Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah Turtle Flats Tour

Join the Friends’ of Buford Park Executive Director Chris Orsinger for a morning tour of Turtle Flats, a 62 acre floodplain where the Coast Fork and Middle Fork of the Willamette River come together. The Friends recently purchased and are in the process of restoring the area. Come see the old gravel ponds which now are home to river otter, western pond turtles, and waterfowl and the willow wetlands where migratory songbirds flock.Turtle Flats is extremely important because it connects two key parcels that provide conservation and recreation benefits to our community – Glassbar Island, owned by Oregon State Parks, and Willamette Confluence Preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy. You’ll learn about the cooperative efforts of the Friends and these two organizations to transform their adjoining parcels into a vibrant community amenity where fish and wildlife thrive and where people can enjoy nature.The pace of this tour will be leisurely. However, to enjoy this tour, you must be able to walk comfortably over old gravel roads for approximately 2 miles and stand on your feet for 3 hours. As a reminder, no pets are allowed on the tour.