorations elsewhere in the Valley. Some statistics: in 1992 over 1000 pounds of seed were mechanically harvested by Corvallis New Holland. The seed cost $1200 to clean, but currently is valued at about $20/lb. The net value of the seed was therefore about $19,000. Some of this seed was planted for wetland restoration of Marys River Natural Park on Brooklane Drive.

Choruses of Pacific treefrogs (Hyla regilla) are frequent in the evenings in late January to March. Unlike many frogs, these are well-adapted to seasonal wetlands in the valley, breeding in the shallow ponded areas and ditches.

The Western Meadowlark, Oregon's State Bird, is declining from habitat loss. The complex flute-like song is frequently heard in Seavy Meadows. Because of its steady decline, this bird is included on Oregon's Sensitive Species List (Dec. 1997) as Critical: "A species for which listing as threatened or endangered may be appropriate for the Willamette Valley if immediate conservation actions are not taken." Western Meadowlarks require large areas of open space for nesting. Seavy Meadows has ideal characteristics as Meadowlark habitat: grass dominated, not cultivated, and woody vegetation present for singing perches (Altman 1999). The main drawback is its small size, as it is most likely to nest in very large grassland fragments (200 acres or more). However, nesting territories are mostly 10-19 acres. Meadowlarks and other ground nesting birds are vulnerable to predation by crows, feral cats, and dogs. The nesting season is April 15 to June 15 -- mowing and other disturbances must not occur during this period.

Reference: Altmann, B. 1999. Status and conservation of state sensitive grassland bird species in the Willamette Valley. Report to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 38 pages plus figures and appendices.

Camas is a showy blue lily characteristic of wet prairies. Native people in the Willamette Valley ate camas bulbs as a staple food. The last natural population in Seavy Meadows was extirpated in 1992 by the development east of Conser Ave. Volunteers re-introduced Camas in 1999 by bulbs and seed. The transplants came from a nearby wetland that was being destroyed. Camas could easily be restored in great abundance to Seavy Meadows, enhancing the spring wildflower show in Seavy Meadows.

Few people notice the secretive Common Snipe (below), even though small flocks of them are common at Seavy Meadows in winter. Their flexible bills probe for insects in the wet prairie mud. Look for aerial dive displays in which their wings make a eerie whirring sound.

See more snipe photos...

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