Overview

Riverbend Park is the formal name for the piece of land bordering the western side of the Deschutes River in the Old Mill District across from Farewell Bend Park. Since the early 1990’s, the site has been used for a variety of light industrial purposes and unmanaged recreational uses. In past years, the site was used for log storage and a variety of mill related purposes. As a result of years of use, the riparian habitat has been degraded.

Bend Metro Park and Recreation District has begun a planning process to develop the piece of property into Riverbend Park. As a part of that planning process, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council has become involved to provide technical direction to the rehabilitation of the riparian areas along the river.

Restoration Plans

An area of approximately 1500 lineal feet of river frontage has been identified as in-need of restoration. Along this reach of river, the restoration site is approximately 50 feet wide, including the riverbank and approximately 20 feet beyond the top of bank.

In 2005, planning and design for the restoration was completed by the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District and David Evans and Associates with technical input from the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. After the planning phase was completed, a process to collect native seeds and plants began. Seeds were harvested from the site and cultivated elsewhere to provide for future plantings.

Implementation

Project implementation is slated to begin in early 2007 and will include re-contouring portions of the riverbank and restoring approximately 2,500 native plants along the entire 1,500-foot project reach.

The implementation will proceed as follows during March-April 2007:

1. Remove the top six inches of weed-infested soil from the areas most affected by knapweed. [This technique, shown to be successful on other local projects, removes the weed seed bank from the project site and significantly reduces recurrence of weeds.]
2. Place weed-free topsoil in the areas where weed infested topsoil was removed;
3. Re-contour the riverbank along a 200-foot section of the project to reduce the slope of the bank;
4. Un-compact the areas where vehicle traffic has caused serious soil compaction;
5. Mix compost into the areas that have been un-compacted and/or enhanced with new topsoil;
6. Plant 2,500 native riparian trees and shrubs using all volunteer crews;
7. Seed the entire project area with native seed;
8. Establish an irrigation system to support plant establishment for a minimum of 3 years [The irrigation will be provided by the Park District as a contribution to the project]; and
9. Install permanent fencing along the trail to prevent trampling of the riparian area [The fence will be provided by the Park District as a contribution to the project. The fence will be similar to the fence installed in 2003-2004 at Farewell Bend Park].

Community Outreach

The proposed project will integrate volunteers into the project implementation to help engage the community in understanding the value of riparian restoration. The expected number of volunteers is 100, with approximately 75% of these being students and 25% being adults. The project will also incorporate an interpretive sign that will inform park users about the restoration project. This sign will include information about local river management issues, importance of riparian vegetation, and the ways in which urban communities can integrate watershed restoration into local parks and other amenities.

Funding

Project funding is being supported by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Deschutes River Conservancy, Bend Metro Park and Recreation District, Healthy Waters Institute and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. Together, these organizations are providing both direct financial contributions as well as in-kind assistance and coordination of volunteers.