Portland-area parks and natural areas are about to see a serious cash boost. On Tuesday, Metro Council signed off on more than $26 million in grants for 42 parks and nature projects across the region, from small neighborhood plantings and stewardship efforts to multi-million-dollar capital work, including removal of an aging dam that has been blocking salmon for decades.
The money comes from the voter-approved parks-and-nature bond and levy, and the council wrapped up the decisions during a special session in Milwaukie. “Thanks to voters, Metro will support dozens of new initiatives that span the region,” Metro Council President Juan Carlos González said, according to Metro. The approvals represented the largest single-day disbursement of the agency’s parks-and-nature grant programs in this funding cycle.
Metro staff had flagged several top candidates ahead of time, but councilors still spent the run-up to the vote debating which proposals should rise to the top. That back-and-forth, including strong enthusiasm for the Kelly Creek project and interest in Hillsboro’s Working Theory Farm, was detailed by Willamette Week.
The biggest capital project in the package is the Kelly Creek restoration on the Mount Hood Community College campus in Gresham. Metro’s awards list shows the plan will remove a 60-year-old earthen dam and replace it with a bridge to reconnect habitat that has been cut off for generations. The effort landed $2.5 million from the Large-Scale Community Visions program and $2 million from Nature in Neighborhoods capital grants, for a total of $4.5 million. “We have wind in our sails thanks to Metro,” East Multnomah County Soil and Water Conservation District executive director Kelley Beamer said, according to Metro. The dam sits on Mount Hood Community College’s Gresham campus at 26000 SE Stark St.
Other Notable Awards And Regional Impacts
Beyond Kelly Creek, the council spread the rest of the grant package across a mix of habitat restoration, trail building and community-focused projects. Major awards included $3 million for Working Theory Farm in Hillsboro, $1.5 million for Tigard’s Ash Creek Nature Link, $1 million for a Bird Alliance of Oregon nature center in East Portland, and $2 million to support renovation of the World Forestry Center campus, according to the Portland Business Journal.
Metro officials say the grants are designed to pull in additional public and private dollars, while advancing equity, climate resilience and workforce opportunities tied to on-the-ground work. Timelines will vary, with some neighborhood-scale efforts poised to start design work later this year, and larger dam removals and capital projects heading into planning and permitting over the coming months. Council members and project partners alike say communities will be watching both how fast the work happens and how evenly the benefits land across the region.
