Scouts with shrub seedlings swarm Steigerwald Lake

WASHOUGAL — Steigerwald Lake’s gradual conversion from 20th-century cattle pasture to ecological oasis continued apace on Saturday.

Dozens of children and chaperones set out on a chilly but sun-splashed morning on the newly constructed trail at the western edge of the Columbia River Gorge to plant a few hundred native shrubs.

The tree-planting event on Saturday added to the 6,500 plants already plunked in the ground at the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Andy Reid, a volunteer with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, said the plan is to overwhelm shrub-chomping beavers.

“We’re hoping to put so many out here, the beavers can’t keep up,” he said.

With guidance from volunteer stewards and the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, scouts spent the morning plunking in hundreds of willows, red osier dogwood and cottonwood seedlings.

The group included scouts from around the area.

“When they’re young like this, it’s important to leave that impression,” said Mike Howell, a den leader for Cub Scout Pack 424 in Camas. “When they grow up, volunteering isn’t a novelty to them.”