A little over a year ago, this newsletter published an article entitled “Rehabilitated Slough Habitat a Nearby Gem of Nature” in which newsletter team reporter/BWNA Secretary Barbara Strunk recounted the successful rejuvenation of the Columbia Slough area, including the remarkable resurrection of Whitaker Ponds Nature Park from a junkyard inhabited by a staggering 2,000 tossed tires to a “…healthy ecosystem for birds, mammals, plants, and people.” Well worth another read, the article is on page 7 of the March-April 2019 newsletter, easily accessed in the newsletter archives (bwnapdx.org/newsletters).
The rehabilitation of the slough habitat—extending along the south side of the Columbia River from Troutdale to the mouth of the Willamette River and providing “wildlife habitat and green space crucial to the health of our city, along with drainage, education, and recreation”—has been a multi-year cooperative project involving Portland Parks & Recreation, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council. The council is currently seeking input from residents, especially those living in the vicinity of the slough, including Beaumont-Wilshire residents.
The Council’s Stormwater Science & Policy spokesperson Keri Morin Handaly explains the nature of the input survey, “The survey is to help develop priorities for parks and natural areas and other community programming within the Columbia Slough Watershed.”
As a thank-you for filling out the survey, the council is offering a small (unidentified) prize. Use one of the following links to access the survey:
English: surveymonkey.com/r/slough
Spanish: surveymonkey.com/r/sloughesp