By Jonathan Hiser
UP's environmental department has been given the green light to begin detailed plans for the construction of a salmon refuge habitat along the property's shoreline.
Professor Steve Kolmes, director of the Environmental Studies Program, said the idea of such a habitat was in the works for years, but on-site assessment was off limits until now. Without a chance to evaluate the shoreline conditions, plans for the habitat were stalled at the research phase.
"We couldn't go down to Triangle Park to assess the conditions because it wasn't under the ownership of UP and thereby the protection of Public Safety," Kolmes said. "Now that we own it, it's only a matter of time before we check it out."
That time may be short. Senior students from Kolmes' Environmental Seminar class already have plans to visit Triangle Park Jan. 29. The class subject focus of the trip is yet to be decided, but Kolmes said he doesn't expect it to necessarily be on the salmon habitat.
"I think they'll be more interested in the environmental safety of the site than on the salmon," Kolmes said. "Still, I'm happy that there is already interest in it."
Kolmes said he acknowledges Triangle Park's chemical industrial history as possible sign of concern for salmon safety, but notes that the salmon habitat will still be a benefit, regardless.
"The fact is that salmon swim up and down this area already, so it's better that they have a resting spot than to not have one," Kolmes said.
The habitat will offer a sloped, rocky shoreline, complete with protective vegetation from birds and river currents. The habitat will cater to five different endangered species of salmon. Kolmes said the area is not intended for salmon to spawn, but rather for adults and juveniles to rest on their respective trips.
Kolmes said the positioning of the site on the Willamette River could not be better, given the current obstacles for salmon.
"This area of the river is pretty unfriendly for salmon," Kolmes said. "There really isn't any other area like this for miles in either direction."
Until on-site research and surveying of the shoreline is complete, Kolmes said a construction date is still years off. Despite the time, Kolmes said he expects to see the habitat a reality within his time at UP.
"We'll definitely see it within our lifetime, but what impact it will have beyond our lifetime is anyone's guess," Kolmes said.
