EPA-560-F-08-292 brownfields September 2008

at-a-glance

Tillamook, OR 

Section 128(a) State & Tribal Grant HOQUARTON NATURAL INTERPRETIVE TRAIL and CREST RLF Grant 

Hoquarton Natural Interpretive Trail 

Leads Community to Rediscover its History

ADDRESS: North of downtown Tillamook, Oregon; east of Highway 101 south of Hoquarton Slough 

PROPERTY SIZE: 26.5 acres 

FORMER USE: Lumber mill 

CURRENT USE: Recreational interpretive trail, outdoor educational opportunity, and birding venue 

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS: 

The City of Tillamook 

utilized EPA Brownfields 

Section 128(a) State & Tribal 

funding and $29,000 from an 

EPA Brownfields Revolving 

Loan Fund awarded to 

Columbia River Estuary 

Study Taskforce (CREST). 

Annenberg Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, National Park Service, 

National Endowment of the Arts/New England Foundation for the 

Arts, Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Department of Environmental 

Quality (DEQ), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon 

Department of Land Conservation and Development, Oregon State Parks 

Department, Port of Tillamook Bay, Tillamook Bay Watershed Council, 

Tillamook County, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Tillamook Public 

Utilities District, Tillamook High School, University of Oregon Landscape 

Architecture Laboratory 

For additional data and geographic information 

for this and other Brownfields Grants, please 

visit EPA’s: Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/ 

enviro/html/bms/bms_query.html 

Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The Hoquarton Slough was the main transportation route in and out of Tillamook for a long time. The property was used as a lumber 

mill from 1885 to about 1950, after which it was largely abandoned. In the mid-1990s, the property was donated to the City for use 

as open space. Once the City of Tillamook gained title to the property, it began working with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership 

and local community groups to plan for and create a community resource for recreation, education, and economic revitalization. 

Assessment work was funded by EPA Section 128(a) funds. In response to concerns about petroleum contamination, the City used 

the CREST grant and other funds to excavate and treat contaminated soil. The Oregon DEQ completed an investigation of the 

property in 2006 and determined that no further action was necessary. The property was ideal because the City lacked a large, 

central outdoor space for recreation and education and the Hoquarton Slough provided these things right in downtown Tillamook. 

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Since the initial groundbreaking in 2002, school groups and volunteers removed 4.5 

acres of blackberries, ivy, reed canary grass, and Japanese knotweed and picked up and 

disposed of more than 2 tons of trash, including cement blocks, vehicles, and wire. 

• Volunteers planted more than 2,000 native plants in riparian area and within the park 

and highlighted nature-scaping as an interpretive theme. 

OUTCOME: 

Led by the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, the project creatively pooled grant funds from 

a variety of sources (including arts organizations) and used volunteers for everything from 

cleanup to generating ideas for planning and site design. In 2006, the trail was officially 

opened to the public. The concrete trail was completed and structures from the lumber mill were replaced with viewing docks or 

platforms, some of which incorporated pilings or other features from the original construction, helping to illustrate the history of 

the property. The restored trail also serves as a living lab for educational opportunities, involving all different grade levels. Topics 

covered include: biology of salmonids, water quality, riparian functions, and life cycle of migratory birds. In addition to educational 

opportunities, the Hoquarton Interpretive Trail is helping to reconnect downtown shops, restaurants, and businesses to the historic 

heart of the town. As the only park in downtown Tillamook, the trail creates a nice walking opportunity for urban workers and 

residents. It also provides prime bird viewing opportunities, especially for ducks and other migratory waterfowl, from the three 

viewing docks. 

The Hoquarton Interpretive Trail provides recreational 

opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 10 at (800) 424-4372