Metro Councilors Carl Hosticka and Kathryn Harrington braved blustery winter weather to celebrate the new Summer Creek natural area Friday, at a gathering hosted by the City of Tigard. The city recently purchased the 43-acre site in the heart of Tigard, where Summer Creek meets Fanno Creek. This forested wetland, which is now Tigard’s second largest park, is home to turtles, frogs, salamanders, red-tailed hawks, owls and herons.
More than 40 percent of the money to buy the land came from Metro’s voter-approved natural areas bond measure, through a Nature in Neighborhoods grant and "local share" funds distributed to Washington County and Tigard to invest in community projects. Other partners at the celebration included Clean Water Services, which contributed to the purchase, and The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that negotiated the sale.
With the new natural area as a backdrop, Tigard Mayor Craig Dirksen thanked the city’s partners on Friday for helping make it a reality. "I hope all of you will join me in celebrating this acquisition and the future legacy it represents," Dirksen said, leading an apple-juice toast. He accepted a $30,000 check from The Trust for Public Land to support environmental education at Summer Creek.
Hosticka, who represents the southwestern part of Metro’s territory, told the crowd that Summer Creek is part of a bigger vision for the Portland metropolitan area: helping people connect with nature close to home. Two bond measures have allowed Metro to protect natural areas, trails and parks across the region.
"The people who really made this happen are the voters," Hosticka said. "Since 1995, at least in my district, voters have consistently stepped forward and said, '"We're willing to put our votes, our money behind these kinds of things."