Reed's Crossing Discovery Park

Birdseye view from drone of green park with clouds on horizon in hillsboro oregon
Logs and stumps in wood chips make a natural play area on a sunny day

Greenworks has been working closely with Newland Communities on Reeds Crossing, a 460-acre community located in South Hillsboro. Greenworks has been tasked with designing the 23-acre Greenway which contains stormwater facilities, multi-use trails, plazas, and a nature education area. The nature education area, Discovery Park, is visioned to be part of STEM/STEAM programming for the Hillsboro Schools with education opportunities around the trail system comprised of stations for discovery and learning. Overall, Discovery Park is located centrally in Reed’s Crossing Gordon Creek Greenway.

There are stations throughout Discovery Park where children can learn about the functions and values of the stormwater facilities, wetlands and habitat.

The stations include:

  • Water Discovery – children can learn about the stormwater ponds throughout the greenway and the functions of wetlands within the park by interacting with the water that will flow into a rain garden.

  • Nurse Log Habitat – children can learn about forest species, including salamanders, and downed logs that create habitat for a diversity of species.

  • Climb and Find – this station is not only a nature play area but children can find sculpted animals in and around the log and learn about them through informational signage

  • Pollinator Habitat – children can learn about the benefits insects and birds in relation to flowering plants.  

  • Oak Savannah – children can learn about the different ecosystems that surrounded the valley

There is also an outdoor classroom and a pavilion that offer gathering spaces for educators and parents to teach children within and among the habitat. Trails throughout the greenway and the neighborhood lead to Discovery Park. The park is also connected to a school (to be built in 2020) via a neighborhood.

Conceptual Visualization

An illustration of a park with mature trees and wetland grasses, houses surrounding