Sue Geniesse and her neighbors stood by the banks of Mill Creek, staring at the ivy and blackberry brambles that had overtaken their scenic backyards. They weren’t just eyesores; they were symbols of neglect, choking the life out of the creek. Sue, who had moved into her home back in 1997, wasn’t one to sit idle. When a neighbor asked if the city could step in and remove the invasive plants, she knew it would take more than a casual ask.
The journey that followed was a gauntlet of bureaucracy, hours of emails, phone calls, and an application process that would have most people throwing in the towel. But Sue and her neighbors weren’t most people. By the time the dust settled, they had secured $42,000 in grants—$22,500 from the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District and $20,000 from Salem’s watershed protection and preservation grant. The goal? Restore over 900 feet of the creek with native plants and provide a healthier environment for the animals and the water itself.
For Geniesse, this wasn’t just a landscaping project. It was personal. When she first moved to the area, Oregon Fish and Wildlife still stocked fall Chinook salmon in Mill Creek. Though those days are long gone, the creek remains an essential habitat for spring Chinook, and restoring it is vital to the local ecosystem. The project will stabilize the banks, prevent soil erosion, and—hopefully—keep the nutria population from further wreaking havoc.
Getting the neighbors on board wasn’t as hard as you’d think. Once Sue teamed up with Luke Westphal, the city’s urban streamside coordinator, and Kassi Roosth from the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District, she crossed the creek—literally—and rallied more neighbors to join the cause. Soon, ten properties were in on the restoration, stretching along Chemeketa Street between 15th and 17th streets.
Of course, no project like this comes without its challenges. Sue struggled to find a contractor willing to take on the job, enduring rejections and radio silence before finally securing Ash Creek Forest Management to do the work. The plan is simple in theory: remove invasive plants, stabilize the creek, and introduce native species. But it’s a two-year process, one that will unfold season by season, with careful monitoring and replanting along the way.
There’s an added bonus, too. Beyond restoring the creek, Sue hopes to show her neighbors that native plants can be incorporated into landscaping, even if not everyone was thrilled at first. One neighbor, for instance, insisted on keeping a patch of echinacea—non-native, but beloved all the same.
Despite a history of keeping to themselves, the neighbors have started to come together, united by their shared backyard. Frankie Bell, who lives next door to Sue, is particularly excited, though she jokes about the “ridiculous” amount of ivy overtaking the creek. She’s eager to see the project unfold, hopeful that, in time, they’ll even see more salmon return to the creek.
The first phase kicks off this fall, with tree and shrub planting over the winter. After two years of planting, removing, and replanting, the hope is that Mill Creek will once again be a thriving part of the neighborhood, and maybe, just maybe, inspire others to tackle their own stretches of the stream.
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