Blue Heron Park restoration to begin in phases, board member says

Linda Homan told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board she will begin a phased restoration effort at Blue Heron Park focused on removing invasive species, developing a planting plan and working closely with the city and volunteers.

Homan said the park sits on a salmon-spawning creek and has been neglected for years. She described locating a water source on-site that would support restoration plantings and said she has recruited master gardeners, garden-club members and Stewardship Foundation volunteers to help with staged cleanups and plantings.

"We're going to start with one area that's the most in need, and we'll start with cleaning it up and taking a look at what we've got that we can actually utilize, developing a planting plan, and starting to do some restoration planting work," Homan said.

Homan warned that black locust regrowth is widespread and that qualified crews must return multiple times to fully remove runners and roots. She said the board and the city will need to coordinate to secure those qualified contractors or volunteers who can complete multi-step removal and follow-up treatments.

City public works staff were listed as partners; Homan said she has already engaged public works and the Stewardship Foundation on priorities and is ready to lead volunteer walks and on-site planning sessions. The board encouraged use of maps and a concept plan at a future meeting so members could visualize the scope and schedule.

Homan invited other board members to walk the park and participate in planning; she said she would present a map and more detail at the next meeting or when scheduling allows.