Located at 5151 NW Cornell Rd., Portland, OR
The Audubon Society of Portland houses its sanctuary in a 150-acre location along Balch Creek in NW Portland. Sanctuaries Director Tom Costello oversees active invasive plant management projects for 42 identified invasive plants on the site, with nine designated as top priority. Previous challenges have prevented major documented success; however, with the recent addition of a Sanctuaries Director, there are now time and resources to put together a management plan. Invasive plant management is completed by volunteers and coordinated efforts with the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and Parks and Recreation. Audubon Society of Portland has a strong commitment to habitat conservation and restoration work which is publicly well-known.
Audubon’s popularity with the local community is what makes the Sanctuary grounds an ideal demo site. Audubon Society of Portland publishes a monthly newsletter which is sent to its 10,000 members, with anywhere from 50,000-80,000 visitors annually who explore the 4.5 miles of trails within the Sanctuary. Audubon Society of Portland’s dedicated membership draws in 10-20 volunteers for monthly work parties, resulting in over 2,000 volunteer hours each year. An additional 3,000 volunteer hours per year are from volunteers running educational programs such as an annual native plant sale, and a home-based native plant program. For more information about this site, please visit http://audubonportland.org/sanctuaries/visiting.
