PORTLAND, Oregon — In this week's Let's Get Out There, we head to Portland Audubon in Northwest Portland for a look at the 172-acre campus and a preview of this year's Wild Arts Festival.
It’s not technically part of Forest Park, but it gives you the same sense of solitude. Adjacent to the large urban park in Northwest Portland is Portland Audubon.
“It's a really exceptional place to spend time. It's small enough that you can take it in in an afternoon,” said Portland Audubon Education Director Emily Pinkowitz. “It's so lush all year round, and you really understand the meaning of the word ‘sanctuary,’ because you can see species here that you don't see in other parts of the city.”
Visitors can wander the four miles of trails in the 172-acre wildlife sanctuary free of charge. Again, it’s separate from Forest Park, but only a few hundred feet from the Upper Macleay Trailhead.
“I love the fact that this organization has a legacy of conservation,” said Executive Director Stuart Wells. “It goes back 121 years, and we have been consistent with education, advocacy, habitat preservation and wildlife restoration.”
Along with the sanctuary, the campus includes a nature store and Wildlife Care Center. The 1,200-square-foot center sees volunteers rehabilitate over 4,000 animals a year. Portland Audubon’s interpretive center is currently under construction and will open sometime in 2024. Two ambassador birds greet you after you first step on the trail: Xena, an American kestrel and Julio, a great horned owl.
There are also camps and field trips for kids, plus classes and other programming for adults. Near the intersection of the Jay Trail and Woodpecker Trail is a 200-foot-tall Douglas Fir known as “Groovy Doug.”
“The grooved bark of a tree like this is a great place for bats to live and roost," said Portland Audubon Event Manager Sarah Swanson. “It's a great place for woodpeckers to forage, you can see the holes in the bark.”
Swanson began volunteering at the Wildlife Care Center in the 1990s. Her love of birdwatching led her to author two books perfect for beginning birders.
“Because of the forest type that we have here, the birds that we have in the sanctuary are actually all in my book,” she said.
In just a few weeks, authors like Swanson and other artists will flock to the 43rd annual Wild Arts Festival at Portland State University’s Viking Pavilion. The festival takes place November 18-19 and gives people a chance to shop, meet the authors and artists, and talk to them about their work.
All the proceeds from the event benefit Portland Audubon’s conservation and education across the state of Oregon. You can buy your tickets at the door, but getting them ahead of time at www.wildartsfestival.org is advised.
“It's a great place to just get out into the woods,” said Swanson. “So I encourage folks to come up and visit … and take a walk on the trails. It's a great place to visit.”
Let's Get Out there airs once a week on KGW's 4 p.m. newscast and The Good Stuff, which airs Monday-Thursday at 7 p.m. We're including viewer photos for this series. You can text your photos to 503-226-5088 or post them on the KGW Facebook page.