An island in Portland, Oregon, that draws comparisons to Jurassic Park remains a mystery to many, as few are allowed to ever visit. Ross Island is at the center of a four-island cluster running right through the northwestern city's Willamette River. However, private ownership long forbade residents from visiting, in part due to its privatized ownership and industrial uses, including the concrete and asphalt company owned by Robert B. Pamplin Jr.
Changes on the Horizon
That may be changing, as Pamplin donated at least 45 acres of the island to the city in 2007, and the Port of Portland, which controls marine activities, donated the land it owns in 2015. There remains confusion and curiosity over just how much of the island, which is used by at least 50 species of birds, is available for recreation.
'It reminds me of Jurassic Park,' said Candice Jimenez, a Portland resident and citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs who recently visited. Her tribe is one of many indigenous communities that used the island to gather while traversing the river, as well as for travel, fishing, and trade. 'Because Ross Island was built on profit and it's now slowly returning to its natural ways of being. It's trying to thrive,' she told the Oregonian.
Environmental Challenges
The city is trying to clean up sediments in the river that have been contaminated and restore its landscape, which had decayed due to mining. The mining is said to have created a 120-foot deep lagoon and has hollowed out the island so much that experts don't know how large it was before mining began. Jimenez wants the river cleaned up to support more fishing and has expressed concern over private investors using the lagoon as a dumping ground while cleaning up the island. 'My concern is whether this proposal is rooted in restoration and long-term community benefit, or whether restoration is being used to justify a disposal solution that benefits a smaller set of private interests,' she said.
In addition, the state of Oregon has had to fine one of the companies mining it $14 million for failing to complete restoration work. Toxic algae has bloomed and spread to the river after it became stagnant in the lagoon. Other residents have complained of wrecked and abandoned boats permanently anchored nearby. A local environmental group has lobbied for the state to take over the reclamation project, KPTV reported.
Ecological Significance
'It's a unique ecological place or environment because it's a site of shallow water habitat that is critical for a lot of salmon, lamprey, and birds like bald eagles, great blue herons, kingfishers,' said Mark Lear of The City Club of Portland. 'And it's really at risk right now because of lack of follow-through and cleanups by the mining operation that's been occurring for decades,' Lear added.
Local investors say that there is a long-term plan to restore the island and turn it into a wildlife preserve, but no concrete details or funding solutions exist. Despite all the controversy, the island's progress has shown beauty to those able to see it. Since mining ended in 2019, residents nearby have even seen a bald eagle build a nest as part of nature's reclamation of the island. Environmentalist Mike Houck praised the island's beauty on a recent expedition. 'It's impossible to believe you're in the middle of the city of Portland when you're back here,' Houck said. 'It's magical.'
