Water and Environment | Land Development

Smith-Bybee Natural Resource Management Plan

Portland, OR

DEA’s team of planners, biologists, engineers, and landscape architects collaborated to develop a ten-year management plan for one of the largest urban natural systems in the country. Smith Bybee Wetlands Natural Area (SBWNA) provides Portland residents opportunities to witness nature within convenient proximity to their homes and jobs. Access to SBWNA is critical to its long-term health and stewardship. Visitors can boat, walk, and bike in the sensitive area and wetlands via a system of trails that links a variety of amenities to one another and to regional trail facilities. The latest iteration of the SBWNA Management Plan integrated the St. John’s landfill into the system. DEA worked with Metro and trail advocates in planning for a series of trails and interpretive nodes around the landfill that linked it to SBWNA and Portland’s 40-Mile Loop trail system. Features included a new bike/pedestrian bridge across the Columbia Slough, a series of overlooks on top of the landfill, and trailside pullouts with interpretive signage.