Preserving Our Neighborhood Treasure

Author: Suzanne Briggs, Rose City Bluff Restoration Volunteer.

We have a wildlife treasure in our midst; and our aim is to enhance and preserve it!

This wildlife corridor adjoins the north edge of the Rose City Golf Course and parallels NE Sacramento St.  For the last five years an ever-growing group of neighborhood residents has worked to remove invasive plants, such as Himalayan Blackberries, and to replace them with appropriate native plants.  Our goal is to restore the area to its native ecology and to provide a refuge for native plants and animals, and to provide an easy walk for area residents to enjoy the beauty of nature.

To date we have cleared large swaths of blackberry brambles and invasive plants, spread woodchips in four designated areas and planted more than 800 native plants.  Many of these young plants are marked with bamboo stakes.

We have achieved this by informally gathering every Sunday morning for two hours. In 2023, in addition to this weekly work, we plan to schedule work parties on the third Sunday of each month to tackle specific projects; and to sponsor special educational events e.g.  Native Plant Education Walks, Native Planting Days and Birding Education Walks.

The Rose City Bluff Restoration is an informal volunteer organization that is working in partnership with Portland Parks and Recreation, Central NE Neighborhood Coalition and East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation. To learn more about the Rose City Bluff Restoration activities, check out our website:  rosecitybluff.org or contact us at rosecitybluff@gmail.com.