Tuesday, April 1: Restoration Committee Meeting, 6-7:30pm, JCWC office (1900 SE Milport Road, Milwaukie).

This committee meets the first Tuesday of every month and is open to the public. Contact Greg Ciannella at or (503) 652-7477 for more details.

Saturday, April 5: Rain Garden Workshop, 9am-noon. Location: Leach Botanical Garden (6704 SE 122nd Ave, Portland).

Learn how you can build a beautiful rain garden, a gorgeous addition to your landscaping that can help capture rainfall runoff and keep it out of overburdened sewers and streams. Registration and cost: Free. To register, send e-mail to . Sponsored by East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, the Johnson Creek Watershed Counil, and Leach Botanical Garden. Workshop will be followed by Leach Botanical Neighborhood Open House from 1pm-4pm.

Sunday, April 6: Emerging Wild Greens of Spring, 9am-12pm. Location: Hoyt Arboretum (4000 SW Fairview Blvd., Portland). Registration and cost: $22. Advance registration required.

Traverse a diversity of habitats exploring the bounty of spring plants created by the winter rains around Hoyt Arboretum. Visit forest, wetlands and open fields teeming with the tender fresh new plants of spring. Registration and cost: $22. Advance registration required; call (503) 775-3828. Directions: TriMet Bus 63 stops directly in front of the visitor center. You can also ride MAX to the Zoo and walk uphill to the visitor center. Sponsored by Wild Food Adventures.

Monday, April 7: Amphibian Conservation Workshop, 8:30am-5pm. Location, Oregon Zoo Skyline room (4001 SW Canyon Road, Washington Park, Portland). Advance registration required.

Amphibian populations are declining, both in the Pacific Northwest and around the globe. Your actions can have a positive impact on the future of these animals. By coordinating efforts, everyone learns from each other to find effective solutions. Registration and cost: Advance registration required. For more information, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org or send e-mail to suzanne.rosen@oregonzoo.org. Directions: Located off Highway 26 West (Sunset Highway) or take TriMet MAX light rail to Washington Park station or TriMet bus line 63 (Washington Park-OMSI). Wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpretation is available by arrangement. Sponsored by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Zoo.

Wednesday, April 9: Spring Birds Identification Class, 7-9:30pm. Metro Regional Center, Gustafson Conference Room (600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland). Registration and payment of $10 per person are required in advance.

Spring brings thousands of migrating birds to our region; some stay to nest and others pass through. Get ready for great spring birding action with this crash course in identifying spring migrants and summer breeders. Metro naturalist James Davis will show slides, play recordings of bird songs and simplify what seems like a confusing variety of birds to many beginners. This class is excellent preparation for bird walks at Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area. Suitable for adults and teens. Meet in room 370 at Metro Regional Center in Portland. Registration and cost: Registration and payment of $10 per person are required in advance; call (503) 797-1850 option 4. Directions: Located in the Lloyd District three blocks south of the TriMet MAX Northeast Holladay Street light-rail line. One block east of the Oregon Convention Center.

Thursday, April 10: Controlling Weeds on Small Acreages Workshop, 7-9pm. Mt. Hood Community College, Academic Center, Town and Gown Room (Room 2057).

Are invasive weeds taking over your property? Attend our free workshop where local conservationists and weed control experts will talk about strategies to successfully combat Himalayan Blackberry, Garlic Mustard, English Ivy, and Japanese Knotweed. Bring samples of these or other invasive weeds from your property for identification and advice. Can't make it to our workshop? Request a free, personal site visit at http://www.emswcd.org or call (503) 222-SOIL. Register online at http://www.emswcd.org or come early to register at the event.

Directions: Mt. Hood Community College is located at 26000 SE Stark St. in Gresham. To enter the campus, follow 257th Dr. (Kane Rd) to the entrance between Stark St. and 17th St. The Academic Center will be the building right in front of you. Park in any of the unreserved lots near the south end of the building. The Town and Gown room is on the second floor of the Academic Center, in the southeast corner.

Saturday, April 12: Powell Butte Restoration, 9am-noon. Meet at the parking lot at the top of the hill on SE 162 Ave, immediately south of Powell Blvd.

Help rebuild, regrade and generally fix the trail system at this much-loved park. Please bring gloves and drinking water. For more information and directions, contact Louise Shorr at lshorr@ci.portland.or.us, or (503) 823-6131.

Saturday, April 12: Naturescaping Basic Workshop, 9am-1pm. Location: In Sherwood, TBA. Pre-Registration required.

Learn about Native plants, natural landscapes and environment friendly gardening practices. Get ideas for your garden, a guide book and a native plant to get you started. View Naturescaping examples, get advice on native gardening, identify native plants and great Naturescaping tips. Pre-registration required. Free and open to the public. To register, phone (503) 797-1842 or email naturescaping@yahoo.com. Wheelchair accessible. Event website: http://www.naturescape.org.

Saturday, April 12: Family Nature Connection Day, 10:00-11:00 am. Location: The Scout Pit, Oaks Educational Center (5040 SE Milwaukie Ave., Portland). Registration and cost: $10.

Join in a day designed to reconnect children, their parents and all adults back to the natural world. Journey together to discover unique ways to learn from and stay connected with the outdoors. Suitable for teens and children 8 and older. Registration and cost: $10. To register, visit http://www.trackersnw.com.

Sunday, April 13: Sunday at Two Lecture Series at Tryon Creek: Going Solar, 2-3pm. Tryon Creek State Natural Area (11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland).

Join Stuart Green of Solar Oregon to learn the basics of why solar is a smart choice in Oregon. The overview demonstrates how well solar works in Oregon, identifies available solar technologies and financial incentives, and discusses how to go about choosing a contractor. The participant will come away with basic knowledge about solar and will be prepared for further workshops or to do more focused research on their own and start working with a contractor. Registration and cost: Free. For more information, call (503) 636-9886 ext. 225.

Tuesday, April 15: Johnson Creek Watershed Council Board Meeting, 5:30-7:30pm, JCWC office, (1900 SE Milport Road, Milwaukie).

Board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month and are open to the public. Light snacks will be provided. For more information, call us at (503) 652-7477 or email info@jcwc.org.

Saturday, April 19: Errol Heights Wetlands Restoration, 9:00am-noon. Meet at the field at the corner of SE 52 & SE Tenino, 2 miles south of SE Woodstock.

Help the Friends of Errol Heights and Portland Parks City Nature restore this 14-acre wetland. Bring gloves and water, and dress for the weather. For more information or to register, contact Louise Shorr at lshorr@ci.portland.or.us, or (503) 823-6131.

Saturday, April 19: Gresham Earth Day Celebration, 10am-2pm. Gresham City Hall (1333 NW Eastman Parkway, Gresham).

The City of Gresham Department of Environmental Services invites you to join them for their annual Earth Day Celebration. This free community event includes exhibits, art, music, food, electronics recycling, earth-friendly vendors, as well as children's arts, crafts, and entertainment. For more information, contact Jill Bradley at (503) 618-2420.

Saturday, April 19: Celebrating Water: Connecting Water, Land and People, 9am-1pm. Clackamas Community College, Oregon City (19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City).

Bring your family and join in a celebration of water with informational water resource booths, speakers and lots of hands-on activities for kids. Learn more about what water resource agencies in Clackamas County are doing to protect our resources. The event takes place in the Gregory Forum at Clackamas Community College. Registration and cost: Free. For more information, call Kim at (503) 723-9692. Wheelchair accessible. Sponsored by Clackamas County Water Education Team.

Tuesday, April 22: Land Use Committee Meeting, 6:30-8:30pm. Main Street Ale House (333 N Main Ave, Gresham).

This committee meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month and is open to the public. For more information contact .

Tuesday, April 22: Organic Gardening with Birds, 7-9pm. Location: The Berry Botanic Garden (11505 SW Summerville Ave., Portland). Cost: $15.

If you want to be a successful organic gardener, you have to encourage birds to aid your efforts. Local author and fearless gardener Linda Beutler will explain how to enlist birds in a mutually beneficial relationship to enhance your garden and their livelihoods. Bring special beauty and life to your yard! Cost: $15. For more information, visit http://www.berrybot.org, or contact (503) 636-4112 x102 or register@berrybot.org.

Wednesday, April 23: Urbanizing Flora of Portland, Oregon, 1806-2006, 7-8:30pm. Location: The Berry Botanic Garden (11505 SW Summerville Ave., Portland). Cost: $5.

What do golden sedge, western lady slipper, and ghost orchids have to do with Portland? What was life like before reed canary grass and English ivy? What did marine shipping have to do with putting Portland on the botanical map? Join John Christy to hear about these and other botanical oddities recovered from 100-year-old publications and specimens documenting Portland's flora in the days of horse-drawn traffic, and how it compares with today's flora. John Christy is an ecologist with the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center at OSU. Cost: $5. For more information, visit http://www.berrybot.org, or contact (503) 636-4112 x102 or register@berrybot.org.

Saturday, April 26: Friends of Tideman Johnson Park Work Party, 9am - noon, SE 37th & Tenino.

Help pull weeds, mulch existing plants, and plant more natives. Refreshments and work tools provided. Volunteers of all ages are welcome. To volunteer, or for more information, contact webmaster@ardenwald.org or visit http://www.ardenwald.org.

Saturday, April 26: Spring Plant Sale, 11am-3pm. Location: Montgomery Park in NW Portland, 2701 NW Vaughn Street. Free Parking!

More than 20 specialty vendors are expected, offering thousands of unusual plants for the avid plant collector and the casual gardener. The event will showcase plants native to the Pacific Northwest, specialty alpine plants, dwarf conifers and bonsai, and perennials. For more information, including a list of vendors who will be there, visit the plant sale page, http://www.berrybot.org/events/plant_sales.html. Location: Montgomery Park in NW Portland, 2701 NW Vaughn Street. Free Parking!

Saturday, April 26: Songbirds of Mount Talbert, 9:30am-12pm. Call for meeting location and directions.

Join James Davis, Metro naturalist and expert birder, to catch the spring migration at Mount Talbert, our area's newest regional park. Forested hills like Mount Talbert are hot spots for migrating songbirds such as warblers, tanagers, orioles and others. Dress for muddy ground and rough trails and bring binoculars if you have them or borrow some of ours. Suitable for adult and teen beginning and experienced bird watchers.

Registration and cost: Free. Advance registration required; call North Clackamas Parks and Recreation at (503) 794-8084. Call for meeting location and directions. Sign language interpretation is available by arrangement. Sponsored by Metro Regional Parks and Greenspaces Department.

Saturday, April 26: Naturescaping Basic Workshop, 9am-1pm. Location: Tigard Public Library. Pre-Registration required.

Learn about Native plants, natural landscapes and environment friendly gardening practices. Get ideas for your garden, a guide book and a native plant to get you started. View Naturescaping examples, get advice on native gardening, identify native plants and great Naturescaping tips. Pre-registration required. Free and open to the public. To register, phone (503) 797-1842 or email naturescaping@yahoo.com. Wheelchair accessible. Event website: http://www.naturescape.org.

Saturday, April 26: Natural Gardening Seminar: Why Waste The Rain?, 10:00-12pm. Location: Clackamas Community College, Water Conservation Demonstration Garden (19600 Molalla Ave, Oregon City).

Transform perfectly good rainwater from a stormwater pollution hazard into a boon for your beautiful landscape. Learn the basics of bioswales, downspout disconnections, rain barrels, rain gardens and permeable paving. Then see some of these systems in action. You can save on your water bill, help conserve one of our most valuable resources and reduce run-off into our local rivers and streams. All the while, you'll be helping your trees, shrubs and flowers thrive. Local water conservation experts will teach you to contain the rain. Learn the keys to containing the rain in a beautiful demonstration garden. Free outdoor water conservation kits, compliments of Clackamas River Water Providers.

Registration and cost: Free. Advance registration required; call Metro Recycling Information at (503) 234-3000. Directions: enter at Beavercreek Blvd. and Clairmont Dr. Wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpretation is available by arrangement. Sponsored by Metro.

Tuesday, April 29: What Good Are Bugs?: The Case for Invertebrate Conservation, 7-9pm. Oregon Zoo (4001 SW Canyon Road, Washington Park, Portland).

Speaker Scott Black, Xerces Society entimologist, makes a compelling case for appreciating bugs: people can thank insect pollinators for one third of every mouthful of food they eat and without the lowliest flies in a stream for young fish to eat, grilled salmon would never make the menu. In fact, the direct benefit of insects to Americans is around $57 billion a year. Prepare to be astounded and enlightened about some of the planet's smallest, but most important inhabitants. Registration and cost: $8 for members of sponsor organizations, students or seniors; $10 for all others. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.oregonzoo.org.

Directions: The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus #63 to the Oregon Zoo. Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive 50 cents off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, (503) 238-RIDE (7433), or visit http://www.trimet.org for fare and route information. Wheelchair accessible. Seventeen free parking spaces are reserved for disabled persons. Sign language interpretation is available by arrangement. Sponsored by Portland General Electric, Pro Photo Supply, Shiels Obletz Johnsen, Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon Zoo, World Forestry Center.