Volunteers Nurture Nob Hill Nature Park

In 2020, volunteers spent 227 hours making improvements to Nob Hill Nature Park. Throughout the year volunteers removed invasive species, cleared trails, planted deer screening, and maintained habitats for native flora and fauna. The Friends of Nob Hill Nature Park and Scappoose Bay Watershed Council organized a volunteer work party in November during which 26 people helped place and mulch dozens of native plants purchased with a $500 grant from the Portland Garden Club.

Improvements to Nob Hill were made possible through a $12,414 grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, which funded a crew to remove invasive species such as blackberries and English Ivy. The ongoing stewardship of the native oak habitats allowed volunteers to reclaim and replant sections of Nob Hill with plants native to the region.

The City of St. Helens would like to thank the Friends of Nob Hill Nature Park, Scappoose Bay Watershed Council, Oregon Watershed Board, the Portland Garden Club, and all those who volunteered to help maintain the park in the past year, including Scout Troop 294, Pack 294 and Troop 250.

Nob Hill Nature Park is an oak woodland habitat perched on a basalt bluff with views of where the Columbia River and the Multnomah Channel collide. It is filled with native white oak trees, as well as shrubs, wildflowers, and lilies. It makes a great place for bird watching and flower study. The Friends of Nob Hill Nature Park, in conjunction with the Scappoose Bay Watershed Council, hold volunteer work parties twice yearly where they work on removal of invasive plants, including English ivy, holly and blackberries. Amenities include a 1/3 mile nature trail loop with three different entrances: one by the wastewater treatment plant at the end of Plymouth Street and the other two leading from the nearby neighborhoods on South 3rd and 4th Street.