National Public Lands Day: Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
Group of volunteers at Yaquina Head. BLM photo
Join the Yaquina Head crew on September 26th for fee-free National Public Lands Day (NPLD) festivities! Help us celebrate the stewardship of public lands and the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 80th birthday. There will be a wide range of volunteer projects including a beach clean-up, invasive plant removal, and garden maintenance. Additionally, a few of our amazing local partners and the BLM's very own Seymour the Antelope will be present.
This year's National Public Lands Day theme, "Caring for Our Shared America," calls on all of us to show up for the parks, trails, forests, and waterways we hold in common. Co-hosted by the National Environmental Education Foundation, NPLD is a collective act of care that brings communities together and strengthens our shared American story.
To learn more about Yaquina Head’s NPLD event and register as a volunteer, visit National Public Lands Day 2026 at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area | The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF).
Event Date:
September 26, 2026, 9:00 am–3:00 pm PDT
Event Location:
Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area
750 NW Lighthouse Drive
Newport, OR 97365
The Weed Wire: Orange Hawkweed
Gary J. Wood via Flickr
History and Native Range: Pilosella aurantiaca- commonly known as devil’s paintbrush, fox-and-cubs, or orange hawkweed- is a perennial flowering plant in the Aster family which is native to the mountainous regions of Europe. It has long been used and cultivated in various European cultures for its reputed sleep-inducing and medicinal properties, as well as for ornamental purposes. It is known to have been introduced to the British Isles by at least the 16th century, as evidenced by its historical English common name “Grim-the-collier”. This is in reference to a play of the same name which was published at the time featuring the devil and a collier, or coal merchant, which the orange hawkweed’s bright orange blooms and black bristles below the flower head are reminiscent of.
Orange bloom and black bristles. Flobbadob via Wikimedia, CC-BY 4.0
In addition to its introduction to the British Isles, orange hawkweed can now be found growing outside of cultivation across Europe, in North America, Central Asia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Problem Here: While individual plants are small and seemingly innocuous- both showy and attractive to pollinators- orange hawkweed grows rapidly and prolifically, and may quickly colonize entire swaths of understory or meadow habitat once introduced to an area with favorable conditions; those with well-drained, sandy soils and exposure to full sun or partial shade. Likely places for orange hawkweed to occur include moist, north-facing pastures, forest openings, abandoned fields, clearcuts and roadsides.
Orange hawkweed emits allelopathic chemicals which inhibit the growth of other plants nearby, quickly leading to the loss of native plant diversity. It spreads through rhizomes, runners, and prolific dandelion-like seeds.
Identification: When in bloom from June to September, orange hawkweed is easily identifiable by its aforementioned bright orange-red flowers atop black-bristled stems. These flowers, shaped like that of dandelions, emerge from leafless stems that grow 10-24 inches in height and emerge from a basal rosette that is present above ground year-round. These rosettes comprise of long, narrow leaves with smooth margins, covered in fine transparent hairs. When not in flower, orange hawkweed rosettes may be mistaken for that of the native white hawkweed, which bears small, white flowers.
Manual Control: Orange hawkweed produces shallow and fine roots, making plants rather easy to pull. However, rhizomes and runners may easily be left behind, requiring many repeated pullings to fully eliminate larger patches- digging may be more effective in some cases. Mowing, however, is warned to not be effective as plants quickly produce new flowers after being cut.
Herbicides: Both non-selective herbicides (such as glyphosate) and broadleaf-selective herbicides (such as triclopyr) may be effective against orange hawkweed. If using herbicides, be sure to follow label directions and ONLY apply as specified. Chemical treatment of hawkweeds is most effective during spring and early summer, preferably with only the basal rosette leaves being sprayed to prevent pollinator contact with chemicals applied to flowers.
Cultural Control: As orange hawkweed is unpalatable to livestock, grazing is not an effective form of control. However, infestations may be able to be smothered with tarp, cardboard, or a heavy layer of mulch following mowing.
Links to Information and Studies:
Oregon Silverspot Butterfly: Successes and Sightings (Follow-Up)
Katie Farmer, left, reaches into her net for an Oregon silverspot, as Katie Saaty and Tyler Clouse look on. Karen Richards/KLCC
Early last month, Lincoln SWCD staff had the opportunity to accompany KLCC reporter Karen Richards to several of our Oregon Silverspot Butterfly meadow restoration sites, as well as the Big Creek meadow complex where a wild population of OSB still persists- one out of five remaining. Karen has since released her full article on conservation efforts for the Oregon Silverspot on Oregon’s Central Coast- read it here!
North Lincoln Sanitary Service
From the Sanitary Service:
On Saturday, September 12th from 10am-2pm we will be hosting the Old Tire Roundup in partnership with Lincoln County Solid Waste District at our Schooner Creek Refuse Transfer Station (288 S Anderson Creek Rd, Lincoln City, OR 97367). All tires will be recycled!
Bring any old tires on or off the rim for only $1 per passenger tire. One monster tire now accepted for $25 each.
Rules & parameters:
- Tires accepted on or off the rim
- Loads cannot be accepted from any business
- Tires cannot be commercial tires
- Loads cannot come from outside of Lincoln County
- A load with a monster tire or tractor tire is limited to one of those tires
- Clean tires of mud & debris beforehand
We hope to see you there!
Upcoming Board Meetings
Our next board meeting will be held on September 10th, 2026 via Zoom. These meetings cover the general business of LSWCD, while also convening to decide the next steps the District will take in overall operations or within specific programs.
For registration assistance or special accommodation call the office (541-265-2631) or email Tyler Clouse (info@lincolnswcd.org).
Board of Directors Meetings take place at least once a month, generally on the second Thursday of the month, from 6 to 8 p.m. All meetings are open to the public, with the exception of occasional Executive Sessions.
The Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District (LSWCD) complies with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. If you would like to attend a meeting but need special accommodations, please contact us at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.