What is it?
The Audubon Society offers visitors hiking and then some. The Portland chapter of the National Audubon Society is one of the most active; featuring as much to see, do, and learn, as you can possibly handle. Seated near the top of the Balch Creek watershed in Forest Park, the grounds of the Society are home to a Nature Store & Interpretive Center, a Wildlife Care Center, and a trail-laden 150 acre Nature Sanctuary.
Why visit?
The Wildlife Care Center (WCC) is the oldest and busiest wildlife rehabilitation facility in Oregon. The WCC is home to several non-releasable birds. Staff members frequently take many of these birds out for a stroll, offering visitors a closer look and the opportunity to ask questions. Each year the veterinarians at the WCC treat over 3000 animals for release back into the wild. If you’ve got the stomach, you can actually watch wildlife surgeries through observation windows in the center’s lobby.
The Nature Store is chock full of good stuff. Bird watchers will salivate over the feeders, houses, optics, and bird seed available. There are toys for the kids and an ever changing array of nature related books for all ages. Adjacent to the Nature Store, the main lobby of the Audubon Society is host to a number of interpretive displays.
There are also 4.5 miles of trails in the Nature Sanctuary, including a stand of old growth Doug firs. Those in search of more exercise can easily connect with the Upper Macleay Trail and descend into beautiful Balch Creek, or connect with the Wildwood Trail and hike till you drop. Trail maps are available online or at the visitor’s center.
Get there:
From the intersection of 23rd ave and NW Lovejoy, head west on Lovejoy into the west hills of Portland. Lovejoy eventually becomes Cornell, and you will drive through 2 tunnels. The Audubon Society is about .25 mile after the 2nd tunnel on the right side of the road.
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