IBA of the Month: Ross Island

by Mary Coolidge, Assistant Conservation Director

"The island has given to the City. Now it is time to give back to the island."  - Ross Island Vision Document

Historical and Ecological Significance

Among more than 100 internationally recognized Important Bird Areas located in the State of Oregon, 404-acre Ross Island stands out because of its immediate proximity to downtown Portland. It serves as a reminder that our wildlife refuges can play a critical role in the survival of migratory bird species. In October 2007, a vision of public ownership, which was first laid out by the Olmsted Brothers in their 1903 Report to the Park Board, became a reality when 45 acres of Ross Island were transferred by the Ross Island Sand and Gravel Company to the City of Portland.

Ross Island is actually a four-island complex (comprised of Ross, Hardtack, East, and Toe Islands) separated from Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge by the narrow Holgate Channel. Portions are now owned by three entities: 45 acres in public ownership, the North tip under Port of Portland ownership, and the majority owned by the Ross Island Sand and Gravel Company (R.I. Sand & Gravel Co.). Between 1926 and 2001, R.I. Sand & Gravel Co. mined the Island Lagoon from an original depth of approximately 20 feet to a current depth of more than 120 feet. The raw materials used to construct the downtown landscape came from this lagoon.

Audubon Society of Portland, Urban Greenspaces Institute, Willamette Riverkeeper, GreenWorks, and a pair of independent landscape designers (Melissa Medeiros and Chris Frank) teamed up in 2004 to form the Ross Island Vision Team to develop a long-term vision for the ecological and recreational future of Ross Island. We jointly formed the Friends of Ross Island to provide the public with opportunities to become directly involved. Today there are more than 350 Friends of Ross Island and we are working hand in hand with the City, the Port of Portland, and R.I. Sand & Gravel Co. to develop a unified vision for protecting the entire Ross Island-Holgate Channel-Oaks Bottom Complex.

Species of Ornithological
Importance More than 100 bird species use the Island along their Pacific Flyway migratory path, and three listed fish species (Chinook, Coho, and Steelhead) use shallow-water habitat
associated with the Island. A pair of Bald Eagles has nested and raised young on the Island since the 1990s, and a heron rookery that at one time housed as many as 66 heron nests
is located at the north end of the Island. A floating passerby could hope to encounter eagles, herons, osprey, kingfishers, beaver, river otter, and a wide array of songbirds, shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl.

Access
There is currently no public access allowed on the Island, but there are many ways for the public to enjoy this gem by canoe and kayak, on sternwheeler trips sponsored by Audubon, and from a variety of vantage points located on the east and west banks of the Willamette. Audubon leads dozens of trips by canoe, kayak, bike, foot, and sternwheeler each year that feature Ross Island.

Today a new vision is at work on Ross Island. After nearly a century of mining for raw materials, it is now time for the City to give back to Ross Island. R.I. Sand & Gravel Co.
ceased mining operations on the island in 2001 (though they still use the plant located on the island for processing materials from sites located elsewhere in Oregon). The company has also embarked on a mandatory reclamation project that will create shallow water habitat and emergent wetlands at the north and south ends of the lagoon. Along with the transfer of 45 acres of land to the City of Portland, R.I. Sand & Gravel Co. also provided $100,000 to support
restoration activities on this parcel.

A 330-foot no-entry area exists in the lagoon for motorized and non-motorized boats during the spring and summer to protect the nesting Bald Eagles.

The best way to stay up-to-date on Ross Island trips, restoration activities, and policy decisions is to join the Friends of Ross Island. Contact Mary Coolidge at mcoolidge@audubonportland.org to join. Among the upcoming activities that we will be working on to promote protection, restoration, and enjoyment of Ross Island are the following:

• Regular trips by boat, bike, and foot to Ross Island and the surrounding environs.

• Creation of a no-wake zone in the Holgate Channel and a non-motorized zone in the Ross Island lagoon (commercial activity exempted) to provide a safe environment for canoeists and kayakers and to protect the fragile ecology of the Island.

• Restoration activities on the Island in conjunction with Willamette Riverkeeper and Portland Parks during the spring and summer (a rare opportunity to actually put your feet on the Island).

• Continued development of the Ross Island Vision to ensure protection, restoration, and enjoyment of the Island into the future.