from the June 7, 2012 Oregonian
Over the next year, Metro will remove firs that are gradually crowding out a small patch of Oregon City oak savanna.
The
restoration of a once-dominant, now-vanishing Willamette Valley habitat
is a cornerstone of Metro's restoration effort at the Canemah Bluff
natural area. The agency bought about 120 acres of forest land next to
Oregon 99E about a mile south of downtown Oregon City.
Plans
call for a looping trail system and an overlook providing views of the
river and Willamette Falls. The work will be done next year.
"We're trying to balance restoration with recreation," said Brian Vaughn, a Metro senior natural resource scientist.
The
Metro land is adjacent to Canemah Neighborhood Children's Park, which
serves as the entry point to the trail system. Oregon City recently
improved the park, which includes a playground and picnic area.
It
is unlikely that anyone will stumble across Canemah Bluff and its
eight-space parking lot. Getting there requires maneuvering narrow
streets through a neighborhood that includes Civil War-era homes.
But Metro's efforts will certainly draw some attention.
About
150 firs will be removed this summer to improve the oak habitat. Firs
grow faster and taller than oaks and crowd them out. Other trees will be
topped or girdled and the snags left standing.
The 15-acre
patch of white oak and grassland that remains will give visitors a view
how the area looked in the mid-1800s, when the former town of Canemah
was born and flourished.
"This is what the (early) settlers saw
when they came through here," said Jonathan Soll, who oversees Metro's
natural area restorations. "This is special."
Neighbors aren't
happy with Metro's decision to cut the firs or the agency's refusal to
add more visitor parking, said Howard Post, Canemah Neighborhood
Association chairman.
"We have kind of a running battle" with
Metro, Post said. Canemah residents support more trails but don't want
the forest disturbed, he said.
Many in Canemah don't trust
Metro. They blame the agency for excessive tree-cutting and for damage
to a historic road a few years ago.
Metro owns about 160 acres
south of the Canemah site. The two parcels are separated by privately
owned land. If the private property comes on the market, Metro hopes to
acquire it.
