Noble Woods Park
Encyclopedia
Noble Woods Park is a wooded city park in Hillsboro, Oregon
, United States
. Located on approximately 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) along Rock Creek, the nature park with wetlands and forests is situated between West Baseline Road on the north and Southwest Borwick Road to the south near the Orenco
neighborhood. The city acquired the land for the park in 1992 and opened the park in the eastern section of the city in 1998. Noble Woods has two entrances, a picnic area, and hiking trails.
and wetland
along Rock Creek east of the city from Charlie Noble. The bond measure failed on election day, and instead local residents devised an alternative funding plan. 200 people pledged $500 down each followed by annual payments of $300 each for five years, plus $50,000 donations from the Hillsboro Rotary Club and Baker Rock Resources to be matched by the city government. Noble also agreed to sell the land on a five year contract for $881,000 for use as a park, a discount from the assessed value
of $1 million. The city purchased the land in 1992.
After acquiring the park land, the city used some funds from Metro
’s open spaces bond measure to construct infrastructure at the site in 1997. In 1997, the city paid to add an overlook of Rock Creek, built at a cost of $44,200. The city opened the park on Earth Day
in 1998. In June 2006, volunteer work groups removed the non-native English ivy from parts of the park. Another group, part of SOLV
, worked to remove more ivy at Noble Woods in April 2008.
s, bridges, stepping stones, and a stone and wrought iron constructed overlook of Rock Creek, a tributary of the Tualatin River
. There is about 1 miles (1.6 km) of paved trails. One trail includes stepping stones located in the creek to allow passage over the water. In addition to hiking trails, the park has a picnic
area with restrooms and a covered activity shelter. There are two entrances, one on both the north and south side, and each has paved parking. The north entrance is off West Baseline near 231st Avenue, and the south entrance off Southwest Borwick Road. The south entrance has the picnic area that includes tables and a meadow.
Terrestrial wildlife includes beaver
s, tree frogs, and raccoon
s among others. Additionally, the park is home to some bats. Aquatic life in the creek includes crawfish, freshwater mussels, and some smaller fish. Snowberry, Pacific dogwood
, Douglas fir, red cedar, nightshade, alder, western hemlock
, ash, rose hips, red osier dogwood bushes, ninebark, bittersweet nightshade, jewelweed, and maples make up the various plant species at the park. Some of the cedar trees are more than a century old.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located on approximately 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) along Rock Creek, the nature park with wetlands and forests is situated between West Baseline Road on the north and Southwest Borwick Road to the south near the Orenco
Orenco, Oregon
Orenco is a former company town in Washington County, Oregon, United States, located between Hillsboro and Aloha. The former community of Orenco now forms the Orenco neighborhood in Hillsboro, which is the site of the Orenco Station housing development.The community was established in 1905 as a...
neighborhood. The city acquired the land for the park in 1992 and opened the park in the eastern section of the city in 1998. Noble Woods has two entrances, a picnic area, and hiking trails.
History
In 1991, the city of Hillsboro asked voters to approve a bond which would pay for the purchase of nearly 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
along Rock Creek east of the city from Charlie Noble. The bond measure failed on election day, and instead local residents devised an alternative funding plan. 200 people pledged $500 down each followed by annual payments of $300 each for five years, plus $50,000 donations from the Hillsboro Rotary Club and Baker Rock Resources to be matched by the city government. Noble also agreed to sell the land on a five year contract for $881,000 for use as a park, a discount from the assessed value
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
of $1 million. The city purchased the land in 1992.
After acquiring the park land, the city used some funds from Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
’s open spaces bond measure to construct infrastructure at the site in 1997. In 1997, the city paid to add an overlook of Rock Creek, built at a cost of $44,200. The city opened the park on Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
in 1998. In June 2006, volunteer work groups removed the non-native English ivy from parts of the park. Another group, part of SOLV
SOLV
SOLV is an environmental non-profit organization working throughout the U.S. state of Oregon whose mission statement is: "SOLV builds community through volunteer action to preserve this treasure called Oregon"...
, worked to remove more ivy at Noble Woods in April 2008.
Amenities
Noble Woods includes wheelchair accessible trailTrail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s, bridges, stepping stones, and a stone and wrought iron constructed overlook of Rock Creek, a tributary of the Tualatin River
Tualatin River
The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River located in Oregon in the United States. The river is approximately long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley...
. There is about 1 miles (1.6 km) of paved trails. One trail includes stepping stones located in the creek to allow passage over the water. In addition to hiking trails, the park has a picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
area with restrooms and a covered activity shelter. There are two entrances, one on both the north and south side, and each has paved parking. The north entrance is off West Baseline near 231st Avenue, and the south entrance off Southwest Borwick Road. The south entrance has the picnic area that includes tables and a meadow.
Natural environment
The park’s natural environment includes both upland forests and wetlands at this location where Rock Creek receives Beaverton Creek. The upland forest section is on the north side, with the southern part of the park lowlands that include wetlands, meadows, the creek, and some ponds. Bird species at Noble Woods includes chickadees, Winter Wren, blue herons, ducks, nuthatches, Brown Creeper, Tree Swallow, hawks, Black-headed Grosbeak, and turkey vultures, among others.Terrestrial wildlife includes beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
s, tree frogs, and raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s among others. Additionally, the park is home to some bats. Aquatic life in the creek includes crawfish, freshwater mussels, and some smaller fish. Snowberry, Pacific dogwood
Pacific Dogwood
The Pacific Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii , is a species of dogwood native to western North America from lowlands of southern British Columbia to mountains of southern California. An inland population occurs in central Idaho. Cultivated examples are found as far north as Haida Gwaii...
, Douglas fir, red cedar, nightshade, alder, western hemlock
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...
, ash, rose hips, red osier dogwood bushes, ninebark, bittersweet nightshade, jewelweed, and maples make up the various plant species at the park. Some of the cedar trees are more than a century old.
See also
- Shute ParkShute Park (Oregon)Shute Park is a municipal park in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Acquired in 1906, the park is the oldest park in the city. Located at southeast Tenth and Maple streets along Tualatin Valley Highway, Shute Park includes an aquatic center, a branch of the Hillsboro Public Library,...
- Hillsboro StadiumHillsboro StadiumHillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States is a multi-sport stadium owned by the city of Hillsboro. Opened in 1999, the award winning stadium is part of the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex located in the northeast part of the city adjacent to the Sunset Highway...
- Hondo Dog ParkHondo Dog ParkHondo Dog Park is a city park in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the first dog park in that city. Located on nearly four acres, the park is in the northeast section of Hillsboro adjacent to Hillsboro Stadium. Hondo Dog Park is named after a Hillsboro Police Department K-9...
- Jackson Bottom Wetlands PreserveJackson Bottom Wetlands PreserveJackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States, is a wetlands area along the Tualatin River in Washington County, Oregon...