TO: Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Keith Stahley, City Manager
FROM: Brian D. Martin, PE, Public Works Director
SUBJECT:
title
Request to create a mid-year project for the Phase 3 West Forest Restoration Project within the Minto Island Conservation Area.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Natural Environment Stewardship.
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SUMMARY:
summary
A request to create a mid-year project for the Phase 3 West Forest Restoration Project, which includes mitigating invasive species and planting of native species in a 48-acre area located within the Minto Island Conservation Area of Minto-Brown Island Park. The project is funded through a $546,530 restoration grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board with matching funds provided through in-kind services of City staff and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.
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ISSUE:
Shall City Council authorize the creation of a mid-year project titled “Phase 3 West Forest Restoration Project”?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Authorize the creation of a mid-year project titled “Phase 3 West Forest Restoration Project.”
body
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
1. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Restoration Grant Program provides funding for watershed projects that protect or restore watershed functions. Minto Island Conservation Area in Minto-Brown Island Park is an eligible location for this grant source.
2. The City has been awarded $546,530 through the OWEB Restoration Grant Program. The funds will be used over the next five years to conduct ecological restoration in the Minto Island Conservation Area. Projects include: restoring riparian forests; controlling invasive species; and conducting public awareness campaigns. Funding through this grant is in addition to the $423,484 OWEB Restoration Grant awarded to the City in the Spring of 2024, which is being used to conduct invasive species control and ecological restoration at Oxbow Slough of Minto-Brown Island Park.
3. The City will contract for a majority of the work with a licensed herbicide applicator and restoration practitioner. OWEB grant funds will be used to reimburse the City for contracted costs.
4. The City will contract soil studies in a portion of the project area for up to $4,000.
5. The OWEB restoration grants program requires a 25% match, or $137,538 over the five years of the project. The City will provide its share of the match through in-kind services that include staff time and project-related support such as technical advice, soil testing, environmental monitoring, logistics assistance, and public information and engagement. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will provide approximately $4,700 toward the match through its in-kind services. For grant tracking and reimbursement purposes, the project will reside in the Parks Capital Construction Fund (255-58909505). In-kind services provided by the City are already included in the current fiscal year budget.
6. The Phase 3 West Forest Restoration Project will occur on 48 acres located along the Willamette River (Attachment 1) and within the 307-acre Minto Island Conservation Area. The restoration area underwent restoration under a grant from Meyer Memorial Trust, which was finished in 2024. The site requires additional work to reach the desired future conditions. The project area has invasive species including Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armenicus), Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) and English ivy (Hedera helix), which adversely impact native plants and wildlife.
7. The project will increase native species cover and habitat for native species by reducing terrestrial weeds through an integrated pest management program and planting of over 35,000 native plants along with over 300 pounds of seed.
8. The project is expected to run from 2025 through 2029.
BACKGROUND:
The 307-acre Minto Island Conservation Area was acquired by the City in 2013 with Willamette Wildlife Mitigation Program funds. A Minto Island Conservation Area Management and Conservation Plan was developed and adopted by the City 2015. This plan provides a blueprint for managing and restoring the conservation area’s natural resources and describes desired future conditions. Phase 1 restoration was implemented between 2016 to 2020 and focused on the east side forested floodplain between the paved trail and Willamette Slough. Phase 2 restoration was implemented between 2020 to 2023 and focused on controlling the aquatic invasive plant Ludwigia in Willamette Slough. Phase 3 began in 2019 and is the subject of the current funding request. This area includes approximately 48-acres along the western and southern sides of MICA.
The Phase 3 restoration project focuses on enhancing, restoring, and expanding the riparian floodplain forest and seasonally inundated wetland habitats on the west side of the conservation area adjacent to the Willamette River. The successful project will ensure that the project site is a dependable source of large woody debris for the Willamette River into the future while continuing to provide high flow refugia to native fish. The first five years of this project were funded by grants from Bonneville Power Administration and Meyer Memorial Trust and focused on gaining control of the vast monocultures of invasive blackberry and reed canary grass within approximately 27.5 acres of the site.
Over 75,000 native plants have been installed in the Phase 3 area between 2020 to 2024; however, survival rates of these plants have been low due to challenging site conditions and continued pressure from invasive plants. With the 2019 grant funding ending, additional funding is needed to continue to open up space for native plants to establish and grow. The successful restoration of this area requires additional weed control and planting of native vegetation to improve habitat conditions and riparian functioning as well as allow for access to future restoration work areas.
Robert D. Chandler, PhD, PE
Assistant Public Works Director
Attachments:
1. Minto Island Conservation Area: Phase 3 Restoration Map