OakFest

OakFest is a time of gathering for the local Willamette Valley community, spanning from Eugene to Portland, in celebration of the cultural and ecological value of Oregon White Oaks. Oaks in the Valley have long been a staple on the landscape. Historically stewarded by the Kalapuyan and Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, this robust ecological landscape is an abundant and well-balanced ecosystem, supporting well over 500 species in addition to mammals, cultural traditions and First Foods, native plants, and a resilience-fire-adapted landscape. Since the founding of Willamette University, settler-colonial activity within the Valley has not only forcefully removed our indigenous communities; it has additionally contributed to the ecological erasure of culture, tradition, abundance, and balance. Oregon White Oaks in many ways are a sounding board for the complex histories of the Willamette Valley. From projects such as the Oak Salvage Project, we have seen scientific evidence of such stewardship practices and their impacts on legacy oaks within our community, campus, and conservation projects. Oaks symbolize this complex human-environment relationship that so eloquently encapsulates our human need for ecological landscapes and their ecosystem services (soil health, plant cultivation, food, and materials) and the ecosystem's needs for our involvement in conserving, educating, and restoring the land to its proper balance. This festival strives to encapsulate these messages through a wide variety of programming that coincides with Family Weekend. Not only is this a wonderful opportunity for Willamette students and their families to learn deeply about the ecological and cultural histories of the Valley, but it is also a great opportunity for Willamette to show up in abundant numbers for the community. As our festival has grown more popular for community members, friends, and family to attend, we have heard firsthand the value of providing accessible events through OakFest. These are events that might introduce ecological sciences to a student for the first time, events that might provide the opportunity for a community member to reconnect with a First Food they haven’t had the opportunity to work with yet, events where a student might find themselves in awe over the abundance of life supported by the Oregon White Oak, eventually pursuing a career in forest ecology. Our goal is to lower the threshold to access for science, history, and community connection that merge at the nexus of Willamette University and the Willamette Valley community. This is only possible through the continued renewal of our OakFest programs and community reach.