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To volunteer at Baltimore Woods, you just need a bit of grit, sturdy boots, and a rain parka because the first instructions are about safety. Watch out for sharp rocks and boulders, divots, dips, and dells. In November, 15 Portland Garden Club (PGC) members met the challenge. The transformation of the Lower Meadow of Baltimore Woods from an urban cemented wasteland to a natural habitat filled with native species and welcoming to raptors, critters, and hikers began about 22 years ago with a committed group of residents, that includes current active board members Jim Barnas, Barbara Quinn and Betsy Valle. Our Portland Garden Club (PGC) Conservation/PAA committee through the Garden Club of America’s (GCA’s) Partners for Plants Program is in the second year of working with The Friends of Baltimore Woods to continue this effort. Luckily for us, our FOBW partners, along with Portland Parks, does all the soil prep and auguring. The plants, bulbs, and seeds are high priority species native to the Willamette Valley ecoregion and suitable to the dry, rocky soil. Seeds and bulbs were propagated during winter months by both FOBW and the PGC. Liz Dally, who’s been FOBW’s coordinator with the Portland Garden Club (and whose tireless cataloging of seeds and plant material rivals that of the early botanists in the New World!), kept charts of the plants put into the ground that day.  They include:  Narrow-leaf Milkweed; Lomatium ‘Spring Gold’; Pine Bluegrass; Blue Bunch Wheatgrass; Blue Wild Rye; June Grass; Harvest Lily; and Dichelostemma congestum (Ookow).  Plant material was grown from seed by our two groups. Additionally, Ivy Stovall, Nursery Director for Rewild Portland, gifted us a number of plants from Rewild’s Greenhouse at Green Anchors, on the Willamette River just below the meadow.  FOBW rented space at the greenhouse last year to propagate most of the plants for the meadow. To cap off the PGC/FOBW collaborative meadow-ing party, Leah Passell and Caroline Skinner rounded up metal rabbit fence materials — and rounded up volunteers to install it! —  in order to keep the meadow’s furry plant nibblers out of the newly-planted beds.   Last year’s green plastic fencing seemed not specific enough to deter the critters. The recent signs of coyotes patrolling the trail through the Lower Meadow indicate the fences may be the least of Flopsy and Mopsy’s worries. By Marion Davis, PGC member and Jim Barnas, FOBW board

It is with heavy hearts, that the environmental protection community of Portland received the unexpected news of the passing of conservation legend, Bob Sallinger, in late October 2024. It may not be well known that Bob Sallinger has played an essential role in advocating for North Portland’s rich natural habitats and wildlife. In his role as conservation director of Audubon, now the Oregon Bird Alliance, he spent years working alongside residents on the Superfund cleanup that affects the lower 11 miles of North Portland’s Willamette River. He attended an untold number of meetings, events, hearings, and stakeholder discussions with us in the five years before the final EPA Record of Decision. He helped leverage an enormous community response to the plan. It was a boundless commitment and one he carried into the present even as the cleanup is finally underway. The first time I saw Sallinger in action was in 2007-8 while observing meetings for the North Reach River Plan where the fate of North Portland’s lower Willamette River was being decided. Of course large corporate industry was well represented. Other stakeholders included the city agencies, and Audubon. They were all seated around a table trying to come to some kind of agreement. Sallinger was outnumbered but vociferous in the face of very vocal industry reluctance to agree to what they saw as “limitations.” He was smart and well-prepared. In fact, he seemed to thrive in the fraught juxtapositions of power, industry and nature. To help inform the North Reach River Plan’s Natural Resource Inventory, Sallinger actually walked the entire east side Willamette River shoreline. Ground truthing was typical of his style and dedication. Besides the River Plan and Superfund, around 2007 he helped the Friends of Baltimore Woods, a collection of rag tag North Portland neighbors, by writing an email letter advocating for the preservation of the native oak corridor. It was enough to convince potential agency partners to see us as more than neighborhood yahoos and begin to grasp the potential in its preservation. It was what finally enabled funding for acquisition and restoration of what we now know as Baltimore Natural Area. But the most intense work he did in our sector was his crusade to preserve West Hayden Island for wildlife when the Port of Portland had it earmarked for a development as a terminal. He fought the Port’s annexation tenaciously, and for years. Curtis Robinhold, executive director of the Port said, “He was smart. He usually knew more than you did. And he was relentless in getting to the right answer,” according to a recent Steve Duin column in the Oregonian. That is why at this time, some FOBW board members think it is appropriate to support Mike Houck’s resolution to honor Bob Sallinger by petitioning Metro to consider Mike’s following request; “I’m asking you to do something substantial. If you truly treasure Bob’s legacy I ask that you move expeditiously to bring West Hayden Island into Metro’s system of parks, trails and natural areas. No one has done more than Bob to make that possible. Protection of West Hayden Island is one of Bob’s singular achievements. The most appropriate and meaningful way to honor his legacy would be to protect it in perpetuity.”

Some visitors to Baltimore Woods Natural Area might be surprised to see the recent addition of wire fencing around nearly one dozen planting beds in the lower meadow area, near the entrance at N Catlin Ave. These beds were planted with a variety of native plant species in the fall of 2023 and again recently in fall 2024. The restoration project for this area has the goal of increasing plant diversity in the meadow habitat, so we’ve added over a dozen species of native grasses and flowering forbs to these beds, as well as throughout the grassy landscape. However, we have noticed an issue arising with the new plants in the meadow – namely, many plants are getting severely clipped or even eaten to the ground by herbivores. After looking at the copious amounts of scat spread throughout the meadow, we have determined that the most likely and damaging culprits are rabbits, probably the eastern cottontail rabbit, a common wild species in the Portland area. These rabbits, while wild, are a non-native species that is comfortable living in close proximity to humans. In order to preserve the plantings, we have resorted to the addition of wire rabbit fencing around the beds. Our hope is that the fenced beds will allow our new plant species to thrive, flower, and set seeds, eventually filling in the beds and propagating themselves further, as they disperse that seed through wind, birds, and other natural methods. Compared to the green plastic fencing installed then later dismantled last year, it is hoped that the wire fencing does not detract from the enjoyment of a stroll through the meadow. We wanted our neighbors to understand why the fencing was installed, and how it furthers our goals to increase the plant diversity, which in turn will create needed habitat, forage, and beauty for pollinators, birds, mammals and humans!

In early 2013, thanks to a North Portland Neighborhood Services Grant, the Friends of Baltimore Woods (FOBW) acquired a tricycle, with the aspiration of having a human-powered way of transporting tools and supplies to and from work parties. FOBW members designed and built a cargo box to fit the trike, with the Baltimore Woods logo adorning each side of the box.  The trike made appearances at our plant sales, at several of our book sales, and even in the St. Johns Parade! But after a few years of use, it became apparent that our unique human-powered means of transport wasn’t able to meet the demands of real-world habitat-restoration work.  Sadly, the tricycle was spending more time in storage than out on the trail. In November, Friends of Baltimore Woods decided to donate its tricycle to Community Cycling Center, the local non-profit dedicated to spreading bicycle culture and making bicycles available to young people who otherwise couldn’t own one.  They repair donated bikes, teach bicycling and bike repair and sponsor community events to help popularize the benefits of cycling. The Community Cycling Center mission “to help build a vibrant community where people of all backgrounds use bicycles to stay healthy and connected” contains elements we can apply to our own Baltimore Woods Natural Area: “vibrancy,” “health” and “connection”. Qualities such as “vibrancy” and “health” are certainly, broadly speaking, goals to work toward when restoring and maintaining a natural area. But those same qualities could also be looked at as qualities we are receiving each time we engage in making the goals a reality; qualities imparted to us as gifts from the Woods itself. Don’t we actually become healthier, more vibrant beings when we’re in nature, especially as we engage in the activities of caring for nature? And, of course, big goals that require many hands are easier to reach by “staying connected”. It’s thanks to the coordinated efforts of our FOBW members and partners that the goal of health and vitality for new and established native plants is possible. Friends of Baltimore Woods will continue to foster the quality of good connections by continuing to advocate for completion of the North Portland Greenway Trail through the Baltimore Woods corridor — the Greenway Trail as officially adopted in the City of Portland’s River Plan/North Reach. The Trail, in the end, will be the connection that enables more and more people to experience our common inheritance in all it’s beauty and urban fragility: native wildlife.  We applaud Community Cycling Center for working to make that experience possible for more people. And, who knows — maybe some of those people will someday be powering a newer, bigger, badass FOBW cargo trike!

February is a great time for spring garden planning. Adding more native plants to your garden naturally supports native wildlife while creating resiliency to climate change! This spring the Friends of Baltimore Woods and Sparrowhawk Native Plant Sale pick-up days will be Friday April 18 and Saturday April 19. The native plant ordering and purchasing will begin at 9am on Sunday March 2, and run until Sunday March 30 at midnight. Beginning Tuesday February 4th, the Sparrowhawk website will list the approximately 115 native plants offered for the sale this year, including their images, sizes, prices and helpful propagation tips. The Sparrowhawk website is a great resource for successfully designing and growing native plant garden landscapes, plus the sooner you order the better the selection. The FOBW Sparrowhawk Native Plant Sale is the first one of this 2025 Spring season, so you can pick up your plants and begin your gardening projects earlier. This is our only annual fund raiser, and your dollars will directly support all recurring stewardship activities in Baltimore Woods. The Plant Sale will return to the St John’s Farmer’s Market Parking Lot location at 8260 N Central Street in St Johns, this spring. Additionally, at the plant pick-up on April 18 and 19, nature inspired art will be for sale! Dedicated FOBW volunteer, Charlie Montgomery, will sell his hand-turned maple, cherry and walnut wooden bowls. FOBW board member Lisa Manning will sell signed copies of her Falcons in the City children’s book and nature postcards. All profits will be donated to FOBW. As always FOBW relies on many volunteers to help run the sale. If you’re a returning volunteer, or want to help for the first time this year, look on our upcoming Events Calendar for the volunteer sign up links beginning March 2nd. Volunteers are needed for one shift during the three days of the sale; April 17 to 19. On Thursday April 17, all the plants will be delivered from the nurseries and organized for pick-up on Friday April 18, and Saturday April 19. Volunteer jobs include helping to unload and organize plants, set up canopies, unload wheelbarrows and collapsable wagons, greeting and assisting customers, etc. Volunteers will be able to pick up their pre-ordered plants on the days they work.

 

The 2024 Spring Sparrowhawk FOBW Native Plant Sale was a huge success! All in all, 480 habitat gardeners picked up 6,300 pre-ordered native plants on Friday and Saturday morning the last week of April. Additionally, about 50 folks showed up for the overstock flash sale on Saturday afternoon and cleaned out the lot. This was the very first time we didn’t have one single plant left over at the sale’s end! Together, Sparrowhawk staff and Friends of Baltimore Woods volunteers helped every one of more than 7,000 plants find new, loving homes. These plants will fight the good fight to support pollinators, wildlife, and help promote climate resiliency. The sale earned $3,250 for Friends of Baltimore Woods to continue advocacy and stewardship of the 30-acre strip of woods and green space running along N Decatur St, between residential and industrial areas. Baltimore Woods is located between Cathedral and Pier Parks in the St Johns neighborhood. We couldn’t have done it without the assistance of volunteers who generously donated their time to help throughout the sale. Thank you so much Sparrowhawk staff, plant sale customers and all you wonderful volunteer helpers! By Betsy Valle and Caroline Skinner

When we last wrote of our propagation project, we had sown seeds of 8 species of wildflowers and 3 species of grasses into planting containers in a greenhouse setting so that we could have many new, healthy plants for the Baltimore Woods meadow. We found, with a couple of exceptions, that our seeds germinated well, and we spent many weeks this spring planting the first small grass and lomatium plants into the meadow, as they had outgrown their nursery pots and needed to be transplanted to their permanent home. We hoped to take advantage of the generous spring rains for these few hardy species. However now, as the warm season begins, we have many dozens of trays of still vulnerable baby plants which FOBW members are tending at home over the summer, with the hopes of planting many of these young plants into the meadow this coming fall. Fall planting is advantageous for both seeds and small young plants, for it takes advantage of our longest rainy season, allowing new plants to develop deep roots over the fall and winter in preparation for a new flush of growth in the spring.  Some of the small bulbs, mostly in the lily family, but also including the tuber “Yampah”, will need at least another year of human care before they are large enough to transplanting into the meadow’s rather challenging environment. This is a long-range project, to be sure! Another aspect of our project is to monitor and maintain the small plants which we purchased and planted into our meadow last fall with grant money and planting help from Portland Garden Club members. We are pleased with the progress of the plants so far, but, inevitably, there are some challenges. We had expected some damage from herbivores, mainly rabbits, but it appears they have a special taste for native lilies, milkweeds, and grasses! We have plans to try some fencing or wire “cloches” around the more vulnerable plants to deter the nibblers. Additionally, we will have to consider watering the new plantings for their first summer. So far this year, we have been fortunate that nature has taken care of the job for us, and the frequent rains have kept the soil moist and plants thriving. Of course, this includes weeds, and controlling them is a never ending task for Baltimore Woods members & volunteers. As we work and plan for the survival of these small plants, we keep in mind that they are a small but significant investment in the future of natural areas big & small throughout the Willamette Valley, and hope that our efforts insure the survival of the many species of plants & animals that depend on this beautiful and threatened ecosystem.

On the warm sunny morning of May 30th, thirty 6th, 7th and 8th grade students from Catlin Gable School arrived with their teachers and chaperones for a community service day in the woods. After introductions, a tool safety talk and an exploratory scavenger hunt in the Lower Meadow, the students were divided into 2 groups of mixed age levels. One group tackled the ivy and blackberry patch under a large mature big leaf maple, the remaining pulled sweet pea vines that were choking native shrubs in the Upper Woodland.  The students were focused, hard working and a joy to supervise with their attentive instructors and adult partners. They saw turkey vultures, purple lupine, heard songbirds and enjoyed a healthy slice of nature in North Portland. Our hope is that they will be inspired to return next year to again enjoy the native oak and savannah habitat of Baltimore Woods, and continue to help care for it.

Baltimore Woods’ 7-acre meadow is blooming with an assortment of native wildflowers that can easily be viewed from the gravel path that runs approximately north-south through the grassy habitat. The Friends and their partners at Portland Parks and the Bureau of Environmental Services have planted many of the native wildflowers. The meadows are being restored for the benefit of ground nesting birds and pollinators. Both are experiencing declining numbers due to a loss of habitat. The Friends ask that walkers stay on the path to allow birds enough undisturbed space for ground-nesting. Walkers can start a stroll on N. Decatur at N. Baltimore, or at N. Decatur at N. Catlin. Or for a shorter walk, you can enter the meadow directly at N. St. Johns Alley from N. Edison. Another option is to enter at N. Reno and N. Decatur and walk south toward Cathedral Park to enjoy views of the St. Johns Bridge.  

The Friends of Baltimore Woods are delighted to announce the recent acquisition of a new parcel nicknamed Acorn Acre near the North Reno Entrance of the Baltimore Woods Natural Area. Purchasing of this lot, formally known as the Erickson Property, has long been on the back burner FOBW “To Do” list, until the spring of 2023 when a realtor “For Sale” sign was posted on North Reno, alerting the board into action. Over the summer, a weekend neighborhood petition drive gathered over 120 signatures in favor of protecting the lot, plus many emails and phone calls to Metro, Portland Parks and Bureau of Environmental Services were made. The most significant boost to the effort came when board members attended North Portland and Northeast Portland town hall meetings in August with City Commissioner Dan Ryan and his Communications and Special Projects Director TJ McHugh. Once TJ was informed of the board’s interest in protecting the property, and received the petition and letters of interest from the FOBW board, the ball began to roll. The property was taken off the Zillow website and Portland Parks planned to seek approval from city commissioners to complete the purchase and protection of this beautiful woodland habitat to be added to the 30 acres of Baltimore Woods. City Council approval was granted in January 2024. Portland Parks has already begun work on the site, clearing invasive shrubs, ivy and blackberry vines. The Parks botanist in charge of the restoration, Laura Guderyahn, has a 2 year plan to get the site under control and natives planted using park crews and Friends volunteers. FOBW is also planning walking tours of the new site and surrounding meadows of the Baltimore Woods corridor sometime in the future. Stay tuned to the website for dates. It took a village. None of this would have been possible without the accessibility of Dan Ryan and his staff at neighborhood Town Halls this past summer, a concentrated neighborhood petition drive, a letter of support to City Council, the help of Andrea Berkley with Metro, Laura Lehman with Portland Parks, and the action of several hard working FOBW board members. We are so grateful for our city stewardship partners and this combined community support for protecting local native oak woodland habitats.

The longer warmer days of summer are here. The Friends of Baltimore Woods weekly Thursday evening Golden Hour Work Parties have begun. Every Thursday, weather permitting, we will host the hour-long volunteer parties from 7 to 8 pm. It’s a wonderful way to relax at the end of the day, get some fresh air, exercise, and meet new generous-spirited people. Please visit our web calendar for weekly locations, a brief description of the work we will be doing that day, tips for what to wear and who will be leading. In the event of extremely hot weather, the event may be cancelled. Be sure to check the FOBW website calendar. The Thursday evening Golden Hours usually run until mid-August, and often include the added benefit of rosy sunlit skies.

Jane Hartline, owner of Sauvie Island Natives, is a dedicated and generous supporter of native plants for landscaping and propagation within the Portland metro area. She is an advocate for use of native plants as a wonderful gardening option.  In the past, she has often donated to the habitat restoration mission of FOBW. So it was welcome news when she again informed us that 25% of all sales on Saturday September 16, 2023 would be donated to the Friends of Baltimore Woods. Jane rounded that total up to $300! A win-win for your garden, native plants provide habitat for native pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies who have co-evolved with native plants over millennia. Over 90% of these insects are specialized to feed and lay eggs on a limited number of native plants, and in turn birds, amphibians, fish and mammals rely on these plants, and the insects which depend on them, to survive. Natives are also naturally adapted to the climate variations of local ecosystems, and can withstand the developing drought conditions better than non-natives. Since 2020, Jane’s native plant nursery on Sauvie Island has been supplying local gardeners with a wide selection of local native plants, while providing knowledgeable advice for growing them. If you need recommendations on how to grow native plants in your garden, Jane and her crew will help you. Any native plant you plant in your North Portland backyard to qualify for the Portland Audubon Backyard Habitat Program, provides complimentary benefits to all native creatures of neighborhood natural areas, including the oak woodland ecosystem of Baltimore Woods. We are so grateful for our many community partners, including Jane Hartline! Thank you Jane and Sauvie Island Natives for your continued bountiful support!

Friends of Baltimore Woods will again be partnering with Sparrowhawk Native Plants for our annual native plant sale in St. Johns on April 26 and 27 this spring.  The sale takes place this year in the St. Johns Church parking lot located at 8044 North Richmond Avenue, a block east of last year’s sale location. Pre-ordering online begins Sunday February 25th and lasts until March 24 or until plant supplies last, additionally you are now able to window-shop the 100 native species for sale on the Sparrowhawk website. Every Spring and Fall, Sparrowhawk Native Plants partners with community organizations around the Metro region, providing eco-minded gardeners the opportunity to order habitat-friendly and climate-resilient plants online and pick them up on scheduled weekends in close proximity to their neighborhoods. FOBW volunteers help plan and publicize this annual sale. Timelines and tasks go on our calendar as the organizers meet to plan the event.  Soon posters will be designed, printed and put up around the North Peninsula business district. The day before the plant pick-up weekend is busy with sale preparations.  On Thursday April 25, many volunteers will be needed to help set up canopies, tables, wheelbarrows, and label and set out hundreds of pre-ordered plants that are grouped to match how they’re coded on customer order sheets to make them easy to find. Look for information on volunteer sign up to be posted on the FOBW Upcoming Events link starting February 25. The April 25 “set up” volunteers will be able to pick up their pre-ordered plants on that day. So whether you are transitioning a lawn to a natural habitat; attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds; or filling a shady corner in the backyard, browse through the Sparrowhawk Natives online plant photos. The site has descriptions of all their plants. It includes much valuable information for successfully growing these natives and designing native garden landscapes.

This fall the Friends of Baltimore Woods were indeed fortunate when Garrett Kaiser of Scout Troop 71, focused his beam of Eagle Scout volunteer light on the slippery dirt trail along the undeveloped portion of North Alta Avenue, which is a trail that walkers can use to access the postage stamp sized parcel of Baltimore Woods known as the Old Oak Lot. To earn Eagle Scout status, one needs to plan, organize and provide leadership on a beneficial community service project.  To increase the safety for walkers, Garrett chose to mobilize his troop members to build a set of stairs and a hand rail along the steep dirt path. In verifiable leadership fashion, he contacted FOBW to explain his plan, assessed the physical conditions of the site, identified the materials needed, and how to acquire them along with designing the stairs and railing for the project. On Saturday November 18, more than 30 volunteers from St Johns Scouts Post 58, Portland State University and Friends of the Baltimore Woods joined the stair building work party. Thanks to a donation of logs by Lars Limburg of Arbor Pacific Tree Works and his back hoe, logs were placed and bark chips distributed along the path to Cathedral Park. Native plants were also planted at the adjacent Old Oak property. So many accomplishments were achieved that day due to the enthusiastic hands of numerous generous volunteers. Thank you to Jim Barnas for bringing the donuts, all the wonderful participants, and especially to Garrett Kaiser for helping to lead such a successful trail upgrade for the Old Oak Lot of Baltimore Woods. The new stairs and railing are a sturdy and beautiful addition to the trail.

What would happen if the Friends of Baltimore Woods (FOBW) had access to rare and unusual native plants, beyond the familiar favorites Portland Parks can provide? How would we plant them in the Baltimore Woods Lower Meadow, which was once covered in asphalt, and has hot, dry clay soil in summer? And what would be the best way to plant them, so that they aren’t in soil either too rich or too hard-packed for them to succeed? These are questions we hope to answer, thanks to a $3,000 grant from (Gardening in America) Garden Club of America.  When the Garden Club of Portland (PGC) approached Friends of Baltimore Woods with the idea of partnering on a project with the grant, Portland Parks Ecologist Laura Guderyahn had the idea to purchase uncommon native plant starts and seeds that are hard to find and might thrive in hot, sunny conditions. Some would be sowed immediately, and some would be propagated for a year until sturdier for later planting. Laura ran her idea by FOBW, and we jumped on board. Laura then wrote the grant proposal to Portland Garden Club (PGC). That group, in turn, submitted the grant request on FOBW’s behalf to Garden Club of America. On July 1, 2023 FOBW won the grant of $3000 to purchase plant species indigenous to our meadow site. We had one year to spend the money on this ambitious project, it was time to get busy! While the news was exciting, uplifting and overall wonderful, it left a few questions unanswered, namely who would do what to realize the project. After some reflection and discussion, a plan emerged. Leah Passell and I took on the fun but challenging project of deciding on a list of plants that could be suitable for the specific harsh growing conditions at the site. We created a list of 28 possible species, heavily based on Portland Plant List. The final list included native lilies like Cat’s Ear Calochortus, Fool’s Onion, Taper Tip Onion, Harvest Brodiaea, Ookow, Yampah (an important first food), two types of milkweed and several native grasses. Next we reached out to more than 15 native plant nurseries to check on availability. We sought plants at wholesale prices. In the end, we narrowed our list down to 15 types of native plants that we were able to locate at four local nurseries. Leah wrote up and submitted orders and picked up all the plant materials.  Suddenly, we had an abundance of plant materials and a rapidly closing window of time for ideal fall-season planting. Our complex project got a great boost when Liz Dally, a retired business person and active member of the Native Plant Society of Oregon, stepped up to help lead the project. Our PGC lead, the appropriately named Cynthia Grant, suggested we improve soil conditions in the lower meadow for planting. Laura secured the use of the city’s Dingo the Digger, a sturdy digging machine, to loosen soil in about a dozen areas along the main trail to be used as planting beds. The digger loosened and dug out rocks, then compost was mixed in to prepare the planting beds that run along the main trail. What had seemed like a daunting task started to seem like an achievable one. On November 11, about 20 members of PGC helped FOBW members get 200 plants, about 1180 bulbs and nearly 3 pounds of grass seed into the ground. We worked together like a well-oiled machine, which couldn’t have happened without an organized plant placement layout that was flagged the day before thanks to Liz Dally’s leadership and organizing skills. We are grateful to Cynthia Grant for her guidance in spurring us to identify how we would achieve our ambitious goal, to Laura Guderyahn for her help securing Dingo the Digger to prepare planting beds in our lower meadow and especially Liz who stepped in to coordinate the project. Now it’s winter and new seeds and bulbs are quietly sleeping beneath the soil. We hope to see new life at the Baltimore Woods Lower Meadow in spring. Thanks to the many people from PGC and FOBW who helped actualize a habitat restoration dream!