Credit: Wildlands, Inc.
This 52 acre project on the southern tip of Sauvie Island is the first habitat restoration effort implemented specifically to benefit fish and wildlife affected by years of industrial contamination in Portland Harbor.
Salmon, osprey, bald eagle, and other fish and wildlife are already enjoying the sandy beaches, native vegetation, and large pieces of wood to perch on or hide underneath. These features replace a saw mill, parking lots, and other structures that were present on the property before it was purchased by Wildlands, Inc. The company intends to sell natural resource "credits" from the project to potentially responsible parties to help them meet their obligations for environmental damages in the Superfund site.
Construction of the restoration project began in summer of 2014. First, hundreds of thousands of yards of wood chips were removed from the site and several buildings were demolished. A channel was excavated on the western portion of the site, which was continued through the eastern half of the site when construction resumed in 2015 (watch the time lapse video). Also this year, efforts involve removing invasive vegetation, planting native vegetation, and installing large wood structures along the channel to create ideal places for young fish to rest, feed, and hide from predators.
Watch the video showing the progress at the site!
