Some do-gooders donate cash, some donate furniture or clothing. When it comes to Metro’s voter-approved Natural Areas Program, charitable contributions get a little more creative – coming in the form of forests, wetlands or future trails.
Metro accepted a donation last week from Staples Inc., which is giving the rights to build 441 feet of the Marine Drive Trail near its distribution center just east of the Gresham-Portland border. Metro is working to fill gaps in the pedestrian and bicycle pathway, which eventually will trace the Columbia River between North Portland and Troutdale.
“Thanks to this generous donation, we’re 441 feet closer to completing the Marine Drive Trail,” said Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick, who represents the eastern part of the region. “Every little bit helps.”
The Marine Drive Trail is part of the 40-Mile Loop, a longtime vision to connect the region with trails. It provides access to many parts of the Columbia Slough, a network of lakes, wetlands and slow-moving channels in the river’s southern floodplain.
In less than a year, Metro has acquired the rights to build more than one-and-a-half miles of trail in the Columbia Slough area – including 1,000 feet flanking Northeast 185th Avenue, near the Staples property. City governments will begin trail design and construction when all the needed property has been acquired, and funding is in place.
Metro’s Natural Areas Program, which is designed to protect water quality, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities, typically pays market value to buy land, conservation easements or the right to build trails. Through the course of 16 years and two bond measures, more than a dozen landowners have donated property or sold it at a significant price reduction. Donations are scattered across the region, from the Chehalem Mountains near Forest Grove to the East Buttes of Gresham.
“Donating to Metro’s Natural Areas Program leaves a legacy of green and trails to stitch it together,” said Metro Council President Tom Hughes. “When you think of all the things we can leave behind for future generations, this is one of the most important: a promise that wild places will stay wild.”