Cooper Mountain Nature Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cooper Mountain Nature Park |
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Prairie at the park with the Nature House in the background
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| Type | Public |
| Location | Near Beaverton, Oregon United States |
| Area | 231 acres (93 hectares) |
| Created | 2009 |
| Operated by | Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District |
| Status | Open |
| Website | Cooper Mountain Nature Park |
Cooper Mountain Nature Park is a large nature park in the Portland area of Oregon. It covers about 231 acres (93 hectares). The park opened in 2009. It is owned and run by Metro, a local government group.
The park gets its name from Cooper Mountain. This is a main natural feature in the area near Beaverton. The park is kept nice by the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THPRD). It has 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trails. Cooper Mountain Nature Park is one of two nature parks managed by THPRD.
How Cooper Mountain Nature Park Started
In 1995, people living in the Portland area voted. They approved a plan to borrow money. This money was used by Metro to buy natural areas, also called greenspaces. Metro covers parts of Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties.
Metro started buying land on Cooper Mountain in 1997. They spent over $6.5 million on the land. In 2006, voters approved more money. Metro then spent almost $2 million to build things at the park. They also received grants to help develop the park. These grants came from the Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
To get the area ready, parts of it were carefully burned in 2008. This helped to bring back native plants. Cooper Mountain Nature Park officially opened on June 27, 2009. By the end of 2009, volunteers and Metro had planted about 100,000 trees and shrubs in the park.
What You Can Find at the Park
Cooper Mountain Nature Park is on the south side of Cooper Mountain. The mountain is 774 feet (236 meters) tall. Many people think it was a volcano, but it was actually formed by ancient lava flows.
The park has many different natural areas. You can find groups of oak trees, wet areas called wetlands, open grassy prairies, ponds, and thick forests. Metro owns the park. However, THPRD helps take care of it under a special agreement.
The 231-acre park is surrounded by farms to the south. There are also towns and cities to the north. Cooper Mountain is located between Oregon Route 10 and Oregon Route 210.
The park has many cool things to see and do. There are gardens, a special Nature House building, and places to park. You can also find bike racks and a playground for kids. There are 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of gravel trails for hiking.
The Nature House is used for learning programs. It has restrooms and is partly powered by solar panels.
Many different animals live in the park. You might see birds like the red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, and bald eagle. Other birds include the western bluebird and various sparrows. You might also spot an olive-sided flycatcher.
Other animals in the park include the northern red-legged frog, western gray squirrel, and northern alligator lizard. A special snake called the rubber boa also lives here.
The park is home to many beautiful plants. Some examples are Delphinium leucophaeum, Oregon sunshine, meadow checkermallow, and western columbine.
