Clean Water Services on Monday recognized Metro with an award for its work in helping the Tree for All campaign plant more than two million native trees in one year.
The award also honored an innovative partnership between Metro and Clean Water Services that improves water quality and wildlife habitat in the Tualatin River watershed by restoring wetlands, riparian corridors and natural areas. The partnership leverages the combined resources of the two agencies by allowing Clean Water Services to operate across Metro-owned sites, such as Maroon Ponds south of Forest Grove.
The partnership is made possible thanks in part to investments from voters across the region for Metro’s 2006 natural areas bond measure and the 2013 parks and natural areas levy.
“It really is the voters who voted to create this funding source that allows us to have these partnerships, and how far that money has stretched is just remarkable,” Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick said after the Metro Council received the award. “And it’s fun. We’re getting so many different rewards out of this besides the restoration effort that’s occurring.”
For example, children who didn’t previously have much experience in the outdoors were able to plant trees and experience nature, she said.
Bruce Roll, the director of watershed management at Clean Water Services, said that the two million trees planted by Tree for All partners in the 2014-15 season far exceeded the original goal of one million. Since the campaign first started, more than five million trees have been planted.
"We’ve got to be looking 50 years out, making sure these floodplains are protected and are there for future generations," Roll said. "On behalf of the Tree for All program and all of our partners, I thank Metro and the council for all of their hard work."