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The cities of Wilsonville and Tigard each received recognition from the State Land Board in the 11th year of its awards program.

Wilsonville’s award was for replacement of 4.4 acres of wetlands disrupted by road construction with 17 acres of new wetlands designed so that wildlife don’t have to cross the roadway. Tigard’s award was for restoration of Derry Dell Creek through the realignment of 1,200 feet of degraded stream channel.

Wilsonville’s Wetlands Project Award was for new wetlands created via a large old peat bog to make up for the loss of 4.4 acres of wetlands because of construction of a new section of Boeckman Road, according to the State Land Board.

The new wetlands are actually three shallow wetlands with three separate planting zones to improve ecological complexity. Removal of invasive reed canary grass was 鈥渢o provide better habitat for beavers, waterfowl and other birds.鈥�

Kerry Rappold, natural resources program manager for the city of Wilsonville, said the city is cooperating with Metro, which owns nearby land, to eventually restore hundreds of acres of a large wetland complex.

鈥淲e only did 17 acres, but it is a significant piece in trying to prevent impacts on wildlife,鈥� Rappold said. 鈥淲e created wildlife passages under the road that vary in size from 18 inches circular to long, 9-foot-by-4-foot culverts.鈥�

Wilsonville also built a 400-foot bridge over Coffee Lake Creek that spans over part of the wetlands and was offset to accommodate wildlife, he said.

Wilsonville has been working with Portland State University to monitor wildlife passages in the new wetlands areas, Rappold said, and will continue to do so.

鈥淭he good news is that (PSU) has seen no statistical difference between wildlife killed away from the road as opposed to under it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s working and I’m not aware of a single roadkill.鈥�

One day, the entire wetlands area will be returned to its natural state, Rappold said.

鈥淚t’s reaching a point that it’s almost self-sufficient,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 hope in five or 10 years that site will return to its predevelopment state.鈥�

The city of Tigard received a Clean Water Services Award. It recognized the move of a degraded urban creek back to its original banks during sewer replacement and creation of a new bike and pedestrian connection with an elevated boardwalk linking two neighborhoods.

The project included replanting a half-acre of wetlands with native species to retain rain runoff and re-establishing a fish passage through a culvert crossing to the upper reaches of Derry Dell Creek.

Kim McMillan, project manager and assistant city engineer for the city of Tigard, said 鈥渢he environmental enhancement was huge鈥� for wildlife and people.

鈥淲e provided habitat not just for the animals, but really provided that for the neighborhood,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 see a lot of people using the site.鈥�

The project involved filling in the old stream channel, moving the creek to its former alignment, putting in new box culverts under Walnut Street and adding a trail that includes the boardwalk to connect the Pathfinder Genesis Trail and Woodard Park, she said.

鈥淎nd we have room for a future neighborhood park,鈥� McMillan said. 鈥淲e got so much bang for our buck with this one piece of property and think it was a beautiful enhancement to the neighborhood.鈥�