Bush’s Pasture Park’s Oregon White Oak Legacy

JULY 1 – AUGUST 27, 2022 | CAMAS GALLERY

RECEPTION JULY 8, FROM 5:30 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.

The ancestral lands of the Kalapuya, now known as Bush’s Pasture Park, have been the home of Oregon White Oak trees for centuries. While providing an important habitat for insects, birds and small animals, these trees also preserve natural and cultural history in their inner tree rings. Enjoy the beauty and majesty of these heritage trees through Carolyn Lehl’s Monday Morning Walks in the Park drawings and paintings.

Complementing her artwork is the Oak Salvage Project, which is working to “salvage data from some of the hundreds of old Oregon oaks that have been damaged in the February 2021 ice storm.” Willamette University Professors Karen Arabas, Joe Bowersox and David Craig are working with students to collect, process and analyze slices of fallen Oregon White Oak trees, known as “cookies”. This exhibition shares their explorations into “dendrochronology”, which examines patterns in the tree rings to reveal climate history as well as ecosystem and forest health. Their work underscores the significance and importance of these local Oregon White Oak trees and encourages each of us to help preserve and steward this irreplaceable natural legacy for future generations.