News from the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council

Spring 2023

News & Updates on Portland Harbor Restoration

Updates from the Rinearson Natural Area Restoration Project

The Rinearson Natural Area is a 33-acre restoration project in Gladstone, Oregon. Managed by Columbia Restoration Group, the project is designed to bring back riparian, off-channel, and upland habitats for salmon, bald eagle, turtles, mink and other native species injured by contamination in Portland Harbor. Like all Portland Harbor NRDA restoration banks overseen by the Trustee Council, restoration construction, which for this project was completed in 2018, is followed by 10 years of monitoring and adaptive management.

In 2022, Columbia Restoration Group provided the Year 3 (2021) monitoring report, which identified several promising updates. In the riparian forest habitat, native woody vegetation has quadrupled and in turn, 25 bird species have increased in abundance. Six additional bird species were identified in the 2021 site surveys compared to 2014 (pre-project), including the Yellow Warbler, a bird strongly associated with riparian habitats which may indicate the newly established willows are providing sufficient breeding habitat. Juvenile and adult bald eagles have also been spotted hunting in the Rinearson Natural Area. The 75 rock piles, snags, and log structures built in 2018 have also aided wildlife, such as strengthening migration corridors for mink. Beaver are actively building and maintaining dams in multiple locations along Rinearson Creek. Juvenile salmon have been observed using the site in past monitoring years and are expected to continue to use the tributary and pond areas as refuge from the mainstem of the Willamette River.

While monitoring shows improvements in many parts of the site, it also demonstrates decreasing native species cover. Invasive vegetation species, such as Himalayan blackberry and reed canary grass, are found in greater numbers than they should be, based on performance standards. As a result, the Trustee Council is working closely with Columbia Restoration Group to implement an aggressive invasive species management strategy. Ongoing monitoring and adaptive management are critical for meeting native species performance standards.

The Rinearson Natural Area Restoration 2021 (Year 3) Monitoring Report is available here. For more information, visit Falling Springs LLC and check out the Rinearson Natural Area fact sheet here.

Native turtle at Rinearson Project site photo submitted by Bill Dugan

Western painted turtle from the Rinearson project, photo: Nancy Prouty

Rinearson Project site BDA and stream Sept2022

Beaver dam at downstream end of the pond

Rinearson Native Plants from site visit Jun2022

Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa) at the Rinearson project

Restoration 101: Snags

Snags at Rinearson Project site photo taken from site visit Jun2022

Snags at Rinearson restoration project

Bald eagle taking flight at Linnton Mill restoration project, photo: RestorCap

A goal of the Natural Resource Trustee Council is to restore and provide a diversity of sustainable habitat types in Portland Harbor to enhance fish and wildlife resources potentially injured by the release of hazardous substances. The Bald Eagle has been identified as one of the many potentially injured species in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment, therefore protecting and restoring areas with suitable nest and perch sites are important to retain and expand Bald Eagle habitat along the Willamette River. Historically, Portland Harbor had a greater presence of natural perches for nesting and foraging. However, years of industrialization, land development, and river channelization have reduced these natural habitats for birds of prey.

An important restoration technique in rebuilding habitat complexity is adding back natural perching structures such as snags. Snags are dead or decaying trees that can be found in uplands, wetlands, and riparian zones and serve as habitat for wildlife. They appear as vertical trees that have succumbed to flood, drought or disease. Many naturally occurring snags around the Portland Harbor have been deliberately removed to improve river navigation and industrial operations. As the surrounding riparian forests were replaced with urbanized land, many perching birds, like bald eagle and osprey, were left using utility poles and channel markers along the river in locations that may not have been best for successful foraging. Restoring snags in the wetlands and uplands will return safer foraging habitat for Bald Eagle, as well as provide sentinel perch sites where an adult can keep watch and chase away other intruding eagles. Additionally, cavities in snags can provide shelter for other birds and aquatic animals. Ultimately, adding snags will create a place where all predatory birds can perch and forage, and other wildlife can shelter safely once again.

Much more goes into restoring snags than just planting a decaying tree. The type of wood, the size, shape, and quantity of snags needed, including the position and orientation of each snag must be considered for its ecological benefits. Today, more than 70 snags have been installed across all four restoration banks overseen by the Portland Harbor Natural Trustee Council.

Snags installed at PGE Harborton restoration project

Upcoming Events

Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group

May 10th The Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group (CAG) is made up of representatives of diverse community interests. Its purpose is to provide a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process. Additional information can be found here.

Children's Clean Water Festival

April 25th The Children’s Clean Water Festival is a community supported free environmental education event at PCC Sylvania Campus engaging fourth grade students from throughout the Portland Metro Area. Additional Information can be found here.

Portland Harbor in the News

2023 Metro Central Community Enhancement Grants make a difference January 31, 2023 in Metro News.

Overlooking shallow water habitat at Alder Creek restoration project

The Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council is responsible for restoring natural resources that have been impacted by contamination in the Portland Harbor Superfund site. The purpose of this newsletter is to share information about the Trustee Council's work with those who are interested in our assessment and restoration efforts.

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