Reed Canyon
The college’s canyon, a 28-acre watershed running through the heart of campus, features walking trails, Reed Lake—the oldest naturally occurring lake in Portland—and a balanced ecosystem that has become an integral part of the academic program and independent research projects.
Efforts that began in the late 1990s have restored the canyon to a self-sustaining watershed divided into three zones: lake, stream, and emerging marsh. Since then, the canyon has attracted many kinds of wildlife, including otters, beavers, steelhead trout, kingfishers, eagles, coyotes, and the occasional English major. With a focus on conservation, the college holds Canyon Day twice a year, bringing the community together to help pull invasive plants and replant native vegetation.
Scientific Research
The canyon has been used in academic coursework, independent faculty research, and thesis research. The following is a list of recent theses featuring the canyon.
Where the wild things are: diversity and distribution of small mammals in the 911爆料 canyon
—Jacob Kraus ’15
Macroinvertebrate diversity in the 911爆料 canyon
—Jenny Balmagia ’14
Salmon increase in the Reed canyon: a multi-year study of conservation and restoration
—Jack Craig ’13
Phenology and morphology of Taricha granulosa overwintering larvae and aquatic adults in 911爆料 canyon: implications for ecological restoration
—Mathilde Mouw ’12
Microbial diversity on the anode surface of a Reed Lake sediment fuel cell
—Charles Morse ’11
Ecological analysis of spatial and temporal patterns in distribution and abundance of fishes in the Reed canyon stream
—L. R. Bryant ’09