 Meet the Team | 
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Angie Kimpo's job title may be "Invasive Species Coordinator," but her work with the Water Bueau's Resources and Protection Planning group covers much more technical territory than her title implies.
Angie has worked at the Water Bureau since February 2009. She applies her experience and degree in Forestry from the University of Washington to working closely with the Bureau's civil engineers on plant and habitat mitigation for projects like the reservoirs at Powell Butte and Kelly Butte. A large part of her job is also focused on implementing the Bull Run Water Supply Habitat Conservation Plan. This restoration work helps the City comply with the federal Endangered Species and Clean Water Acts while the bureau continues to operate and maintain the Bull Run water supply system.
"Working in the Bull Run watershed, helping to protect something that is in good condition, is the best part of my job," says Angie. "Ensuring that we preserve these natural resources is part of our national heritage."
On the Powell Butte Reservoir 2 project, Angie has been instrumental in planning both the revegetation projects and the prescriptive burns.
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Contractor prepares to get underway
The general contractor selected for Phase 2 of the Powell Butte Reservoir 2 project, SSC Construction, has been busy working with the City to complete all the necessary paperwork to begin the project. The company - which is based in Corona, California with a local office in Vancouver, Washington - is submitting a number of plans, including erosion control, traffic control, health and safety, a construction schedule, and a subcontracting plan that includes involving women-owned, minority-owned and emerging small businesses. The next step for SSC will be mobilization. The first actions the contractor will take will be delivering temporary construction trailers to the site to be used as field offices and repairing and adding additional erosion control devices and fencing. The Water Bureau anticipates that SSC will begin the further excavation of the reservoir site - another 10 to 15 feet deep - in September. |
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Re-vegetation plan will improve habitat
Over the past four years, Portland Water Bureau, Portland Parks & Recreation, and the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) have collaborated on a re-vegetation plan for sections of the Powell Butte Nature Park. With funding from the Portland Water Bureau, the City has removed invasive species on the butte, reduced fuel loads by clearing or burning woody brush, and worked with a BES expert to create a planting plan that will improve wildlife habitat and reduce the risk from fire.
Starting in early 2012, a variety of trees - including Big Leaf Maple, Red Alder, Oregon Ash, Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir and Oregon White Oak - will be planted on the butte as part of Phase 2 of the Powell Butte Reservoir project. The planting area will cover approximately 110 acres, which includes areas cleared over the past several years as well as the area scheduled for a prescribed burn slated for this fall.
Angie Kimpo, Invasive Species Coordinator with the Water Bureau's Resource Protection and Planning group, says that the new trees will be planted in clusters, with prairie and grasslands left in between. These "tree islands," Angie says, will create more functional wildlife habitat since birds tend to nest in forested areas and feed in the open spaces.
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Fire in park used to eradicate invasives
Fire is a useful tool for maintaining healthy ecosystems and lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire by reducing woody brush. The City is planning a prescriptive burn at Powell Butte Nature Park for one day this fall. The controlled burn will be conducted by the Portland Fire Bureau to reduce non-native shrubs and brambles in two southeast sections of the park. For your safety, obey the "Trail Closed" signs when they are posted. City bureaus collaborate on burn Portland Parks & Recreation, the Wildland Unit of Portland Fire and Rescue (PF&R), Bureau of Environmental Services, and the Portland Water Bureau are collaborating on a prescriptive burn of 23 acres on Powell Butte. The hot, dry conditions that normally occur in the late summer and early fall enable complete burning of non-native plants. The burn will be conducted only in favorable weather, and anticipated low-wind velocities at that time should cause the smoke to dissipate quickly. The burns will not be done if weather conditions make the burns unsafe, or if the plants are still relatively green due to the unseasonably wet weather this year. The burns will cover two areas in the southwest section of the park. (Burn areas indicated with red lines in lower part of aerial photo.) 
The benefits of fire Low intensity prescriptive fires are an effective method of restoring and managing important wildlife habitats by: - Controlling highly flammable invasive weeds, such as Himalayan blackberry and Scot's Broom.
- Creating a favorable environment for the establishment of perennial grasses and annual and perennial wildflowers by exposing mineral soil.
- Maintaining existing prairie and oak woodland by killing or suppressing tree and shrub seedlings that - if not controlled - may eventually shade prairie plants and oak trees.
In addition to helping clear the way for the planting of drought-tolerant trees that will restore native habitats on the butte, the burns also provide training opportunities f or PF&R firefighters. Skills and tactics employed in battling brush fires are significantly different than those used in fighting structure fires. The burns will help PF&R firefighters learn and practice techniques of wildland firefighting operations and management. The City will notify nearby residents before starting the burn operation, which will be carefully controlled and monitored over several days to ensure there are no flare-ups. During the burns, several trails will be closed to park visitors. |
Temporary parking during construction
Over the next two years, construction on planned park improvements in and around what is now the main park parking lot will at times require visitors to use other locations to park their cars. When the entrance road from SE 162 Avenue is closed, visitors may park at these alternate locations:
SE Holgate Boulevard, east of SE 136th Avenue
"Gate Park property" is the site of a future city park. No Parking-Tow Away signs posted on the street are strictly enforced. (This site should be available for use again this fall.) This lot will have horse trailer and bus parking areas posted.
SE 14424 Center Street at SE 143rd Avenue
Known as the Water Bureau's Vivian Pump Station site, this parking location provides access to a portion of the Dogwood trail through the forest, with connections to the Holgate trail and the 148th Avenue connection trail. The trail is currently bare surface with some obstacles. During construction, the trail will be improved to ADA trail standards and will have ADA-posted parking available.
Rose Bowling Center - SE Powell Boulevard and SE 164th Avenue
32 leased spaces available.
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