In November 2024, the Bird Alliance of Oregon purchased a 12.5-acre lot, located at 2800 NE 82nd Ave. Formerly a rock-quarry-turned landfill, the site is set to become a new Wildlife Care Center and nature sanctuary.
The new facility will be 5,000 square feet, which is more than double the current facility’s size. With the expanded space, the Bird Alliance of Oregon will be able to accommodate an estimated 6,000 animals a year, which is a large increase from their previous capacity of 4,000. The Alliance, then known as the Portland Audubon Society, was founded in 1902 with the mission to “inspire all people to love and protect birds, wildlife, and the natural environment.” Thirty-five years ago, the Alliance’s current Wildlife Care Center and headquarters were established at 5151 NW Cornell Road Although the 1,400-square-foot facility is unable to meet current patient intake, the Bird Alliance will continue to utilize the location as a base of operations. The new facility will allow for improved medical equipment, helping the Alliance to meet modern safety standards. This includes the construction of a surgical suite and lab and bigger enclosures for injured and orphaned wildlife, improving standards of care and strengthening the facility’s operations.
The Alliance has become an integral part of the greater Portland community — they have hosted youth camps, advocated for the creation of wildlife refuges, and, notably, worked towards rehabilitating injured or orphaned wildlife. When developing the new Care Center, community orientation was a big priority. Located between I-205 and I-84, the new location is well positioned to receive visitors from many regions in both Oregon and Washington.
The new nature sanctuary also neighbors McDaniel High School, which has prompted ideas for several outreach programs between the school and the new facility. Anthony Aceves teaches Zoology, Biology, and Advanced Placement Environmental Science at McDaniel. “When I first heard that the Bird Alliance was being built across the street, I quickly reached out to them and expressed interest … in building a relationship between McDaniel and [the Alliance],” explains Aceves. In the future, they envision connections between McDaniel’s Career and Technical Education programs and the new sanctuary, including hosting science and art programs at the new location. Seeing as the sanctuary is still in early stages of development, however, the true extent of the partnership remains uncertain.
Because the site that will become the sanctuary was initially a landfill, the space would be undevelopable for most other projects. However, it perfectly suits the one-story Care Center envisioned by the Alliance. Ali Berman, the Bird Alliance’s communications and marketing director, explains that the project is still in its first stage, land restoration. During this process, McDaniel students, under the guidance of Aceves, have been assisting the Alliance and participating in habitat restoration, tree plantings, mulching, and bird walks. At present, only a sign marks the sanctuary’s future location, and building construction has yet to begin.
The Bird Alliance hosts several additional youth programs, both through camps and school programs, aiming to connect young people with nature. Along with the camps currently offered by the Alliance, transportation will be offered at the Center to transport kids to other nature summer camps, further supporting the local community. One of the goals the Alliance expressed when searching for the location was ample parking space to accommodate school buses and visitor parking.
Along with the envisioned Wildlife Care Center, a solar panel array will be constructed at the site within the next two years. Berman says, “The solar array is being done in partnership with the [Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon] and Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and is funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund. The solar array will help offset energy costs for low income residents in the area.” The electricity generated is projected to decrease personal electricity costs for the next 20 years. Construction for the solar array is set to begin in late 2026 to early 2027.
The Sanctuary, once complete, will be open to the public for outdoor recreation on its trails. In this way and many others, the Center is poised to support the greater Portland community and serve as a benefit to all who interact with it.
