I have a background in fisheries biology and botany from the University of Washington and have been a horticultural professional for 50 years. I worked as a horticulturist for Portland Parks for 10 years, then worked at the Clark County Corrections native plant nursery at the Mabry Center for five years. Finally, I worked as a wetland ecologist for an environmental consulting firm for five years doing wetland delineations, wetland mitigation design, planting, and monitoring and am now retired and almost 71 years old. I taught native plant ID for WSU Clark County Extension when they had a Watershed Stewards program.
For two decades, I have periodically attempted to make several points to numerous people about why I have “cried the blues” for the ineptitude of the feds for not doing restoration of wetlands and riparian areas, such as those downstream from Klineline Park, in a more responsible way.
I am writing to The Columbian in the hopes that somebody will hear my entreaty for the powers that be to do a better job with their efforts.
