Land permanently conserved to protect the long-term health of Forest Park
The habitat surrounding Forest Park is on track to a more sustainable future thanks to a generous donation of a 60-acre conservation easement to the Forest Park Conservancy (FPC).
Diane Field and Richard “Dick” Williams purchased the undeveloped property north of Forest Park in 2004. Now, they have decided to permanently protect it with a conservation easement. This easement will be held and monitored by FPC in perpetuity with the goal of maintaining and improving the available habitat on the property.
The partnership and legal document (the conservation easement) was negotiated by the FPC, and Diane Field, and Dick Williams, with the technical and legal support of West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District (WMSWCD) and the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts (COLT). The agreement has assured that native flora and fauna will always have a home on the property.
A conservation easement is a voluntary, legal agreement that limits the use of the land to protect its conservation values. Now, any future property owner will be subject to the requirements set out in this binding conservation easement.
Field and Williams are outdoor enthusiasts, wildlife conservationists, and landowners committed to conservation. When they purchased the property, their initial goal was to protect it from development. Their vision grew as they uncovered pervasive invasive species including blackberry and scotch broom. The property was formerly logged for commercial use and in need of significant restoration. A Forest Stewardship Plan developed with the help of forestry experts at WMSWCD helped guide the family in their restoration efforts.
“We are very appreciative of all of the people who have worked on the property over the last 17 years, which includes friends of ours who helped with limbing, and paid contractors who did a lot of the heavy lifting. We’ve been very appreciative of everybody’s help, and there’s been a lot of it from a lot of different places. It really feels like a community effort.”- Dick Williams.
The Field-Williams property is a 60-acre property located north of Forest Park. The property has been identified as “critical” for protecting and maintaining biological resources including habitat for native animals, plants, and fungi. Protecting this land will help preserve surface and groundwater water quality within, around, and downstream of the property. The property supports the presence of two streams draining into McCarthy Creek and a small seasonal pond. There is a small open meadow area that is a browse area for elk and overlooks the North Cascade Mountain Range.
The natural ecosystems of mixed-age and mixed-species old-growth forest will support the permanence of the wildlife corridor between the Oregon Coast Range and the Tualatin Hills. Based on historical conditions, the property can support a late-successional conifer forest dominated by Western Hemlock, Western Red-Cedar, and Douglas fir.
Completing this transaction is significant as it is the first new conservation easement FPC has held in over 25 years. This conservation easement kick-starts renewed efforts to protect properties relevant to Forest Park’s long-term health. With the conservation easement in place, FPC will now monitor the property annually to ensure it is cared for in compliance with the easement terms and the conservation values in the property.
“Forest Park has just been a life-saver for me. When I first came to Portland and got a high-powered job, the thing that saved me was grabbing my dog and hiking for an hour or two every day after work. It’s such a valuable asset to Portland, and I was quite taken with the idea of contributing to its future.” – Diane Field.
FPC acquired its first conservation easement in 1990. This new easement brings the number of easements owned by FPC to 14. All 14 easements spanning 1,160 acres fall within the Greater Forest Park Conservation Initiative program boundary.
For more information, contact: Alejandro Orizola, Conservation Director, Alejandro@forestparkconservancy.org, (503)223-4449 Ext. 108