HOQUARTON  NATURAL INTERPRETIVE  TRAIL
                                                                                                   at-a-glance
                                                                                Tillamook, OR
                                                                 Section I28(a) State & Tribal Grant
                                                                           and CREST RLF Grant
                               Hoquarton Natural Interpretive Trail
                           Leads Community to Rediscover its History
     ADDRESS:      North of downtown Tillamook, Oregon; east of Highway 101 south of Hoquarton Slough
     PROPERTY SIZE: 26.5 acres
     FORMER USE:   Lumber mill
     CURRENT USE:  Recreational interpretive trail, outdoor educational opportunity, and birding venue
     EPA GRANT RECIPIENT:
     The City of Tillamook
     utilized EPA Brownfields
     Section 128(a) State & Tribal
     funding and $29,000 from an
     EPA Brownfields Revolving
     Loan Fund awarded to
     Columbia River Estuary
     Study Taskforce (CREST).
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Annenberg Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, National Park Service,
National Endowment of the Arts/New England Foundation for the
Arts, Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon
Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon State Parks
Department, Port of Tillamook Bay, Tillamook Bay Watershed Council,
Tillamook County, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Tillamook Public
Utilities District, Tillamook High School, University of Oregon Landscape
Architecture Laboratory
For additional data and geographic information
for this and other Brownfields Grants, please
visit EPA's: Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/
enviro/html/bms/bms_query.html
Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf
    PROJECT BACKGROUND:
    The Hoquarton Slough was the main transportation route in and out of Tillamook for a long time. The property was used as a lumber
    mill from 1885 to about  1950, after which it was largely abandoned. In the mid-1990s, the property was donated to the City for use
    as open space. Once the City of Tillamook gained title to the property, it began working with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership
    and local community groups to plan for and create a community resource for recreation, education, and economic revitalization.
    Assessment work was funded  by EPA Section I28(a) funds. In response to concerns about petroleum contamination, the City used
    the CREST grant and other funds to excavate and treat contaminated soil. The Oregon DEQ completed an investigation of the
    property in 2006 and determined that no further action was necessary. The property was ideal because the City lacked a large,
    central outdoor space for recreation and education and the Hoquarton Slough provided these things right in downtown Tillamook.

    KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

    •   Since the initial groundbreaking in 2002, school groups and volunteers removed 4.5
        acres of blackberries, ivy,  reed canary grass, and Japanese knotweed and  picked up and
        disposed of more than 2 tons of trash, including cement blocks, vehicles,  and wire.
    •  Volunteers planted more than 2,000 native plants in riparian area and within the park
        and highlighted nature-scaping as an interpretive theme.

    OUTCOME:

    Led by the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, the project creatively pooled grant funds from
    a variety of sources (including  arts organizations) and used volunteers for everything from
    cleanup to generating ideas for planning and site design. In 2006, the trail was officially
    opened to the public. The concrete trail was completed and structures from the lumber mill were replaced with viewing docks or
    platforms, some of which incorporated pilings or other features from  the original construction, helping to illustrate the history of
    the property. The restored trail also serves as a living lab for educational  opportunities, involving all different grade levels. Topics
    covered include: biology of salmonids, water quality, riparian functions, and life cycle of migratory birds. In addition to educational
    opportunities, the Hoquarton  Interpretive Trail  is helping to reconnect downtown shops, restaurants, and businesses to the historic
    heart of the town. As the only park in downtown Tillamook, the trail creates  a nice walking opportunity for urban workers and
    residents. It also provides prime bird viewing opportunities, especially for ducks and other migratory waterfowl, from the three
    viewing docks.
                                                         The Hoquarton Interpretive Trail provides recreational
                                                           opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages.
  FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 10 at (800) 424-4372

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