Corvallis Riverfront (home, university, restaurants)

[funkypuppet]

We visited Corvallis last fall and have been wondering something ever since. Along the river, where many of the restaurants and bars are (Aqua, Downward Dog, etc.), there is a line of trees and brush that prevents you from seeing the river much, and from walking close to it at all. Does anyone know why they would separate the people from the river in a river park? The town seems very well-planned, so I'm sure there must be a good reason.

[Silverfall]

Originally Posted by funkypuppet

We visited Corvallis last fall and have been wondering something ever since. Along the river, where many of the restaurants and bars are (Aqua, Downward Dog, etc.), there is a line of trees and brush that prevents you from seeing the river much, and from walking close to it at all. Does anyone know why they would separate the people from the river in a river park? The town seems very well-planned, so I'm sure there must be a good reason.

I am sure it is for erosion control.

[jjpop]

The original plan for the park had all of the trees being torn out and a concrete stair-step terrace treatment for the riverbank.

Being that Corvallis is home to OSU (a university with several departments that have a strong ecological bent), several citizens, university professors and others, objected to the removal of these old native trees. The key argument was that removing bank vegetation is not good for a stream because it destabilizes the bank and removes the shading, which is a critical component in keeping a stream cool during the hot summer months. The concrete would have taken care of the stabilization issue, but not the shading issue.

There are other parks to the north and south of downtown where you can get right to the river's edge. Downtown was built on a high steep terrace, and the river is quite deep and swift right in that stretch. I don't believe citizens have ever expected to get down to the river right there, so it was no loss for Corvallis (and I believe a significant gain for the river) when they left the trees.