Read the fall issue of Our Big Backyard magazine

Amelia Reed, a seasonal employee at Metro, gathers camas seeds at Willamette Narrows south of West Linn. Camas is a lily-like plant whose bulb was a major food source for Native Americans. The seeds will be used to restore natural areas throughout the met

Metro planting season: go behind the scenes

Juan Carlos González, development director at Centro Cultural de Washington County, holds up a self-heal plant and explains its uses. Looking on is Angie Jimenez, who works at the domestic violence resource center co-located at Centro Cultural.

Partnership with Centro Cultural helps connect Latinos with nature

photo of Nature in Neighborhood grants recipients

Nature in Neighborhoods grants make a difference

The Audubon Society of Portland and the Columbia Land Trust received a grant for its Backyard Habitat Certification Program. The money expanded the program to 550 new households and paid for a project with the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon.

Nature in Neighborhoods grants make a difference

photo of naturalist and visitors at Salmon Homecoming

Salmon Homecoming, as told by Metro naturalist Dan Daly

See spawning salmon return to their ancestral homeland during Salmon Homecoming at Oxbow Regional Park Oct. 22 and 23.

Salmon Homecoming, as told by Metro naturalist Dan Daly

The work allowed hundreds of aspens to grow in a forest opening at Killin Wetlands.

Restoration of rare aspen grove brings more color to Killin Wetlands

Hundreds of aspen clones explode in a forest opening at Killin Wetlands Natural Area near Banks.

Restoration of rare aspen grove brings more color to Killin Wetlands

photo of the picnic shelter at Mason Hill Park

Mason Hill Field Guide

A visit to Mason Hill Park in the North Tualatin Mountains can be combined with scenic tours of nearby vineyards or a bike tour.

Mason Hill Field Guide

Oct. 20, 2016 12:59 p.m.



        Click the image to read a PDF version of the fall 2016 parks and nature magazine.

Over the coming months, millions of seeds, stakes, plants and bulbs will be installed at Metro parks and natural areas throughout the region. These native flowers, shrubs, forbs, grasses, plants and trees play a critical role in restoring forests, prairies, wetlands and other habitats that once dominated the landscape.

Transforming a landscape is no easy task. Go behind the scenes in preparation for planting season in the fall issue of Our Big Backyard, Metro's quarterly parks and nature magazine. Learn more about the years of planning, careful science and 11th-hour compromises that combine to make planting season a successful part of restoring parks and natural areas.

Find a copy of the magazine at a local public library branch, the Oregon Zoo, a Metro park, or at various community centers and senior centers. Or read individual stories online on Parks and Nature News or click the image on the right to see a PDF of the magazine.

In the fall issue, you can:

Find out how the Latino community in Washington County is getting a say in the future nature park at Chehalem Ridge through an innovative partnership between Metro and Centro Cultural de Washington County.
Catch up with recipients of Metro Nature in Neighborhoods grants to learn how the grants are making a difference.
Learn about the restoration of a rare aspen grove that is bringing fall color to Killin Wetlands Natural Area near Banks.
Explore Mason Hill Park with a Field Guide that includes details on ways to combine the park with winery and scenic bike tours.
Get the details about the fun nature classes, such as Salmon Homecoming on Oct. 22 to 23.
Mark you calendar for Metro free park(ing) days 2016.
And more!

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Read individual stories or view a PDF of the magazine on Parks and Nature News