Transcript
(written before making the comic and thus has minor differences for panel pacing).
What Good is a Shady Spot?
This is Greenwood. Also known as the Reed Theater, it was built in 1972 with insurance money from a fire that burned down the old student union. Though it doesn’t get much use since the construction of the Performing Arts Building in 2013, Greenwood still impacts the geography of the Canyon and the organisms that live there.
Even ‘shade’ plants need some sunlight, which plants convert to energy during photosynthesis. The dense overstory and Portland’s cloudy clime already make the Canyon kind of dim, but plants don’t stand a chance in the shadow of Greenwood. Even worse, human foot-traffic compacted the soil so tightly, no roots could form.
When Zac Perry’s team was tasked with restoring the Canyon in 1999, Greenwood posed challenges. The creek was slowed to a trickle, cut off by the now-defunct outdoor pool, which made the banks so wide and water so shallow that it was impassable by fish species that made the Canyon their home.
The outdoor pool was removed, which restored the water flow intensity. Zac added sedges, rushes, and nootka rose to provide a natural barrier to discourage people from walking under the building and further compacting the soil. Zac’s team had to “think like a salmon” to increase canyon swimmability, reinforcing the banks with precisely-sized rocks for fish to swim by or rest on, even bending the stream itself to moderate flow speed.
Even though years of neglect have made it difficult for organisms to exist here, the continued restoration efforts of Zac Perry’s team have helped life return to this shady space. Living things are returning, even humans, who are welcome to take advantage of the shade or duck out of the rain by sitting on the bench, as long as they mind their space.
(written before making the comic and thus has minor differences for panel pacing).
What Good is a Shady Spot?
This is Greenwood. Also known as the Reed Theater, it was built in 1972 with insurance money from a fire that burned down the old student union. Though it doesn’t get much use since the construction of the Performing Arts Building in 2013, Greenwood still impacts the geography of the Canyon and the organisms that live there.
Even ‘shade’ plants need some sunlight, which plants convert to energy during photosynthesis. The dense overstory and Portland’s cloudy clime already make the Canyon kind of dim, but plants don’t stand a chance in the shadow of Greenwood. Even worse, human foot-traffic compacted the soil so tightly, no roots could form.
When Zac Perry’s team was tasked with restoring the Canyon in 1999, Greenwood posed challenges. The creek was slowed to a trickle, cut off by the now-defunct outdoor pool, which made the banks so wide and water so shallow that it was impassable by fish species that made the Canyon their home.
The outdoor pool was removed, which restored the water flow intensity. Zac added sedges, rushes, and nootka rose to provide a natural barrier to discourage people from walking under the building and further compacting the soil. Zac’s team had to “think like a salmon” to increase canyon swimmability, reinforcing the banks with precisely-sized rocks for fish to swim by or rest on, even bending the stream itself to moderate flow speed.
Even though years of neglect have made it difficult for organisms to exist here, the continued restoration efforts of Zac Perry’s team have helped life return to this shady space. Living things are returning, even humans, who are welcome to take advantage of the shade or duck out of the rain by sitting on the bench, as long as they mind their space.