Citizens’ Measure 3-568 protects 16 designated natural area or open space parks in 9 neighborhood associations, totaling ~290 acres with abundant wildlife, flora, and fauna for residents, visitors, and future generations to enjoy. Lake Oswego has ~460 acres of designated natural areas out of ~900 acres of park land.
These 16 natural areas are small and intertwined into the fabric of our neighborhoods and our community. Their ecosystems are host to abundant wildlife that give many in the community refuge and respite from the increasingly developed world that surrounds our tree-canopied city.
Several of these natural areas were gifts to the community — such as Cooks Butte, Stevens Meadow, Woodmont Park — by families who saw our innate human desire to develop these lands and they wished them to remain forever wild.
Measure 3-568 asks our community to guarantee our natural parks remain remain free from development that is inconsistent with maintaining them as healthy and vibrant natural habitats.
*Not pictured: Cornell Natural Area, Glennmorie Greenway, Kerr Open Space, Waluga – West, Woodmont Park. Send us your pictures to: info@loveloparks.org
Our effort is 100% grassroots, citizen-led. We are seeking to amend the existing Charter Chapter X – Park Development Limitation in Lake Oswego’s City charter to protect our natural parks with sensible development limitations keeping them natural for for residents, visitors, and future generations to access and enjoy their natural splendor.
Chapter X – Park Development Limitation was enacted in 1978 by a similar citizen-led ballot initiative to “preserve Springbrook Park as a natural area.” It prevented Springbrook Park from being developed into a major athletic facility. Citizens voted 3-1 in-favor to preserve Springbrook Park. Not long ago, Chapter X protected Springbrook Park, once again, when the City considered plans to expand the Tennis Center and parking into this natural area. Springbrook Park is the only natural park subject to Chapter X today. The community preserved Springbrook Park in 1978, we must act now to preserve 15 additional natural parks.
The following natural parks were identified through outreach efforts with members in our community between September 2019 and early November 2019 who responded to requests for feedback on natural parks to protect:
- Residents
- Neighborhood Association Chairs (past and current)
- Members of Friends Groups
- Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Advisory Board Members
- Director of Parks and Recreation
Note: We realized the community might want to include additional natural parks subject to the proposed development limitations in the future; therefore, we included in the Charter pathways for additional parks to be included by City Council, grantors, and voters.
PARKS & INFO
1. Bryant Woods Park (19.7 acres)
Bryant Neighborhood
2. Canal Acres (27.3 acres)
Childs Neighborhood
3. Cooks Butte Park* (43 acres)
Palisades Neighborhood
- Master Plan (1980s) – Not Adopted
- Trail Plan (2010)
- Trail Map
- Save Cooks Butte
- Stevens Meadows Trailhead
4. Cornell Natural Area* (3.2 acres)
Hallinan Neighborhood
5. Glenmorrie Greenway* (1.3 acres)
Glenmorrie Neighborhood
6. Hallinan Woods* (3.8 acres)
Hallinan Neighborhood
7. Iron Mountain Park (51 acres)
Lake Grove Neighborhood
8. Kerr Open Space* (10 acres)
Mountain Park
9. Lamont Springs Natural Area* (0.5 acre)
Bryant Neighborhood
10. River Run (10.8 acres)
Childs Neighborhood
11. Southshore Natural Area* (9.2 acres)
Palisades Neighborhood
12. Springbrook Park* (52 acres)
Uplands Neighborhood
15. Waluga Park – West* (22.8 acres)
Lake Forest Neighborhood
16. Woodmont Natural Park (6.8 acres)
Forest Highlands Neighborhood
* Natural parks (9) below are WITHOUT adopted master plans, leaving them vulnerable to development inconsistent and incompatible to their natural conditions.
Last updated: Aug 13, 2021