Eugene Weekly : It’s About Time : 4.1.10

By David Wagner

Small Camas. Camassia quamash.

What is it about the call of a chickadee on a sunny morning that makes the heart sing? Love is in the air! How wonderful it is that these birds reside in town with us. I can’t imagine having to live in a city neighborhood without chickadees and robins. It is good to pause and give thanks for winged joy.

With the equinox behind us, rapidly lengthening days have us roaring headlong towards summer. Spring is just getting up to full steam and it will be over before you know it. The long dry period that characterizes our late summer has crowded the main flowering season into the next two months. It’s time to dust off those field guides and polish the hand lenses.

Camas will be blooming by the end of the month. We have two kinds in this area, the giant camas of upland seepy slopes and the small camas of wetlands with standing water in winter. Camas was an important food source for the original inhabitants of the area. Roasted in pit ovens, it is sweet and nourishing. Boiled, however, it has the consistency of library paste.

Pay attention to your surroundings when hiking on the edges of civilization, you may see more wildlife than you expect. Cougars are being seen close to town more frequently. So far, no confrontations have occurred in our area. If you do encounter a cougar, do not turn and run. Open wide your jacket to make yourself look big and YELL.

David Wagner is a botanist who has lived in Eugene for more than 30 years. He teaches mosses and leads plant walks. He may be reached at fernzenmosses@me.com

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!