St. Johns group works to preserve overlooked open space

Posted by: Sentinel News Service on Jun 03, 2009
By Cassandra Koslen
 
Friends of Baltimore Woods, a grassroots environmental group in the Cathedral Park Neighborhood, has received $11,000 from a Metro Central enhancement grant.

The funds will be used to increase awareness of a 30-acre strip of undeveloped private land in hopes of preserving it for present and future generations to enjoy.
 

FOBW hopes the woods will be used to enhance the proposed North Portland WillametteGreenway and 40-Mile Loop trails, as well as to protect the watershed and native trees and animals.
 
Using the grant money, the Friends plan to create a website, hire an intern, and begin a public outreach campaign to educate neighbors about this lone stretch of greenway in St. Johns, as well as the importance of preserving the area’s native white oak trees and promoting native backyard habitats.
 
“This is a hidden bit of urban wilderness that hardly anyone knows about,” says Barbara Quinn, one of the original Friends, who have been active in the community for eight years. As she stands on the Willamette Bluff, industry toils below, contrasting with the peaceful woods rustling with daytime wildlife.
 
The Baltimore Woods Corridor begins at North Decatur and Baltimore streets, on the edge of Cathedral Park, then stretches east to Edison Street, curving north along the bluff to Pier Park. In addition to providing a natural area for respite, the woods act as a natural noise buffer between the industrial area on the banks of the Willamette and the residential area above.
The Port of Portland is working with the group to preserve this buffer, in part due to a constant influx of noise complaints from St. Johns locals, some of whom don’t realize the proximity of rail tracks and noisy factories until after they have moved into their homes.
 
“People don’t realize that there’s about 30 acres of green space here. Maybe they take it for granted, or just don’t notice, but it is slated to be developed,” Quinn says.
 
Development companies have bought slots of the wooded land, which is zoned EG2.
This allows for industrial or limited residential uses, and the group fears more high-density residential units such as the four-story condos recently erected by the north end of Cathedral Park. So far, the group has met with two of these developers, with good results, according 
to Quinn.
 
The Friends know they are on a deadline with the economy. Most of the land in question is spoken for, but development is frozen due to the current recession.  Once the economy begins to improve, developers who have interest in the land will most likely begin to move forward with their plans.  
 
The group is also working with SOLV, Three Rivers Land Conservatory, the Audubon Society, and Parametrix to establish a strong support base for their preservation efforts.
 
Both the city and Metro cite the importance of the land’s population of native oak. Only about 7 percent of the region’s native oak trees remain, according to FOBW. The entire area used to be deciduous trees until it became a lumberyard about 100 years ago.
 
“Although they’ve mentioned the oaks’ importance, there’s no plan afoot to do something about it,” says Quinn, “and there’s not a whole lot we can do to stop [developers from removing the trees], because the land is privately owned.”
 
A portion of the woods has been adopted into the 40-Mile Loop and the North Portland Greenway Project, which aims to connect St. Johns to the Eastbank Esplanade. Decatur Street was always part of the greenway trail, and the Friends convinced the greenway planners to keep the trail in their project “in hopes of a grand connection all the way.”
 
The woods can also be accessed using several public right-of-ways off Edison Street, which may become neighborhood paths to the larger greenway trail.
 
“It will be much more pleasant than walking through a high-density residential area,” says Quinn.
 
In July, the Friends will start backyard habitat education as part of the Metro grant, teaching people how to maintain their yards so as to encourage natural wildlife, and keep out invasive plants. An Earth Day clean-up of the area is scheduled for 
next year.
 

The Friends meet once a month on Saturdays, and welcome anyone to attend.  For more information go to friendsofbaltimorewoods.com 

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Comments

the woods

by Sentinel Reader | Wed, 06/03/2009 - 9:54pm

What a lot of the neighbors along Edison and Decatur don't realize is that the EG2 zoning allows loopholes for developers to build condos with no or very lax height restrictions.

 

On a nice Portland evening one can see many people walking down Edison and Decatur. With high density condos, traffic would increase several times, the views of the river/forest park would be lost, and any privacy the houses next to the lots covered in trees had would be replaced by windows looking over their backyards.

 

The neighborhood association, Friends of Cathedral Park, spends a significant amount of time dealing with complaints related to industry such as noise and odors. The woods in the article form a buffer for these incompatible uses.

 

If you would like to get involved, just curious, have questions, you can sign up at the website, FriendsOfBaltimoreWoods.com.