An Environmental Services’ Community Watershed Stewardship Program grant has generated three big changes along Linnton Creek in Forest Park: the removal of invasive plants and replanting with natives, plus a whimsical doggie bag dispenser to remind people to scoop their pet’s poop.

With a 2015 grant to the Linnton community in Northwest Portland for habitat restoration, community members went to work recently along the creek on the north side of Forest Park. Linnton Creek Trailhead volunteers and a work crew from Verde, led by neighborhood organizer Rob Lee, joined Portland Parks staff and removed all blackberry, English ivy, and Canada thistle along 150 feet of Linnton Creek.  They also planted the area with 460 native forbs, ferns and shrubs, and cut down a dangerous tree, placing the woody debris along the site to slowly decompose, enriching the soil and slowing erosion.

Volunteers and Verde work crew members remove invasive vegetation along Linnton Creek. 

Finally, this creative, custom-steel bag dispenser, recently fabricated by neighborhood artist Ivan McLean, is being placed at the trail head along with a custom Linnton trash can. The innovative artwork reminds visitors that their dog’s waste is unhealthy for Linnton Creek and must be picked up.

The new trailhead dog-poo bag dispenser

So please enjoy Portland’s natural areas, and wherever you go, please scoop your pet’s poop and place it in your own trash can. To find out more about Environmental Service’s Community Watershed Stewardship Program grant, visit http://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/43077. Next deadline to apply will be February 3, 2017.