metropolitan Greenspaces program Summary of Accomplishments 1991-2005 Metro U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Parks and Greenspaces Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office 600 NE Grand Avenue 2600 SE 98th Avenue, Ste. 100 Portland, Oregon 97232 Portland, Oregon 97266 (503) 797-1850 (503) 231-6179 January 2005 Table of Contents PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT ...................................................................................................... 2 METROPOLITAN GREENSPACES PROGRAM OVERVIEW ................................................. 2 PUBLICATIONS, PRODUCTS and GREENSPACES PROJECTS ............................................ 4 CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION GRANT PROJECTS ............................................... 7 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT PROJECTS ........................................................ 32 SALMONID EDUCATION AND ENHANCEMENT GRANT PROJECTS ............................ 57 GREEN CITY DATA PROJECT ................................................................................................ 64 Authors: This report was written by Ron Klein, Mel Huie, Lynn Wilson, Deb Scrivens and Ilene Moss of Metro Regional Parks and Greenspaces and Jennifer Thompson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office. Contacts: Kemper McMaster, State Supervisor Jennifer Thompson, Greenspaces Program Coordinator U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office 2600 SE 98th Avenue, Ste. 100 Portland, Oregon 97266 (503) 231-6179 Jim Desmond, Director Metro Regional Parks & Greenspaces 600 NE Grand Avenue Portland, Oregon 97232 (503) 797-1914 Purpose of this Report This report provides a summary of Metropolitan Greenspaces Program projects and accomplishments. It includes short descriptions of grant projects funded, summarizes Green City Data Project sites studied from 1991 through 1996, and lists other projects, products and publications that have resulted from the Metropolitan Greenspaces Program. All of the accomplishments in this report are the result of unique partnerships between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Metro, other public agencies, local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses, schools, and citizens. Metropolitan Greenspaces Program Overview Background In the late 1980's, a group of representatives from Metro, the regional government for the Portland metropolitan area, non-profit organizations, local governments and citizens formed to collaborate on greenspaces protection in the Portland/Vancouver region. As a result of their efforts, Congress and the President allocated Federal funding to establish a formal partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Metro to initiate the Metropolitan Greenspaces Program (Program). The Program focuses on habitat restoration, conservation, environmental education, public outreach, and regional natural resources-related planning throughout the bi-State, four-county, Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington metropolitan area. The Metro region and its actively engaged stakeholders are nationally recognized for these efforts and the Program accomplishments described herein. Summary of Accomplishments • Natural area inventories, mapping and development of the Greenspaces Master Plan, a strategic conservation plan to establish a cooperative system of parks, natural areas, trails and greenways for fish, wildlife and people in the Portland metropolitan region that lead to citizen passage of a $135.6 million bond measure and subsequent local government acquisition of over 8,000 acres of high priority habitats. The Service’s Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is a recognized component of the regional greenspaces system. • Over 300 grants have been awarded to support habitat restoration, natural resource conservation, and environmental education projects throughout the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan area. The grants have leveraged Federal funds by over 4:1 in local contributions, developed mutually beneficial partnerships, supported a wide range of local conservation efforts, built awareness and understanding of urban natural areas, encouraged active citizen participation in the care and management of greenspaces, and improved habitats for threatened, endangered, and sensitive fish and wildlife, including migratory birds, and the ecosystems on which they depend. • Green City Data Project support from 1991 through 1996. During this period, 48 middle school and high schools were involved in collecting field data to map natural areas, identify and assess habitat, conduct species inventories, take water quality measurements and make management and restoration recommendations. • Master planning and habitat restoration at regional parks, including Blue Lake, Whitaker Ponds, and Oxbow Regional Park. Page 2 of 67 • Publications and outreach tools including: a) Metropolitan Greenspaces Habitat Restoration Grants Program Project Reviews, b) Community Partnerships for Urban Environmental Education; Environmental Education Grant Summaries, c) Nature of Metropolitan Greenspaces video and slide show, d) Map of Conservation, Habitat Restoration and Environmental Education Projects, e) numerous issues of the GreenScene and Trip into Nature, f) eight brochures about the region’s local watersheds, g) Metropolitan Greenspaces brochures, h) two Natural Areas tabloids, I) a Naturescaping manual, j) Greenspaces Adventures, A Teacher's Guide to Using Portland-area Greenspaces for Environmental Education funded by a grant awarded to OMSI, k) the Urban Natural Resources Directory funded by a grant awarded to the Audubon Society of Portland, and l) Conserving Nature in Every Neighborhood, a Metropolitan Greenspaces Program Report. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Benefits: The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work cooperatively with others to protect, restore, and enhance natural habitats, supporting fish, wildlife, and plants for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Metropolitan Greenspaces Program has enabled the Service to carry out its mission through a pro-active and comprehensive approach not available through traditional Service programs, while simultaneously integrating and streamlining Federal regulatory tools such as the Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Clean Water Act. Through the Program, the Service has worked in partnership with local entities to conserve both listed and native unlisted species and their habitats through landscape-based land use planning strategies and a variety of conservation, restoration, and educational projects designed to benefit the Service’s trust resources. Program-related work has added to our knowledge about urban ecology, engaged constituents in environmental learning and stewardship, and protected and restored important fish and wildlife habitats. The Program has also increased Service recognition and supported the public’s interest in conservation in a population center that includes the Metro region, home to 37% of Oregon's population in portions of three counties and 24 cities (including Portland), plus over 360,000 people in Clark County, Washington. The Program successes currently serve as a national model for local efforts in other urban areas, and could be used as a model for a new regional or national Service program focused on a comprehensive approach to promoting the conservation of our trust resources. Metro Benefits: Metro is the regional government that serves more than 1.3 million residents in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties and 24 cities in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. Metro's mission is to work cooperatively with local governments, businesses and citizens to conduct land use planning and set policy direction that establishes livable communities in the region for its current residents and future generations. Metro is also working cooperatively to establish an interconnected regional system of parks, natural areas, greenways and trails for fish, wildlife and people. The Metropolitan Greenspaces Program partnership between Metro and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided instrumental funding and technical support for this effort through natural resource-related data collection and analysis, public outreach, and conservation-focused land use planning. In addition, the grant-funded habitat restoration, natural resource conservation, and environmental education projects implemented by local partners have been vital, effective tools to build and foster a sustained understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the region's metropolitan greenspaces. Page 3 of 67 Publications, Products and Greenspaces Projects Metropolitan Greenspaces Program Summary of Accomplishments: This is the document you are holding now. It is updated annually to provide a current compilation of projects and products that have stemmed from the partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Metro. It includes an overview of the Program, summaries of all Greenspaces grant projects, Green City Data Project activities, and a listing of publications and products produced. Conserving Nature in Every Neighborhood, a Metropolitan Greenspaces Program Report: This is a 32-page color booklet produced in 2004 for a general audience. It provides an overview of the partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Metro, and summarizes the major accomplishments using examples of projects that have been funded. Metropolitan Greenspaces Master Plan: Until the Greenspaces Program was initiated in 1991, there