Join Willamalane and City of Eugene staff on Saturday, July 19th from 9:00am-12:00pm to help maintain the Kalapuya Talking Stones in the Whilamut Natural Area.
These stones were designed to honor the history of the land and the Kalapuya people and to reintroduce their words to the landscape. The beautiful stones were quarried from basalt in traditional Kalapuya territory and serve as educational and cultural reference points. There are 15 Talking stones located throughout Eastgate Woodlands and East Alton Baker Park that are in need of cleaning and having their surrounding areas weeded, mulched, and spruced up. To volunteer, "respond" to this opportunity. Please see below for further information and how to register for the first time.
Volunteers will meet at 9:00am in Alton Baker Park (located in Eugene) next to Nearby Nature (the meadow near the host house) with Willamalane and City of Eugene staff at the beginning of the work party to discuss the project guidelines and learn how to maintain the stones in a way that is in alignment with the desires of the local Indigenous community and stewards. Volunteers can expect to help out with some weeding, mulching, and potential cleaning up or graffiti removal from the stones. The stones are accessed by foot or bicycle, so volunteers should anticipate walking approximately 1 mile or more (wear comfortable shoes), and are encouraged to use bicycle transportation if possible for easier access.
Eastgate Woodlands and East Alton Baker Park are collectively known as the Whilamut Natural Area. The name Whilamut (pronounced "wheel-a-moot) was chosen in collaboration with the Komemma Cultural Protection Association of the Kalapuya Tribe. Whilamut is a Kalapuya word which means "where the river ripples and runs fast." The Citizen Planning Committee (CPC) initiated the renaming of the park, and selected a Kalapuya name as a gesture of honor and respect for the tribal members who hunted, fished, and gathered camas bulbs on the land that is now the Whilamut Natural Area. A traditional Kalapuya naming ceremony was held to commemorate the new name on September 7, 2002.
New to the Willamalane volunteer program? To sign up, first register as a Willamalane volunteer using this link and then “respond” to this opportunity. In your response notes, please include anything you would like us to know.
For the time being, this opportunity is private to allow AI/AN community members to have priority. We will seek out additional volunteers just if needed
Our shared goal is for the ongoing Talking Stones stewardship to be indigenous-led. This stewardship group can be in coordination with the Willamalane volunteer program. If you’re interested, please register as a Willamalane volunteer using this link so that our volunteer coordinator may follow up with you. You may also contact Maggie O’Driscoll, Volunteer Coordinator at 541-852-8766 or email maggie.odriscoll@willamalane.org.
