Recently, we shared the news about the upcoming restoration work in Westmoreland Park and the culvert removal at SE Tacoma Street, as part of the Crystal Springs Restoration program.  Here's a great video about the project from one of the key project partners, the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Trillium are popping up all over Mt. Tabor Park in places that were blanketed in invasive plants just two years ago!  Mary Kinnick with the Friends of Mt. Tabor Park shared these photos of trillium growing along a slope SE of Harvey Scott Circle. Before the Mt. Tabor Invasive Plant Control and Revegetation Project began, this slope was covered with Himalayan blackberry. Environmental Services Watershed Revegetation crews worked three seasons in 2011 and 2012 to treat and remove the blackberry. Removing invasive plants and restoring a healthy community of native plants improves stormwater management and habitat at the park, just as green streets and street trees do in neighborhoods.

Environmental Services planted 17,000 native plants at the park in February 2013, but not these trillium!  They are making a strong comeback throughout the park on their own, thanks to the removal of invasive plants by Environmental Services and the Friends of Mt. Tabor Park Weed Warriors.

The new native blooms and leaves of spring are always nice to see, but they're even better in an area that was recently blanketed with invasive plants. It's clear that park users share this sentiment, as evidenced by the care that someone took to circle some trillium in rocks. If you see Trillium growing at Mt. Tabor Park or anywhere else, please leave them for others to enjoy. They are delicate plants that can take years to recover from injury.

If you'd like to be a part of ensuring the long-term health of Mt. Tabor Park's natural areas, you can join the Friends of Mt. Tabor Park Weed Warriors on the last Saturday of every month in the main parking lot adjacent to the amphitheater at 9am. Go to www.taborfriends.org for details.

The Mt. Tabor Invasive Plant Control and Revegetation Project is part of the Tabor to the River Program and depends on strong partnerships among city bureaus (Environmental Services, Portland Parks and Recreation, and the Portland Water Bureau), and other organizations (Friends of Mt. Tabor Park, Audubon Society of Portland, and the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District).

For more information on the Mt. Tabor project, go to www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/mttabor. For more information on Tabor to the River, go to www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/tabortoriver.

Did you know the largest urban wetland in the US is in Portland?       

Located in North Portland’s Rivergate area adjacent to the Columbia Slough, the nearly 2,000 acre Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area is designated a state “Important Bird Area” by the National Audubon Society (see more info below).  Troy Clark, president of the Friends of Smith and Bybee Lakes organization is a passionate advocate for the wetland and has a bird list that is a record of nearly weekly visits dating back 20 years. During a recent morning visit he identified 53 species while walking and paddling the wetlands!

Find opportunities to get involved with the Friends group and other partners on Metro’s Green Scene calendar or go to http://calendar.oregonmetro.gov/events.  This Saturday, April 13, two events are happening:

• Morning: Wetlands bird walk with Metro
• Afternoon: Painted turtle walk with Metro

And on Saturday, May 11 there's a wetlands wildlife exploration kayak tour (you don't even need a kayak!) 

An Important Bird Area (IBA) is a site that has been selected for its outstanding habitat value and the critical role it plays in hosting birds during breeding, migrating, or over-wintering.  Collectively the IBAs form a global network of critical habitat. The Important Bird Area designation is recognized internationally, and thousands of IBAs have been designated across Europe, Asia and North America. Today, there are more than 2,500 state-level IBAs in the U.S.and nearly 450 globally-significant IBAs in the U.S. The Audubon Society of Portland oversees the 97 IBAs that have been identified in Oregon.

Find out more:

Map and site descriptions for Oregon IBAs | Portland-area IBA map

Environmental Services and partners work to protect and enhance significant natural resources in the city, like Smith and Bybee Wetlands, which are part of the city's green infrastructure.  Wetlands help filter water to protect water quality, public health and the environment--at the same time, they provide green space for people, birds and wildlife to enjoy. 

Photo: Streaked horned lark, a candidate for Endangered Species Act listing that is found in the Columbia Slough Watershed.

Congratulations to Environmental Services' Mike Reed and the Streamlining Team for winning the Department of State Land’s Partnership Award. The Streamlining Team also recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary providing collaborative pre-application review of stream restoration projects in the city of Portland. Recent projects that have benefited from the streamlining process include the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail bridge construction and the East Lents Floodplain restoration project (now known as Foster Floodplain Natural Area).

The Streamlining Team is coordinated by Environmental Services and includes representatives from the Oregon Departments of Environmental Quality, Fish and Wildlife, and Department of State Lands; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and the city’s Bureau of Development Services. 

Governor John Kitzhaber, chair of the Land Board, praised the team for their “cooperative, multi-agency approach to waterway permitting. Their work results in a more streamlined process, less time spent on resolving issues, and better outcomes for applicants and the regulatory agencies.”

For more information about Environmental Services Science Fish and Wildlife Program, which coordinates the Streamling Team and provides other services related to the protection and recovery of Portland's native fish and wildlife, see www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/fish.

Photo: Mike Reed, from the City of Portland, and the rest of the Streamlining Team receive the DSL award from Governor John Kitzhaber, with Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Treasurer Ted Wheeler

World Environment Day now has a local Portland Facebook page (www.facebook.com/2013wedportland) where Portlanders can all share fun and inspirational stories, articles, and events! 

More information about World Environment Day and the growing calendar of events is here: www.portlandoregon.gov/wed