Metro recently acquired a 30-acre property near Clear Creek in Clackamas County that will protect high-value Oregon white oak and savanna habitat.
The latest acquisition brings Metro’s Clear Creek Natural Area to 511 acres, protecting a large, significant area for water quality and fish and wildlife habitat. A separate Clear Creek North Natural Area a short distance north provides an additional 69 acres of publicly protected habitat.
Future restoration efforts at the new acquisition will focus on improving habitat for Oregon white oaks, which is estimated to now cover about 7 percent of its original range in the Willamette Valley. Restoration work will likely include strategic removal of some Douglas firs in the former Christmas tree farm in order to provide more sunlight for the oaks. Invasive plants such as English holly, Scotch broom and Armenian blackberry will also be removed.
In particular, the new property could help Western meadowlarks, Oregon’s state bird, which has declined in population in recent years. Western meadowlarks generally need 20-acre blocks of habitat for nesting, said Brian Vaughn, a senior natural resources scientist at Metro.
“This acquisition preserves important Oregon white oak habitat and lets us expand restoration efforts to benefit western meadowlark,” Vaughn said. “This gives them enough room to feel safe from predators because they nest on the ground. Size does matter because the more land we have in big blocks and left open as savanna habitat, the more opportunities there are for nesting,”
Elk, deer, coyotes and other animals are also likely to use the new site.
The new acquisition helps fill a significant gap at the natural area. Metro had previously acquired land that borders the new site on three sites.
The new acquisition “was probably one of the biggest gaping holes in our system,” said Ryan Ruggiero, a Metro real estate negotiator who coordinated the acquisition.
The new property cost $338,000 and was paid for with money from the voter-approved 2006 natural areas bond measure. Metro Parks and Nature protects water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and provides opportunities for people to experience nature close to home.