Oregon's Metro has just finished its restoration of the Coffee Lake Creek natural area, an important wetland habitat, the Wilsonville Spokesman reported.
Metro is the metropolitan planning and land use agency for three counties surrounding Portland, Oregon. It works to ensure a healthy, functional environment for present and future generations, and that means wetlands are a must.
"We've now recognized as a society, now that we've lost more than half of our wetlands, just how valuable wetlands really are, and all the amazing things that they do for us free of charge," said Jonathan Soll, science and stewardship division manager for Metro, per the Wilsonville Spokesman. "That includes absorbing flood water and holding it so it doesn't flow downstream all at once, causing flooding."
Without functional wetlands, human buildings and developments are at risk of damage from floods, and human lives can even be lost. Meanwhile, wetlands themselves are important habitats and breeding grounds for many species, including fish that are used for food. They also improve the water quality for communities downstream.
In this case, the Coffee Lake Creek natural area is a 60-acre restoration project that is part of a larger, ongoing effort to connect the Willamette River with the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. It took over two years, and has already led to the return of migratory ducks to the area.
It's also a beautiful spot for people to visit to see the beauty of recently restored nature.
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"You can drive right around the whole perimeter on various roads and see it. It's a great opportunity for people to see a transition from this very simplified and, from an ecological perspective, unproductive area to turn it into a diverse and healthy and productive wetland that has open water and shrubs and trees and changes with the seasons," said Soll.
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