FPNA is fifty years old. The park it surrounds is older still — and the work
of stewarding it has been generational. A few of the milestones that brought
us here.
Since time immemorial
Original stewardship
The Tualatin Hills, now the West Hills, are part of the homelands of the Tualatin (Atfalati) Kalapuya, the Chinookan peoples of the lower Willamette (Clackamas, Clowwewalla, Cascades, and Multnomah), and the Clatskanie. Native trail systems crossed these hills, linking the Willamette Valley to the lower Columbia, and the uplands were used for hunting, berry picking, and gathering. Stewardship here included cultural burning to renew hazel, huckleberry, and other food plants. This relationship to the land has never been broken; descendants today belong to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, among other nations.
Source: David G. Lewis, PhD (Grand Ronde), "History of Native Uses of the Land, Portland Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary," report for the Bird Alliance of Oregon, 2022, pp. 4–5, 33.
1850
Oregon Donation Land Act
Congress passes the Oregon Donation Land Act, granting free land to white settlers across territory that was still Indigenous homeland and, in most cases, never lawfully ceded. The Act and the treaty period that followed drove the displacement of the region's Native peoples. By April 1856, the Tualatin, Clackamas, Clowwewalla, Multnomah, Clatskanie, and other bands of the area had been removed, the majority to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation.
Source: David G. Lewis, "History of Native Uses of the Land," 2022, pp. 16–17, 24.
1897
Macleay donation
Scottish-born Portland businessman Donald Macleay donates approximately 105 acres of forested land to the City of Portland — the foundational acreage for what would eventually become Forest Park.
1903
Olmsted Brothers Portland Park Plan
John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. propose that the densely wooded hills west of downtown Portland be preserved as a forest park. The plan is the origin of the name.
1943
Robert Moses postwar plan
The Portland Area Postwar Development Committee, including shipping magnate Edgar Kaiser, commissions Robert Moses to plan postwar Portland. The plan reaffirms the case for a Forest Park.
1948
Forest Park dedicated
After nearly half a century of advocacy, the City of Portland formally dedicates Forest Park on September 25, 1948 — as an "unimproved" park, without playgrounds or picnic areas. The decision sets the tone for community stewardship.
1948+
Forest Park grows
Through subsequent decades, the city acquires additional land, including much of Balch Creek. Forest Park today is over 5,000 acres — one of the largest urban forests in the United States.
1976
FPNA founded
A group of residents organizes formally to represent the neighborhood around Forest Park in conversations with the City of Portland and Multnomah County.
1994–1995
Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan
FPNA serves on the Citizens Advisory Committee that develops the City of Portland's governing plan for the park's protection and management. The NRMP remains the substantive standard for decisions affecting Forest Park today.
2001
25th anniversary
The association marks 25 years with a community gathering and the first published history of the neighborhood.
2007
Oregon Senate Bill 1011: Reserves framework
SB 1011 authorizes Metro and surrounding counties to designate Urban and Rural Reserves — a long-horizon framework for shaping where Portland's growth boundary can and cannot move. FPNA participates in the process.
2010–2011
Grand Bargain finalized
Following years of negotiation under SB 1011, Metro and Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties reach the Reserves Grand Bargain — substantive protection for the perimeter of Forest Park.
2013
Greater Forest Park Conservation Initiative
Forest Park Conservancy and its partners launch the Greater Forest Park Conservation Initiative (GFPCI), a 20-year collaborative strategy to restore and protect not just Forest Park but the surrounding ecosystem of more than 15,000 acres. The initiative treats the park not as an island but as part of a larger landscape connecting the Tualatin Mountains, the Coast Range, and the Willamette River. FPNA is a member of the coalition of partners, known as the Forest Park Alliance, working toward the initiative's goals for streams, connectivity, forests, wildlife, and community.
Source: Greater Forest Park Conservation Initiative, Forest Park Conservancy.
2016
40th anniversary & partnership expansion
FPNA deepens its partnerships with Forest Park Conservancy, Skyline Ridge Neighbors, and other regional organizations.
2019
Metro Parks and Nature Bond
Voters approve a $475 million bond authorizing land acquisition, restoration, and access investments across the region.
2024–2025
Coalition transition: NWNW to D4C
FPNA moves from Neighbors West-Northwest to the new District Four Coalition as part of the City of Portland's transition to a district-based council structure.
2025
PGE Harborton Phase 3 overturned
A coalition including FPNA, Forest Park Conservancy, and Bird Alliance of Oregon successfully overturns a city decision permitting PGE to clear-cut mature forest for transmission expansion.
See Land Use for details.
2026
Fifty years
The Forest Park Neighborhood Association marks half a century of community advocacy. Anniversary celebration Saturday, August 22, 2026, 2:00–5:00 PM at Skyline Tavern.
We are always still learning about our ancestry and the history of these lands. This timeline reflects our current understanding, and our website will be updated in phases. We welcome corrections and additions, and we are working to broaden our knowledge. Please reach us at board@forestparkneighbors.org. Any errors here are unintended, and we hold this history with care and humility.
