Great Blue Heron in Tigard's Summer Creek.

Tigard wants to buy a 43-acre piece of land in the heart of the city known as Summer Creek to preserve it as the city's second largest park and a natural area for everyone to enjoy. That effort just received a $1 million boost from Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods capital grants program.

Situated at the confluence of Summer and Fanno Creeks, the site offers a unique encounter with nature in the middle of an urban city. Nearly 30 acres of the property are wetlands, and even more rare, forested wetlands. Stands of ponderosa pine, red cedars and Douglas firs tower over shrubs, grass and streams. Oaks, both mature ones and recently planted saplings, stretch along the property's northern boundary. Fish swim the creeks. Turtles and frogs thrive on the property, along with other critters. Ducks, red-tailed hawks, owls, herons and 50 other species of birds have been spotted here. The Fanno Greenway Trail, popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists, runs through a section of the site. A large baseball field provides an established playground in the midst of it all.

The property is adjacent to Fowler Middle School and is currently owned by the Tigard-Tualatin School District. The District doesn't need the land but it does need the money selling the land would raise. The land could be developed into home sites but the District would prefer the property remain intact and open to the public as a park. It has granted the Trust for Public Land an exclusive option-to-purchase.

"This is what Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods program is all about," said Metro Councilor Carl Hosticka. "Protecting this natural gem will give children and adults alike the opportunity to explore the forest and wetlands at Summer Creek now and for decades to come."

Since 1974 when Fowler Middle School was built, students have used the property as an outdoor classroom. The kids test the water quality and stream flow of Summer Creek. They learn about trees and vegetation, track and study birds, collect insects for research purposes and even release newly hatched fish into the creeks. The City wants these activities to continue and grow into a larger opportunity. The Summer Creek Environmental Education Program would allow children throughout the area to come experience Summer Creek first hand.

This is the second time Metro has dedicated funds to this area. In 2006, a Nature in Neighborhoods restoration and enhancement grant provided $18,640 to the Fans of Fanno Creek to restore an oak prairie on the property. The students of Fowler Middle School, along with their parents and other community members, helped rehabilitate the area by removing invasive vegetation and planting native trees and shrubs.

Metro's restoration and enhancement grant program is funded by excise taxes collected on solid waste disposal during the last several years. Metro has invested nearly $1.5 million in 74 local restoration and enhancement projects since the program was established in 2006. The Nature in Neighborhoods capital grants program is funded by Metro's natural areas bond measure passed by voters in 2006.

Learn about Metro's Nature in Neighborhoods capital grants program
Learn about Metro's restoration and enhancement grants
Learn about Metro's 2006 natural areas bond measure