The day Metro buys a natural area, boot camp begins. Erosion has to go. Ditto for illegal dumping. English ivy, thorny blackberry bushes and other pesky invasives? Good riddance. Houses must be spruced up as rentals, or torn down and parts recycled. On the other hand, the treasures that make this land so valuable – Oregon white oak and salmon-bearing streams, turtle-rich wetlands and brilliant purple bursts of camas – are given every opportunity to thrive.
Joining the ranks of land protected by Metro’s voter-approved Natural Areas Program is not an ending. It’s the start of a strategic – and sometimes rigorous – transformation, designed to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities for future generations.
“We or our partners are going to manage these properties for many, many years,” says Jonathan Soll, who leads Metro’s science and stewardship team. “It’s just like constructing a house – building a foundation to move up from is very important.”
Since 1995, two bond measures have allowed Metro to protect 11,000 acres across the Portland metropolitan area. That’s the equivalent of two Forest Parks. It’s nearly enough land to cover the entire city of Beaverton. And the acreage grows all the time, as Metro continues to purchase property in 27 key areas selected for their high-quality habitat and their potential to make a difference.
With so much land to care for, Metro’s science team needs to move quickly and invest resources wisely. So, for about two years after a purchase, they work to stop short-term deterioration of natural resources and put the land on a long-term path toward success. Metro refers to this whipping-into-shape period as “stabilization,” though it might as well be boot camp.
And natural resources scientist Kate Holleran, who has three decades of experience as a forester and college instructor, might as well be Sarge. During three years at Metro, Holleran has focused on training new recruits, so to speak.
Regimen includes ousting weeds, saving oak
The job begins before Metro acquires a property. Holleran walks every potential natural area with one of Metro’s real estate negotiators, taking notes on valuable plants and animals, restoration opportunities – and issues to address. After a property is signed up for purchase, Holleran returns with a member of the field staff that handles day-to- day management “so we know what we need to do the first or second or third week.”
Or even the first or second or third day. Holleran and her colleagues often visit within 24 hours of closing on a property to put up gates, discouraging people from dumping tires or trash. Other priorities include marking boundaries, putting up or taking down fences and crafting a plan for the new natural area.
“On a really clean property in good condition, it might only take a year to get through key activities,” Holleran says. “We have a few properties that go three years.”
Some tasks are almost universal. Metro often fights weeds and other invasive plants, for example, replacing them with species that support wildlife and improve water quality. “Besides the fact that we don’t want weeds – they don’t fulfill any of the values for which we’re buying a property – we also want to be a good neighbor,” Holleran says.
Even at boot camp, building trust is important. Holleran typically sends a letter to introduce the Natural Areas Program to a new property’s neighbors, and occasionally Metro attends or organizes a neighborhood meeting. After purchasing the 1,100-acre Chehalem Ridge Natural Area last year near Forest Grove, Metro hosted 90 nearby residents at McMenamins Grand Lodge to introduce the science team, field questions and listen to ideas.
Sometimes, getting acquainted is more old-fashioned. Holleran has sat at neighbors’ kitchen tables, being regaled by stories of long ago salmon sightings or unrelenting weeds.
“Nine out of 10 neighbors are very welcoming,” Holleran says. “They’re often glad we’re there, because we are active managers. We do address weeds, we do address dumping, we do address illegal access. They’re happy about that, because they don’t want people parking in front of their house and dumping in their yard.”
Other tasks are property-specific, and many require contract crews to ensure that Metro moves nimbly and keeps pace with all its properties. Working closely with the natural resource technician assigned to a natural area, Holleran devises plans to stabilize stream banks plagued by erosion. Metro also thins densely planted trees, which are common on land previously managed as a timber crop – but compete for food and light if they all grow into old age.
One of the most prized resources on Metro properties is Oregon white oak, which has declined dramatically throughout the Willamette Valley. At Chehalem Ridge, for example, Metro promptly removed Douglas fir trees that crowded an oak.
“The white oak might be 100 feet tall, but the Douglas fir can easily be 150 feet tall,” Holleran says. “They’ll shade out the white oak, and we’ll lose it.”
Graduation day arrives, but restoration continues
When you’re busy saving oak trees, ousting weeds and planting trees, two years pass quickly. But even the most troublesome natural area makes progress and begins to live up to its potential. Graduation day arrives.
When she hands off a property, Holleran leads a walking tour for science colleagues who oversee long-term management and restoration. She explains the history and suggests next steps.
A successful stabilization process is simply a new beginning, says Soll. Landscapes change over time, requiring constant vigilance. Invasive plants try to make a comeback, nearby development poses new threats.
“The idea of land stability is mostly a myth,” Soll says. “You don’t restore a property and say, ‘Now we’re done.’”
Profile of a boot camp success
Hails from: Johnson Creek watershed, Gresham area
Weighs in at: 20 acres
Purchased: 2007
Strengths: Johnson Creek flows through the property on its 26-mile path from its headwaters near the Sandy River to its junction with the Willamette River. The property is home to a variety of native plants and trees including Western red cedar, black cottonwood and Oregon ash, and provides important songbird and wildlife habitat.
Weaknesses: Severe erosion; 12-foot-tall blackberry; vegetation cleared by 14 horses on property; remaining shrubs were mostly invasive species
Prescription: Woodchips to slow erosion; horses removed from property; invasive weeds cut and chemically treated; native trees and shrubs planted
Prognosis: “The property will need a lot of tender loving care to make sure those plants survive,” says Kate Holleran, natural resources scientist.
Graduation date: 2010