Floodplain Improvements Continue in Buford Park's South Meadow

Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah continues to enhance habitat and trails on the 200-acre South Meadow floodplain area within Buford Park. 

The ambitious effort is currently supported by grants from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, and Oregon Wildlife Heritage Trust, as well as member and volunteer contributions.

Watch the floodplain in action from the January 2012 floods.

 

Habitat enhancements

The Friends completed work in 2011, enhancing habitat on 38 floodplain acres. Increased seasonal flows and plantings in the side channel will, over time, mature into better aquatic habitat for spring Chinook salmon, western pond turtle, northern red-legged frog and more. Learn more.
By planting native streamside grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and trees, the improved floodplain habitat will not only filter sediment-laden floodwaters but also benefit a host of species, such as butterflies, foxes, migratory birds (e.g., yellow warbler) and grass-nesting birds (e.g., western meadowlark, Oregon’s state bird). Learn more.

Chis Orsinger, Executive Director, for The Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah, relates his feelings on " The Value In Restoring the Riparian Zones of the Coast Fork of the Willamette River". The threatened Wetlands along the Coast Fork, when restored to the native habitat, provide a safe haven for the native species who inhabit them.
 

Listen to KLCC's John Cooney's radio feature on the South Meadow.