A long-time nature enthusiast, Ed got involved in restoring and maintaining the grounds of the Springwater Corridor. Kerns had been a social worker by occupation before directing his time towards the corridor, but was drawn to working outdoors with natural resources. He found his calling by volunteering to maintain the Springwater Corridor, an area that has enchanted him since his childhood. “I heard that the Portland Parks Bureau (PP&R) had acquired the Springwater property and was going to turn it into a trail, but they didn’t have the needed funding for landscaping.”

There was a huge need for community assistance at the Springwater Corridor, as its landscaping needs were not being met. Himalayan blackberries grew over 8 feet tall and trash littered the Lents area near the corridor. Although most people enjoy eating blackberries, the plant is actually very destructive to an ecosystem because it is a nonnative, invasive species, which quickly grows and kills all other plants around it.

Another detriment to soil is trash and deep digging. “The Springwater Corridor,” says Kerns, “has been very abused over the years and there is very little top soil left, because they put so much gravel on it to make a railroad, and there is no top soil in one section, where they put in a pipe. Topsoil is the key to life on the planet. When there is no topsoil, nothing can grow.”

Normally people dig up blackberry bushes to keep them from taking over a habitat, pick up debris to give plants a chance to grow, and plant native plants in the habitat, which will provide the soil with nutrients and allow for diverse animal and plant species to proliferate. This kind of landscaping maintenance requires money and people power, however. As one of the most economically depressed neighborhoods in Oregon, Lents simply does not have these resources. Therefore, much volunteer effort is needed to help address these environmental concerns.

Kerns decided to turn his volunteering into a community-wide effort, one that would create more participation in maintaining the Springwater Corridor. He contacted Kelly Elementary and Marshall High School and asked if he could engage students in service learning projects in the area. “I worked in a dozen other schools to coordinate tree plantings and cleanups, teaching of the history of Lents, Springwater Corridor, Johnson Creek and basic habitat restoration,” he says.

After a few trial runs, Kerns’ plantings were incorporated into the science classes at these schools. Typically, Kerns first gives a classroom lesson about the history of the corridor and Johnson Creek and how they are connected. He then discusses why native plants are beneficial, and how invasive plants such as ivy, blackberry and scotch broom are harmful to the ecosystem. During the week following his lecture, he takes students out to the corridor to do a planting. “The kids know why they are planting native species,” he says, “they know how that it’s going to benefit the watershed wildlife habitat, they know what a watershed is, what a wetlands is, and what is a riparian zone along the creek.”

The work parties have been a great success and Kerns is confident that he is making a difference. “My work out there, I’m not wanting to do just tree planting, but I’m wanting to inspire the pride and community ownership and stewardship,” he says. There have been about 3,000 kids that have worked in Kerns’ program, and they have planted over 25,000 native trees and shrubs, along a two-mile stretch of the Springwater Corridor, between 80th St crossing and 112th St crossing.
Currently, Ed is working along a 6-block stretch of the corridor from SE 96th to 103rd. In partnership with PP&R Kerns is removing 700 cubic yards of abandoned concrete, gravel and asphalt left over from an old lumber mill that operated for years along the rail line. There will be an equal amount of clean topsoil and mulch brought in and 6000 native trees and shrubs to be planted along this site.

Kerns also contacted donors and applied for grants for his project. In 2006, he was awarded with a $17,000 grant through Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods. In addition, Parks Bureau has provided a matching fund and heavy equipment to move materials. Another needed source of funding for this current project is $15,000 a year for two years from Portland Development Commission’s Lents Urban Renewal Program. In order to receive funding, however, Kerns needed non-profit status. Since he was a private citizen and not a non-profit organization, he needed to find a fiscal sponsor. Fortunately, he found Southeast Uplift, which acts as a fiscal sponsor to community organizations and individuals involved in helping to better their community. Until about a decade ago, Lents used to be in the Southeast Uplift target area. More recently, the neighborhood has been incorporated into East Portland Neighborhoods. “My organization is not a non-profit,” says Ed, “but I am under the umbrella of Southeast Uplift. So I can raise funds that are tax-deductible donations. Plus, I can get grants from state, federal, county, and city levels.” SEUL has been a fiscal sponsor for Ed Kerns for over four years.
Despite being paralyzed from the chest down in a car crash that happened 29 years ago, Ed is tireless in his efforts to keep the corridor looking healthy and environmentally sustainable. Although he is physically not able to take part in the plantings and cleanups, he plays the very important role of community organizer. “I am able to give back to the neighborhood that I grew up in,” he says, a smile coming over his face.