The Sandy River Delta is a

natural area A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

at the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia rivers in Oregon. Also known as "thousand acres", Sandy River Delta is composed of 1,400 acres administered by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

as part of the

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

near the Portland metro area and the city of Troutdale.

History

The Lewis & Clark Expedition passed through the area twice, in November 1805 and spring of 1806, noting abundant wildlife and stopping to hunt and gather food. During most of the 20th century the land was owned privately as part of a cattle ranch, until the 1950s when a portion was acquired for the construction of Interstate 84, which now forms the southern boundary of the area. The Forest Service acquired the remaining property north of I-84 in 1991. The area's management use plan has focused on low impact, non-motorized recreational use at the gateway to the Gorge, in addition to

habitat restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

for native plants and wildlife. A 1930s dike was removed in 2013 by the Corps of Engineers to restore the free flow of the river, and efforts have been made to reduce the prevalence of invasive species like

Himalayan blackberry ''Rubus armeniacus'', the Himalayan blackberry or Armenian blackberry, is a species of ''Rubus'' in the blackberry group ''Rubus'' subgenus ''Rubus'' series ''Discolores'' (P.J. Müll.) Focke. It is native to Armenia and Northern Iran, and wide ...

and reed canarygrass.

Facilities and recreation activities

As the farthest northwestern edge of the Columbia Gorge scenic area, Sandy River Delta is a popular location for hiking, dog walking, horseback riding, and

waterfowl hunting Waterfowl hunting (also called wildfowling or waterfowl shooting in the UK) is the practice of hunting ducks, geese, or other waterfowl for food and sport. Many types of ducks and geese share the same habitat, have overlapping or identical hunt ...

. The 1.25 mile Confluence Trail is an

ADA accessible The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...

trail that leads to a

bird blind A bird hide (blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides or hunting blinds were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commo ...

installed as part of the

Confluence Project The Confluence Project is a series of outdoor installations and interpretive artworks located in public parks along the Columbia River and its tributaries in the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. Each art installation explores the confluence o ...

and designed by

Maya Lin Maya Ying Lin (born October 5, 1959) is an American designer and sculptor. In 1981, while an undergraduate at Yale University, she achieved national recognition when she won a national design competition for the planned Vietnam Veterans Memoria ...

. Although off-leash dog walking is allowed (unlike in most of Gorge), it is not a dog park, but rather a multi-use natural area; commercial dog walking is prohibited. Waterfowl hunting via shotgun only is allowed north and east of the

Bonneville Power Administration The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is an American federal agency operating in the Pacific Northwest. BPA was created by an act of Congress in 1937 to market electric power from the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River and to constr ...

lines crossing the area. The area is open dawn to dusk, with parking available for a fee or via recreation pass.

References

External links

Sandy River Delta
(United States Forest Service)

(National Park Service)
Confluence Project site description

Friends of the Sandy River Delta
{{Protected areas of Oregon, state=collapsed Nature reserves in Oregon Columbia River Gorge Protected areas of Multnomah County, Oregon