Willamette Park
Encyclopedia
Willamette Park is a city park of about 26 acres (10.5 ha) in southwest Portland
, in the U.S. state
of Oregon
. Located at Southwest Macadam Avenue and Nebraska Street, the park includes a boat dock and ramp, paved and unpaved paths, picnic areas, restrooms, a dog off-leash area
, playground, soccer field, and tennis courts.
Bordering the Willamette River
, Willamette Park offers views of Ross Island
and its companions, Hardtack, East, and Toe. The Willamette Greenway Trail, part of Portland's 40 Mile Loop
, passes north–south through the park, linking it to downtown Portland on the north and Miles Place, Butterfly Park
, Stephens Creek
, Willamette Moorage Natural Area, the Sellwood Bridge
, and Powers Marine Park, all on the south. Oaks Amusement Park
and, further south, Sellwood Riverfront Park, are along the east bank, opposite Willamette Park. From the north end of the park, it is possible to see Great Blue Heron
and Bald Eagle
nests on Ross Island and the nests of Osprey
and Canada geese
on the tops of transmission tower
s at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
, beyond the east bank of the river.
Purple Martin
s nest in white gourd
s attached to a pole near the boat ramp. The gourds, which other birds do not like, protect a small number of martins from losing their homes to sparrow
s and starling
s. Other birds seen at the park include gull
s, sandpipers, cormorant
s, kingfisher
s, and swallow
s. Beaver
s frequent the area. A plaque at the south end of the park honors an Oregon white oak, "one of the largest" along the Greenway.
As part of the South Portland Riverbanks Projects, the city began removing non-native plants from the south end of Willamette Park in 2006. Volunteers organized by Friends of Trees subsequently replaced them with 250 native trees and shrubs.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Located at Southwest Macadam Avenue and Nebraska Street, the park includes a boat dock and ramp, paved and unpaved paths, picnic areas, restrooms, a dog off-leash area
Dog park
A dog park is a facility set aside for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners...
, playground, soccer field, and tennis courts.
Bordering the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
, Willamette Park offers views of Ross Island
Ross Island (Oregon)
Ross Island is the main island of a four-island cluster in the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The islands, covering a total of about , are owned mainly by Ross Island Sand and Gravel , which mined them extensively between 1926 and 2001...
and its companions, Hardtack, East, and Toe. The Willamette Greenway Trail, part of Portland's 40 Mile Loop
40 Mile Loop
The 40-Mile Loop is a partially completed greenway trail around and through Portland in the U.S. State of Oregon. It was proposed in 1903 by the Olmsted Brothers architecture firm as part of the development of Forest Park....
, passes north–south through the park, linking it to downtown Portland on the north and Miles Place, Butterfly Park
Butterfly Park
Butterfly Park is a city park of about in southwest Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located at 7720 Southwest Macadam Avenue, the park includes a natural area and walking paths near the Willamette River...
, Stephens Creek
Stephens Creek (Oregon)
Stephens Creek, a tributary of the Willamette River, flows entirely within the city of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning in the neighborhood of Hillsdale, it runs generally east through residential and commercial neighborhoods as well as patches of forest and parkland to join the...
, Willamette Moorage Natural Area, the Sellwood Bridge
Sellwood Bridge
The Sellwood Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It was Portland's first fixed-span bridge and, being the only river crossing for miles in each direction, is the busiest two-lane bridge in Oregon...
, and Powers Marine Park, all on the south. Oaks Amusement Park
Oaks Amusement Park
Oaks Park is a small amusement park located south of downtown Portland, Oregon USA, near the Sellwood Bridge. The park includes midway games, about two dozen rides that operate seasonally, a skating rink that is open all-year, and picnic grounds.- Rides :...
and, further south, Sellwood Riverfront Park, are along the east bank, opposite Willamette Park. From the north end of the park, it is possible to see Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
and Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
nests on Ross Island and the nests of Osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
and Canada geese
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
on the tops of transmission tower
Transmission tower
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...
s at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a city park of about in southeast Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in a floodplain along the east bank of the Willamette River near Sellwood, the park is known for attracting a wide variety of birds...
, beyond the east bank of the river.
Purple Martin
Purple Martin
The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow. These aerial acrobats have speed and agility in flight, and when approaching their housing, will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked.-Description and taxonomy:...
s nest in white gourd
Gourd
A gourd is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae. Gourd is occasionally used to describe crops like cucumbers, squash, luffas, and melons. The term 'gourd' however, can more specifically, refer to the plants of the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita or also to their hollow dried out shell...
s attached to a pole near the boat ramp. The gourds, which other birds do not like, protect a small number of martins from losing their homes to sparrow
Sparrow
The sparrows are a family of small passerine birds, Passeridae. They are also known as true sparrows, or Old World sparrows, names also used for a genus of the family, Passer...
s and starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s. Other birds seen at the park include gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, sandpipers, cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s, and swallow
Swallow
The swallows and martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding...
s. 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 frequent the area. A plaque at the south end of the park honors an Oregon white oak, "one of the largest" along the Greenway.
As part of the South Portland Riverbanks Projects, the city began removing non-native plants from the south end of Willamette Park in 2006. Volunteers organized by Friends of Trees subsequently replaced them with 250 native trees and shrubs.