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Ruley Trailhead Pollinator Project

Ruley Trailhead is heavily used due to the many amenities it offers people using the trail, including a large parking lot, horse stall, bike repair station, and public restroom.

Location: The project site is about 1 acre, situated at the Ruley Trailhead, located between Scappoose Vernonia Highway and North Scappoose Creek on the Crown Zellerbach Trail system.

Partners: Columbia County, Volunteers

Funding: The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)

Awarded Amount: $14,999

In June 2023, the Columbia SWCD was awarded a small grant for the proposed project:

Currently, there is runoff from the trailhead and the highway that collects in roadside ditches and low areas near the parking lot. The runoff quickly drains into N. Scappoose Creek, which can cause significant impairments to the creek. Water quality and natural filtration are diminished due to invasive blackberry and reed canary grass dominating these areas.

The CSWCD plans to convert an upland area adjacent to the parking lot into a pollinator hedgerow and meadow. This is an opportunity to create quality pollinator habitat, reduce County maintenance, and educate the public about the importance of supporting local pollinators. Pollinators are in decline, which negatively affects all communities.

Two herbicide treatments have already been conducted on the ditches and upland area. Additional treatments of invasive species and the replanting/seeding of all sites is planned. Volunteers have been working on prepping the site by manually removing weeds and amending the soil using methods outlined in “The Meadowscaping Handbook” produced by West Multnomah SWCD.

This project is slated for completion in the Spring of 2025.

Dry grassy area with trees, rocks, a road, and utility poles. Image is sideways.
Rural roadside scene with shelter, overgrown grass, trees, and misty weather.
An informational signboard in a grassy field with text and maps, surrounded by nature. (Image is oriented sideways.)
Rural parking area with information board, a person walking, cars, misty background with trees and greenery.
A utility box with art, cleared soil patch, roadside, misty backdrop. (Note: Image is rotated)
A paved area with a curved grassy patch and trees in the background, under a clear sky.
Outdoor scene with trees, dry grass, and a corner of a concrete slab. (Image is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.)
A rural road with a sign pointing to a trailhead, surrounded by trees and overcast skies.
A trailhead sign, utility pole, and dry grass with trees in the background. (Image is rotated)
Two people posing with a utility trailer on a rural roadside with trees in the background. Image is rotated sideways.
A car parked on a rural road with trees, a wooden structure, and cloudy sky. (Image is rotated)
A rotated landscape with gravel, trees, grass, and a partial car hood visible.
A sideways image of a muddy field with a bench, porta-potty, and trees in the background.
Two people working outdoors near young trees, with gardening tools and a purple container.
Volunteers, Debra and Barbara, assisting with replanting
Dry grassy area with trees, rocks, a road, and utility poles. Image is sideways.
Rural roadside scene with shelter, overgrown grass, trees, and misty weather.
An informational signboard in a grassy field with text and maps, surrounded by nature. (Image is oriented sideways.)
Rural parking area with information board, a person walking, cars, misty background with trees and greenery.
A utility box with art, cleared soil patch, roadside, misty backdrop. (Note: Image is rotated)
A paved area with a curved grassy patch and trees in the background, under a clear sky.
Outdoor scene with trees, dry grass, and a corner of a concrete slab. (Image is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.)
A rural road with a sign pointing to a trailhead, surrounded by trees and overcast skies.
A trailhead sign, utility pole, and dry grass with trees in the background. (Image is rotated)
Two people posing with a utility trailer on a rural roadside with trees in the background. Image is rotated sideways.
A car parked on a rural road with trees, a wooden structure, and cloudy sky. (Image is rotated)
A rotated landscape with gravel, trees, grass, and a partial car hood visible.
A sideways image of a muddy field with a bench, porta-potty, and trees in the background.
Two people working outdoors near young trees, with gardening tools and a purple container.
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