Three Creeks Natural Area
Three Creeks Natural Area is an 89-acre County-owned property located west of 82nd Ave. and I-205, and north of Hwy. 224. The park contains natural ecosystems at the confluence of Mt. Scott, Phillips and Dean creeks.While the park is open to the public, there are no formal entrances or access points. It is currently undeveloped, but has multiple user-created trails. The park is surrounded by major transportation routes, including a Union Pacific rail line along the southern boundary. Industrial uses border the park to the south and west. To the east, 82nd Ave. and the Clackamas Town Center border the site, with medium density residential development to the north.
The park gets significant maintenance from volunteers, known as “The Tsunami Crew.” With staff support, they remove invasive species and plant native vegetation. The park has been the subject of several planning efforts, including the Harmony Vision (www.harmonyvision.org) which focuses on an area abutting Three Creeks Park to the north. The County recently postponed plans for an extension of Sunnybrook Road that would have crossed into portions of the park site. Three Creeks Park has had several wildland grass fires in the past, including in recent years.
Proposed Enhancement Projects
Over the long term, County and Metro natural resource managers envision an ecologically healthy site with reduced risk of wildfire. To accomplish this, project proposals include:
- Promoting oak stands and trees along the northern ridge
- Maintaining wetlands and wet prairie grasslands
- Removing non-native hawthorn and blackberry over the entire site
- Investigating the use of controlled burns to keep young ash trees from invading the prairie grassland
- Removing encroaching conifers from portions of the wet prairie
- Planting and nurturing fire resistant native shrubs along the rail line
Stay Informed
To find out more about wildfire risk reduction project at Madrone Wall and upcoming meetings and events, click here. Or, sign up tp receive email updates.
