ABOUT THE PARK

The Friends of Gladstone Nature Park (FOGNAP) was organized in 2016 to maintain and rehabilitate the 11.5 acres of Gladstone Nature Park. We sponsor activities and projects that restore the park and attract visitors to enjoy its beauty. We welcome visitors from near and far.

Gladstone's Nature Park is located at 18111 Webster Road in Gladstone, Oregon.
It's part of the City of Gladstone's system of 14 parks. The Nature Park is predominantly a White Oak Savannah and woodland that features basalt outcroppings and boulders, and mature trees. The park features many Oregon native plants, including Oregon grape, ocean spray, Pacific ninebark, thimbleberry, Garry Oak, and Pacific madrone. In Winter, licorice fern dominates the shady areas. There is an abundance of wildlife to see here – grab your binoculars and watch.

In addition, there are picnic tables, dog waste stations, a little free library, a paved trail, numerous soft trails, and benches along the way to sit and take in nature. Enjoy your time here!

Photos and text are property of FOGNAP; Photo copyrights where noted

NATURE PARK UPDATE
November 2024

FALL IS HERE! The Gladstone Nature Park is transforming every day, with the leaves falling and colors changing. The park has many trails and is a wonderful place for families to get out in nature and walk around. It is a quiet, peaceful place, and FOGNAP volunteers have worked hard to cut back the overgrowth and kept the trails chipped to make them safe and pleasurable for you to enjoy this Fall!

It's a beautiful time of year here. We're in constant motion at the Nature Park, yet it's a relaxing place to just sit back and enjoy the quiet. There is a stunning view of Mt. Hood from the meadow. Bundle up and bring a picnic, spread out a blanket, and enjoy the Fall weather and all the outdoors has to offer. Download a Scavenger Hunt and walk the chipped trails to see how many plants and birds you can identify or how many bunnies you see. Wander on over to the Butterfly/Pollinator Hill and check out the signs to learn more about butterflies, pollinators, and the Mason Bee houses. Walk the trails to see the Winter Pond and all the new plantings.

The StoryWalk® "Water Rolls, Water Rises”, by Pat Mora and illustrated by Meilo So, is presented in English and Spanish. Take a stroll and read the pages along the way! Thanks to the Gladstone Public Library, the Gladstone Public Library Foundation and the Friends of Gladstone Nature Park for presenting this great offering to the park and community.

Visiting our parks is a great way to get outdoors, hike, and viewing the trees and birds are all great activities and can help us feel healthy. Remember that the Nature Park is fragile, so please make sure to obey Park Rules:
• no smoking, open flames or fireworks
• motorized scooters and bicycles are allowed ONLY on the
   paved path and NOT on the chipped trails.

Be well,
Friends of Gladstone Nature Park

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NATURE PARK MAP

THANKS FOR COMING...

Click here to see pics from our event!

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JOIN OUR
WORK PARTIES!
Last Saturday of Every Month 9:00am-12:00pm

Every month, except December, the Friends Of Gladstone Nature Park volunteers hold a work party, rain or shine, to clear invasive plants and weeds, add native plants, and mend and chip trails.

Looking for a volunteer activity? Come join us for loads of fun and involve your family (kids are welcome, too!) in an activity they can be proud of—helping their park thrive. You’ll meet other friendly volunteers who make the work a real pleasure. Work parties are from 9:00am-12:00pm, but you can arrive and leave any time.

Parking is available at the Webster Road entrance (unless noted), and there are signs and volunteers in yellow vests to point in the right direction once you arrive. Most tools and gloves are available, and coffee and donuts are provided! We hope to see you there...

Gerald and his dog Loki help load the truck
of junk found in the park.

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Loki brings another branch for the debris pile.

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REMEMBERING FOUNDING FOGNAP MEMBER JIM MILLER

11/1/1949 – 4/29/2024

FOGNAP is sad to announce the passing in April of one of our own, Jim Miller.
Jim was creative, passionate, and generous. Jim was a founding member of our nonprofit, the Friends of Gladstone Nature Park (FOGNAP). Since its inception in 2016, Jim contributed much of his time and talents to convert this “surplus” property in Gladstone to the beautiful park that we enjoy today.
 
As an avid outdoorsman and environmentalist, when an issue arose, Jim always contributed insightful advice. With Jim’s advocacy and work, our list of accomplishments in the park is long. Jim helped plant new cedar trees. He hauled away and recycled metal, including a discarded blast mat. We found sheets of corrugated metal in the park that Jim fashioned into planter boxes for our plant sale, and used it to create the sign for our FOGNAP shed in the Nature Park.
 
Jim was passionate about the park's habitat and wildlife. He was creative about solving problems. He was insightful, and generous with his time and talents. Whenever we needed something significant moved in the park, Jim would be there with his big tools and big truck and trailer.
 
Jim was also a truly skilled artist. He was always finding ways to turn park junk into art. Jim’s Trial By Metal sculptures were popular items at our annual plant sale. A collaborative installation with daughter Ali, made of metal and glass, sits today as the "cherry on top" of the Gladstone Butterfly/Pollinator Hill.
 
Whenever Jim did something, he committed 1,000 percent.
 
Jim will be dearly missed, not just by FOGNAP and his family, but also by his friends, neighbors, Rockaway Beach people, and the larger community that he impacted. Gladstone was exceedingly enriched by his contributions and he will be truly missed by all.

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NATIVE PLANTS
IN OUR AREA

FOGNAP works diligently to plant only plants that are native to Oregon. We use the Portland Plant List, an extensive list of native plants, as our guide when selecting new plants to replace invasive plants.

Click here to review the list and find information about native and non-native plants in our area.

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TOP 11 POLLINATOR PLANTS NATIVE TO GLADSTONE

FOGNAP member Cindy Hines is building a new garden on the Butterfly/Pollinator Hill at the Nature Park, featuring "Top 11 Pollinator Plants Native to Gladstone." Please visit often to check out the progress on this wonderful, new addition to the Nature Park.

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A SPECIAL PARK VISITOR

You may see Neil Patrick, a bird trainer, with a Harris's Hawk on his arm in Gladstone Nature Park. The Harris’s Hawk is known for its unique social behavior, intelligence, and ease around humans which makes them easy to train and are popular for falconry and for educational programs. The Harris’s Hawk is found from the southwestern U.S. through Mexico, and in appropriate habitats as far south as Argentina. They are one of only two cooperative hunters in the raptor world, hunting in pairs or groups of three to nine birds, working together to hunt and capture their prey. This hawk was named by John James Audubon for fellow naturalist Edward Harris.

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PROTECTING NATURE MEANS PROTECTING
OUR NIGHT SKY

Have you noticed the skies getting brighter at night?
Is it difficult for you to see the Big Dipper and stars?
That’s because our skies are actually getting brighter due to the ever increasing amount of light pollution caused by humans, especially within the last 20 years. Not being able to see stars is one problem, but it’s not the only one.

Click here to read more about what you can do to reduce light pollution, along with links to resources from the Portland Audubon Society and the International Dark-Sky Association.

BACKYARD HABITAT CERTIFICATION

Butterfly/Pollinator Hill achieves Backyard Habitat Certification
The Portland Audubon and the Columbia Land Trust announced that the Gladstone Nature Park Butterfly/ Pollinator Hill has achieved Silver certification in the Backyard Habitat Program.
The Friends of Gladstone Nature Park have been working on this site since 2019 and applied for certification earlier this year. After an initial inspection and analysis by Audubon, FOGNAP volunteers worked to remove a few remaining invasives. When this was accomplished, they applied for certification.
 
The Backyard Habitat Certification Program motivates homeowners, parks, and custodians of wild spaces to learn best practices for building and maintaining native habitats for wildlife and pollinators. There are five goals for the program that can be accomplished in even the smallest of yards:

• plant native plants
• remove invasive and noxious weeds
• eliminate pesticides
• manage stormwater
• take care of wildlife

The Butterfly/Pollinator Hill continues to be a dominant attraction in the Gladstone Nature Park, with more and more visitors stopping by to see what we have accomplished. Thanks to our FOGNAP volunteers, Gladstone students, and the wider community for helping to make this a reality.

Click here to learn more about Backyard Habitat Certification Program.

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Nancy Eichsteadt and Cindy Hines pictured at Gladstone Nature Park's Butterfly/Pollinator Hill receiving the Backyard Habitat Certification.

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A NEW LOOK IN THE PARK

Gladstone Nature Park is getting a new makeover. With approval from the City, the Friends of Gladstone Nature Park (FOGNAP) has contracted a licensed restoration service to help restore three acres of the park to its natural habitat. The project began in January of 2023 to clear some of the most heavily infested areas of Himalayan blackberry and will continue working periodically throughout the year to keep them from returning.

Since 2015, FOGNAP members and community volunteers have been working diligently to clear Himalayan blackberry, English ivy, Scotch broom and other invasive species from the park. We have also been reseeding and planting in these areas with native species. FOGNAP would like to see entire park cleared of invasive blackberry, but is currently unable to contract having the entire park done due to budgetary reasons.

FOGNAP is a nonprofit, 100% volunteer group, highly committed to restoring the park to its natural state. All funds go toward restoration of the park. If you’d like to help by volunteering, becoming a member, or making a donation please contact us at [email protected].

Check out the photos below to see the changes...and read why it's so important to remove invasive blackberry and ivy.

WHY REMOVE INVASIVE BLACKBERRY & IVY?

1. Himalayan blackberry causes trees and plant seedlings to stop growing and die which leaves a forest or meadow with very low bio-diversity and eventually nothing but blackberry in place.
2. It creates large areas of unusable habitat for many creatures. Even though blackberry has berries, the lack of bio-diversity causes a shortage of food for most animals most of the year.
3. It causes a reduction of diverse flowers for pollinators.
4. Older blackberry canes can build up a substantial litter layer which can serve as fuel for wildfires.
5. The root balls of the blackberry make soil unstable for grasses and plants native to the area. Native grasses help the habitat. Not only do grasses bring multiple benefits to insects, birds, and other native wildlife, but also to general urban environments. Grasses have fibrous roots which hold soil in place, helping to build organic matter in the soil and increase water infiltration.
6. Removing invasive blackberry and ivy is a difficult, ongoing battle across the nation, but if left to take over we lose more of our natural areas and the benefits from them.

            Sources:
            Clackamas Soil & Water Conservation,
            National Wildlife Foundation,
            USDA Department of Agriculture.

SPECIES
IN THE PARK

Gladstone Nature Park is a
class C mixed-oak habitat.
Class C indicates that the habitat
was once disturbed unnaturally.
Learn more...

HISTORY
OF THE PARK

Pre-1800, this promontory of 40 feet of basalt was a forested area with wetlands. Less than a mile away, the Clackamas Indians
lived in lodges along the Clackamas River.
Learn more...

THREE PARKS
IN ONE DAY

Tour nearby sister parks in an afternoon. Visit Gladstone Nature Park, Camassia Nature Preserve,
and Canemah Bluff Nature Park—all within 11 minutes of each other.
Learn more...

WHAT OUR NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING...

"My nieces and I come to this park every other Saturday rain or shine and we love it so much. I cannot express how much I appreciate all the love and attention you all pour into the park in its general maintenance and appearance. As an aunt I also appreciate how diligently you track the poison oak. The signs are so helpful. We also love love love the nature items scavenger hunt activities posted by the message board at the main entrance. Thanks again."
– Pam White

"I moved into the area in 2015 and remember thinking “it’s one paved path, it’s not a park, it’s a shortcut” Fast forward a few short years and WOW, it’s an excellent local park. We walk our dog through there multiple times per week and enjoy seeing all the changes and growth each year. Thank you to those who had this vision and the volunteers that keep making it better all the time. We’ll done!!"
– D. Fredericks

"Great park tons of trails to walk on with your dog. Mine loves it here its always shaded on the trails which is nice and always mowed and kept clean. Right now there are tons of bunnies on the trails and wildlife. They label the plants so you see what they are too."
- Mandy Magnuson


"Nice little park. It had a lot more going for it than I expected. We'll be back."
– Dana Little

"So pretty awesome how different this park is. Little trails everywhere. What's great is that they have little stakes next to trees and bushes so u can know what they are."
– Natasia Jones


"Love our park a little more everyday. Thank you!"
– Eric Dobson


"We appreciate all you are doing. We love the trail and walk our dogs there all the time."
– Ellen and John Skofstad

WANT TO GET INVOLVED?

FOGNAP Business Meetings

Work Days In The Park

2nd Thursday of every month
6:30pm
Gladstone City Hall, Community Room

  Last Saturday of every month, unless noted
9:00am to 12:00pm, rain or shine
Meet @ Webster Road entrance (unless noted)