Fireworks at Fernhill

Recently, watching the sun rise at Fernhill Wetlands, I was startled by what sounded like the rumblings of an earthquake. I turned in time to see thousands of geese bursting into the sky, spooked by an eagle. They arced, swooped, and gently settled back into the water -- a sunrise fireworks show for me and one other early morning trail walker.

As the communications lead for Clean Water Services’ big project at Fernhill, I get to visit the wetlands often. Whether folks or fowl, there’s always something amazing to see: determined photographers shouldering massive telescopic lenses as they trek to the other side of the lake, or workers in their cars at midday, devouring Big Macs as they watch the impossibly fluid flight of enormous white pelicans.

One sunny day, a woman brought her parrot to Fernhill for an outing; I couldn’t help but tell her they were a new twist for this Important Bird Area. Recently, I wandered the wetlands with a true birder who, even without his binocs, spotted a Trumpeter Swan among eight Tundra Swans, a lone Bonaparte’s Gull, two Snipe and a Northern Harrier. I, who can’t get through Birding for Dummies, was impressed!

Many unusual bird species are flocking to Fernhill these days, due in part to the acres of natural treatment wetlands that Clean Water Services is building. The new shorelines, mudflats, and thousands of native plants were evidently just what shorebirds needed.

A visit to Fernhill might be just what you need, too. If you haven’t stopped by for a couple years, prepare to be amazed. Look for the graceful arched footbridges and stunning boulder work created by world renowned landscape architect Hoichi Kurisu. Since the summer of 2012, there’s a new picnic shelter and rest room, and the parking lot was just reconfigured with a roundabout and more spaces. Be sure to walk on back to the Water Garden and the first of the natural treatment wetlands. These features add beauty, but they’re also part of a working landscape: cooling and naturalizing the water while increasing treatment capacity for Clean Water Services.

And there’s more to come: new trails and, within the next year, waterfalls -- an elegant solution to aerate treated water.

Every day that I visit Fernhill, I marvel at how these tranquil wetlands meet such complex objectives: improved wildlife habitat, beautiful spaces for people, and cost-effective water treatment. It's a thought that stays with me while I wander -- at least, until interrupted by the next gaggle of geese erupting into the sky.

Watch the Voices of Fernhill videos to see what people are saying about this precious place. For cyclists, Fernhill is a stop on the newly opened Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway!