Happy 20th Birthday, Tillamook Forest Center!
Dear Friends of the Forest,
It was a joy and an honor to participate in the Birthday Celebration of the Tillamook Forest Center on Saturday, April 4th. The event program, provided by current center staff members, was interesting, informative and entertaining. I learned to remember the five types of Oregon salmon using my fingers:
The Five-Finger Mnemonic
Thumb: Chum Salmon — "Chum" rhymes with "thumb".
Index Finger: Sockeye Salmon — The finger used to "sock" someone in the eye.
Middle Finger: King Salmon — The longest, largest, or "king" finger.
Ring Finger: Silver Salmon (Coho) — The finger where you wear a silver ring.
Pinky Finger: Pink Salmon — The smallest finger for the smallest salmon
Other guests at the event regaled us with thrilling stories of retrieving the massive steam donkey from the woods and flying it by Chinook helicopter (yes, really!) to it’s current installation site at the forestry center. We all ate birthday cake and traipsed along the trail to release hundreds of fingerling steelhead trout into the creek. It was a gorgeous spring day, alive with blooms, perfectly reflecting the bright promises of those tiny fish.
We are privileged to have such an incredible place to visit, learn about, and experience Oregon’s magical working state forests. The Forest Center really is an incredible asset, open to all. And admission is FREE!
When was the last time you went out to the center, or the woods? If it’s been awhile, I urge you to make another visit again soon. There’s never “too many” days to experience the beauty and wonder of Oregon’s incredible state forests.
Virginia Ohler
Executive Director
To read more about the event and view a gallery of photos from the day, please CLICK HERE.