Metro recently acquired an 83-acre property in the Stafford Basin that borders the Tualatin River for approximately 3,900 feet along the north.
The long river frontage and the large size of the new acquisition will allow Metro to improve water quality and conserve a significant habitat patch. The property, which is just south of West Linn, also includes seasonal creeks and drainages that flow into the Tualatin River.
“The banks along the Tualatin River are steep and really only accessible to wildlife, so this large patch of forest and streams right on the edge of a densely populated area may provide a relatively undisturbed refuge for animals moving through the busy private lands around it,” said Kate Holleran, a Metro senior natural resources scientist.
The property includes upland and riparian forest habitat, with Douglas firs, bigleaf maples, black cottonwoods, Pacific madrones, Pacific dogwood and western hemlock. Native shrubs, such as western hazelnut, salmonberry, and tall and dull Oregon grape, dominate the understory.
Protecting the large block of habitat provides a stepping stone for plants and wildlife moving between other nearby Metro properties, such as Willamette Narrows Natural Area south of West Linn and Canemah Bluff Nature Park in Oregon City.
Black-tailed deer, Pacific tree frogs, flickers, bobcats and Douglas squirrels likely use the new natural area.
On an early tour of the site, “we were gleefully noting the number of rough-skinned newts migrating across the land, possibly heading to an aquatic breeding site,” Holleran said. “Some of us have taken to calling the natural area Newtlandia.”
Metro scientists and land managers will take a few years to study the site and develop a site conservation plan. No major restoration work is expected because the habitat is in generally good health. The site includes two homes that will be rented out.
The property was acquired using money from the Metro natural areas bond measure that voters approved in 2006. The acquisition cost approximately $1.7 million.
“This is the largest acquisition we’ve done to date in the Stafford Basin,” said Ryan Ruggiero, a Metro real estate negotiator who worked on the acquisition.