Whitaker Ponds Nature Park is a resurrected treasure in our neighborhood’s backyard. The ponds and woodlands of the park are part of the Columbia Slough that runs along the south side of the Columbia River from Troutdale to the mouth of the Willamette River. The Slough is an urban watershed that provides wildlife habitat and green space crucial to the health of our city, along with drainage, education, and recreation.
The slough and wetlands were home to Native peoples for millennia, and until the 1920s the slough was the site of annual spring flooding from the Columbia River. Subsequent levee construction prevented the flooding, but it also brought urban and industrial development that gradually deteriorated the water quality of the slough. Now, as a result of decades of cleanup and rehabilitation, the Columbia Slough is again becoming a healthy ecosystem for birds, mammals, plants, and people.
Whitaker Ponds Nature Park is an example of successful rehabilitation of habitat that at one time was a junkyard. Two thousand tires were removed in the process of restoration. It is still improving through the efforts of the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, Portland Parks & Recreation, and the Bureau of Environmental Services. A recent project by the Portland Bureau of Transportation has provided parking and sidewalks at the entrance of the park, which is located one-quarter mile north of Columbia Blvd at 7040 NE 47th Avenue. The park includes access to the Columbia Slough with a boat launch for canoes and kayaks. The east pond is a wildlife protection area with no public entry.
Volunteers and city staff continue to plant native wildflowers and shrubs in the black cottonwood forest, maintain the flat half-mile trail along the ponds, and provide education about the plants and animals of the area. Birding is ideal at Whitaker Ponds, especially in the winter when the migratory waterfowl make a home here. There is a great horned owl nest from which you might spot owlets in February. Spring and summer are opportune for brushing up on your songbird identification skills at the park. Bring binoculars, along with plant and bird identification books, and visit many times throughout the year to observe the changing of the seasons.
Groups such as Audubon conduct birding expeditions at the park, and many classes on native plants and habitat are given there, sponsored by the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. Information on the classes and volunteer opportunities can be found on the council’s website (www.columbiaslough.org). For instance, there’s a free workshop called Slough 101 with topics ranging from urbanization impacts on the watershed to flood protection and groundwater resources. The event will be held at the following location:
Slough 101 (free workshop) Saturday, April 6 (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) McKinstry Company 16790 NE Mason Street Portland, OR 97230
To register for the workshop, contact Susanne Raymond at 503-281-1132 or susanne.raymond@columbiaslough.org.