Starting this week, 600 likely voters across the Portland metropolitan area will share their opinions about the region’s natural areas, parks and trails in a telephone survey.
The survey is intended to gauge support for restoring, taking care of and publicly opening more of the 16,000 acres of natural areas and parks that Metro owns or manages. During the next several months, the Metro Council will consider asking voters to invest in making the most of the places they’ve protected.
Metro’s portfolio of land features recreation destinations such as Smith and Bybee Wetlands, Oxbow Regional Park and Glendoveer Golf Course. It has grown by nearly 12,000 acres as Metro purchased natural areas, through two voter-approved bond measures that protect water quality, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities.
By design, the bond measures emphasized preserving the region’s natural resources but did not include dedicated funding for maintenance, long-term restoration or park development. Without additional voter approved funding, Metro will be able to continue only basic maintenance and limited habitat improvements. Although Metro has opened three new large-scale nature parks – Mount Talbert in Clackamas, Cooper Mountain near Beaverton and Graham Oaks in Wilsonville – dozens of other sites lack parking, trails, signage and restrooms.
The phone survey, which takes about 15 minutes, will include residents of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties. Participants will be asked to rate the importance of preserving natural areas and weigh priorities for improving the land that’s been protected.