Cooper Mountain Nature Park closed Wednesday-Friday

Cooper Mountain Nature Park and the Nature House will close on Wednesday, Sept. 28, for a controlled burn that is designed to reduce the risk of wildfire and help restore habitat for wildlife and plants.

The park is expected to re-open on Sunday, Oct. 2. If we are able to re-open on Saturday, we will post this information on Facebook and Twitter.

Thirty acres of oak woodland and upland prairie habitat will be burned by trained wildfire specialists; you might see fire or smell smoke if you are in the vicinity of the park.

Staging planned fires is one of the best ways to curb the risk of unplanned fires, because it burns natural grasses and woody fuels safely. Planned fires also reduce poison oak at the park and support restoration efforts. This will be the sixth burn conducted at Cooper Mountain over the past two decades.

Following the burn, Metro will treat sprouting invasive plants, install native seeds and plant native wildflower bulbs.

The prescribed burn is a collaboration among Metro, THPRD and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. This work is possible thanks to voter investment in regional parks, trails and natural areas.