Management Plan
The Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP) is an administrative, planning and maintenance reference guide that provides a flexible tool kit for managing natural resources contained in parks within the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD). The district has both a wide diversity of natural resources and a diverse set of natural resources management issues. The NRMP is fundamental to the development of a consistent process for managing the many ecological communities owned and managed by THPRD.
Natural resources provide critical functions contributing to the ecological health of the community, as well as providing community values that contribute to the quality of life and character of the region. Central to the NRMP are several concepts:
- Valuable natural resources exist in and around all THPRD parks.
- These natural resources are remnants of the original native landscape.
- These natural resources provide irreplaceable ecological functions and social values.
- These natural resources should be protected, nurtured, and managed as necessary to maintain or enhance their integrity over time.
- Management of natural resources is an important responsibility of the district.
The NRMP is formulated with a broad perspective of the functions and values that THPRD parks can provide to the community. All parks provide some degree of natural resource function and should be managed as such. From a single specimen Oregon white oak to a mature second growth coniferous forest, management decisions need to respond to short-term and long-term goals for natural communities and to the functions provided in the landscape.
Key goals of the NRMP
- Conserve natural resource areas while recognizing that these areas are dynamic and will change over time.
- Plan for, provide and manage appropriate access to natural resource areas while protecting natural resources.
- Provide sanctuary (habitat) for diverse indigenous flora and fauna populations (species), both terrestrial and aquatic, in cooperation with partner agencies.
- Develop park master plans to identify, conserve and enhance natural resources.
- Educate district staff and the community and develop opportunities to encourage public awareness and involvement, especially stewardship by individuals and community groups.
- Utilize adaptive management strategies to maintain and enhance natural resources appropriate to an urban environment.
- Provide support for research of interest to the district that would benefit the district in its ability to manage natural resources.
- Manage properties to improve the condition of water and wetlands.
- Evaluate needs and identify acquisition priorities to guide purchase/donation of additional natural resource areas.
