A visit to April Hill Park after a rain event in February 2015 told a clear and obvious story that the social trails are seriously impacting the natural area. One of the impacts is these compacted trails act as channels draining the wetland. The salamander, newts, and frogs need the wetland to develop from immatures into adults. If the wetland dries up too fast, they die. This video shows how one of the social trails is draining the wetlands.
The new April Hill Park Protection Project with boardwalk, bridges and trails are designed to prevent this, providing a safe way for visitors to experience the park’s natural areas with minimum impact. This project is funded by the Metro Natural Areas Bond Measure’s Nature in the Neighborhood Capital Grants Program, Portland Parks & Recreation, and generous donations by neighbors.