Lesser-Known Icons: A Tour of Portland’s Parks
By Envision Magazine on January 14, 2015
Portland is known for many things: food trucks, breweries, bikes, rain. Perhaps lesser known is Portland’s many beautiful parks spread throughout the city. There are many different types of parks in Portland so there is a little something for everyone. There is the natural beauty of Forest Park, the family-friendly Mt. Tabor Park, or the lovable creatures at Lents Goats. Each one is unique in its own way and offers something distinctive to Portland.
Forest Park
Forest Park is a public park in the Tualatin mountains. With more than 5,000 acres overlooking the Willamette River, it is one of the largest urban forest reserves in the country. The City of Portland Parks and Recreation Department and the Forest Park Conservancy maintain and provide funding for the park via various fundraisers, such as the first annual Trail Rake-A-Thon. This encouraged volunteers to take part in maintaining the park by raking leaves off the trails. Events like this not only offer a chance to raise money but also encourages the community to become actively involved with its park.
Mt. Tabor Park
Mt. Tabor is a volcanic cinder cone that now serves as a 190-acre park in southeast Portland. Mary Kinnick, co-chair of the board of Friends of Mt. Tabor – a group of Portland residents who help maintain the park – describes one of her favorite things about the park as being at the top, alone with her dog, the sound of the wind blowing, mist coming around the trees. Part of the Mt. Tabor area has been turned into a residential area, but the main summit is now a family-friendly park. The park has amenities such as an amphitheater, paved driving and walking trails, hiking trails, and playgrounds, making it a great place for people of all ages. The park is maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department as well as the Friends of Mt. Tabor.
An award-winning volunteer group, Friend of Mt. Tabor keep the park up and running. The group has roughly 150 due-paying members who work with the city of Portland to support maintenance and implement goals of the park. These goals include: keeping invasive species out of the park, repairing and updating existing structures, and maintaining the safety of the park for public use. Mary Kinnick has been the co-chair of the board and the program coordinator of Weed Warriors for seven years. Weed Warriors is a group of volunteers that work toward habitat restoration inside park by pulling invasive plants and planting native plants. The program has also won the Spirit of Portland award and boasts great improvement in the native plant life of Mt. Tabor.
Mills End Park
Not all parks in Portland have the wide array of amenities that Mt. Tabor boasts, some are only 452 square inches wide. Mill Ends Park is located in the median strip of Naito Parkway and sits inside the outlined base of a light pole that was never built. In 1948, a columnist for The Oregon Journal planted a flower in the hole where a light pole was supposed to be and named it after his column, “Mill Ends.” The park was able to survive until it became an official park in 1976, thanks to the work of volunteers keeping the plants alive. In 1971 the Guinness Book of Records recognized the park as “The World’s Smallest Park,” and it still holds that title today.
The Portland Parks and Recreation Department has been crucial in the longevity of the city’s parks. The department creates parks with the intention of giving Portland residents a safe place to enjoy the outdoors and connect with their community. A park plan lays out the foundation and goals of the park. The department also works with various groups within each park to help implement new plans. Within Mt. Tabor the department works with Weed Warriors to make sure they have proper funding to be able to continue their work against invasive plants.
Each of these parks are unique in their own way and will continue to be their best, due to the hard work behind the scenes from those who are most passionate about them.