Our Little Slice of Heaven in the Willamette Valley

Renee Dompier

(Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians)

Native Plant Nursery Assistant

Photo of two deer at EWF

I hate to drive past any kind of furry friend that has been hit by a vehicle and left alongside the road. It seems like it happens more these days which we might attribute to the ever-growing population and everything that comes with it. Do not get me wrong, I love my home, cellphone, and even my car, but I do not like seeing the animals alongside the road. I get the need for housing, stores, and I guess parking lots, but it is costing us more than everyone realizes. 

Those of you who know about the Oregon Conservation Strategy know that Oregon has identified 17 amphibians, 58 birds, 29 mammals, 5 reptiles, 60 fish, 62 invertebrates, and 63 plants and algae as target species for restoration. Wow! This is important work that our team at Elderberry Wisdom Farm is also committed to support in the Willamette Valley. 

For example, on our four acres here on Delaney Road SE, we have several families of deer that graze on our farm daily. Just the other day I saw a coyote! This was no surprise because we sometimes hear them singing and yapping at night, the most heavenly sound knowing they are some of our original inhabitants. We also have an owl that I call Grandma Owl who watches over us and sometimes messages us, plus we have several mountain quail which we first spotted in 2021. They just had a ton of babies this summer that scurry around after their mothers up by the plant nursery. The list goes on and on, but my point is you do not get to see these unless you have your own “little slice of heaven.” 

I don’t know if my narrative expresses the joy I still feel when I see the deer, the coyote, or any of the animals I get to see here on the farm.  I grew up in a tiny town down south in southern Oregon near my tribe the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians of Oregon, and the land was full of all kinds of animals that I have always enjoyed seeing. So I can’t imagine not being able to see an animal in its natural environment, but instead having to go a “zoo” to see a black tailed deer, or a grey squirrel. If we don’t start paying attention to our environment that’s going to be the only way our children and grandchildren etc., will be able to see them. 

I want to be able to see my grandkids’ eyes light up when they get to see a wild animal for the first time. The amazement that you can see on your child or grandchild’s face is priceless! So, this article is a challenge to ALL the smart, determined, fearless people out there on this our beautiful Mother Earth to find a way for the proverbial chicken to cross the road.

I know certain things are necessary for the growing population, but if we as humans can put a man on the moon, then why can’t we get our smartest most determined minds to come up with a way for our little furry friends to cross the street, highways, or any other man-made road safely!  A few great ideas have worked for some animals, like in Alaska, they made underpasses under the roads and fencing so the animals can pass safely. In Washington State, someone came up with the squirrel bridge to let the squirrels safely cross busy Seattle streets. Here in Oregon, Portland’s conservationists have their Frog Shuttle and help the sensitive red legged frog successfully migrate during mating season across Highway 30 from Forest Park down to their wetlands.