Two More Reasons for the City to Buy Walling Pond

I wrote earlier that the City of Salem should purchase Walling Pond, a property anchored by a former gravel quarry that is now a popular fishing pond. While examining Geographic Information System (GIS) data, I found two additional reasons for the City to purchase the property.

First, Walling Pond is located within the 1% annual-chance floodplain, commonly called the 100-year floodplain. Pringle Creek flows directly through the pond, connecting it to Salem's larger network of streams and waterways. Floodplains provide important ecological benefits, including storing floodwaters, improving water quality, and supporting wetlands and wildlife habitat.

Recognizing these ecological benefits, FEMA has required Salem and other Oregon communities to adopt new regulations requiring “no net loss” of important floodplain functions. These requirements make development within regulated floodplains more difficult, potentially reducing the property's commercial development value.

Second, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has identified the area containing Walling Pond as a wildlife connectivity “steppingstone.” This designation is part of Oregon's State Wildlife Action Plan. Steppingstones are areas of habitat that may help wildlife move through developed landscapes, providing connections between otherwise isolated natural areas. Walling Pond and Bush's Pasture Park are habitat steppingstones that help connect areas outside Salem's urban growth boundary to Minto-Brown Island Park and the Willamette River.

You can learn more about the designation on ODFW's Priority Wildlife Connectivity Areas page.

These findings reinforce my view that Walling Pond is more than a recreational fishing destination. It is part of Salem's larger network of streams, floodplains, and wildlife habitat—what I've been calling Salem's blue-green network. Public ownership would give Salem an opportunity to manage the property as part of that interconnected natural environment while preserving a popular recreational amenity.