Reed College Canyon
Reed canyon is a 28-acre watershed in the heart of the campus, running east to west, dividing north from south, and is spanned by two pedestrian bridges and a land bridge. Home to a growing population of wildlife and native plants, the watershed includes the headwaters of Crystal Springs Creek, a tributary of the Johnson Creek Watershed, and Reed Lake, which has been deemed the oldest naturally occurring lake in Portland.
This website includes details about restoration efforts for the canyon and also its history. Please enjoy the online view, and then make plans to visit. If you are new to the Portland area, you might want to start by looking at our canyon map.
Fresh from the Blog
I've got newts on the brain!
Every so often, a Reed biology senior is lured into the Canyon for an ecology thesis. Perhaps it is the desire to discover some secret Reed knowledge, or the appealing shimmer of stickleback fish in a minnow trap. Perhaps it...
Welcome to Beaver Country
Beaver's are as busy as ever out here in the canyon. As the temperature drops- and the nights are long we find ourselves in the prime of beaver season. Historicly at this time of the year there is a...
Thank-You
As I am realizing that the holiday season is so quickly upon us- I find it so easy to look ahead and wish and want of those things that may have passed me by. So today instead I wanted...
Mink of the Week
Twice in the last week I have seen a mink (Mustela vison) frolicking close to the land bridge nearest the west-end of Reed Lake. Surprisingly, in all my years working to improve the native habitat within Reed Canyon- I...
Summer to autumn, and other news
In case you've been spending a little too much time in the library the last few weeks, it's official - fall's here, the leaves are turning, and the color on the trees just seems to glow. We're going from scenes...
Crystal Springs Headwaters Fish Passage and Restoration Project
Summer 2010 had a major restoration project in the canyon. View a video on the restoration or read about the project or view photos of the restoration. There's a great documentary exploring the history, ecology, community and educational opportunities of Crystal Springs and news coverage of the project from KGW TV, and most recently from an article and a video covering the restoration from the Portland Tribune.
Videos! Canyon Field Notes
Find out what's happening in the canyon with Zac Perry, canyon guru, as he brings you info about bees, canyon restoration, and more. View videos.
Canyon Plants
If you're interested in the botany of the Pacific Northwest, be sure to visit our plants page. We have photographs and descriptions of many of the native plants found in the canyon, as well as a page of information about our invasive species.
Weblog
View our weblog for canyon-related notes, updates, and images; canyon users can share their wildlife observations and other notes
about what's going on.
If you have any feedback or suggestions about the blog, drop a note to zac.perry@NOSPAMreed.edu (Take out the "NOSPAM" portion, of course). Thanks!