Sometimes a little bit of preservation goes a long way.
Metro purchased 42 acres this month along Gordon Creek, filling a gap in an 1,800-acre swath of protected land near the Sandy River. As part of Metro’s Natural Areas Program, the acquisition helps safeguard habitat and water quality by keeping key properties intact.
Combined with publicly owned land on either side, this property allows for more cohesive, large-scale management. The goal: uninterrupted waterways and wildlife corridors that nurture critters.
A steep canyon and springs flank Gordon Creek as it runs through the land. The creek, which has high water quality, is the only free-flowing, unobstructed tributary in the Lower Sandy watershed. It provides important spawning areas for threatened Sandy River fall Chinook and winter steelhead. Elk, black bear and pileated woodpeckers make their home on this forested property, which includes trees more than 125 years old.
Restoration in the area has been a team effort, pairing Metro with the Sandy River Basin Partners. Western Rivers Conservancy and the Portland Water Bureau are working with commercial forestry firms to preserve large forest tracts. Metro has coordinated extensive work along Gordon Creek to control invasive species on both public and private lands – including English ivy on the new acquisition.
Directly west of the property, Metro owns 415 acres purchased with a 1995 bond measure and, beyond that, the 1,200-acre Oxbow Regional Park. East of the property, Metro and the Bureau of Land Management own 160 acres.
The Sandy River Gorge is one of 27 areas protected by Metro’s natural areas bond measure, which was approved by voters in 2006. The program funds land acquisition and capital improvements that protect water quality and fish and wildlife habitat, enhance trails and wildlife corridors, and provide greater connections to nature in urban areas throughout the Portland metropolitan area.