Student volunteers in Oregon’s Coast Range are working to restore the ecology of Shot Pouch Creek. The Youth Watershed Council, a program of the Marys River Watershed Council, recently led students in planting about 12,200 willow trees near Philomath. Organizers say the work is intended to restore conditions that existed before European settlement by creating habitat suitable for beavers and thinning aging alder trees that block sunlight.
Seven elementary school students recently faced off at Phoenix High School for the Future Chefs Challenge, a competition designed to inspire young culinary talent. This year’s “Passport to Flavor” theme encouraged global recipes ranging from risotto to Irish potato leek soup…