Back 5 Community Habitat Enhancement Project

Five Years of Habitat Restoration & Community Partnerships

The Back 5 Community Habitat Enhancement Project began with the purpose to restore and enhance five acres of land on the eastern side of the Garden with its partners. It is an outdoor classroom and restoration space, as well as a place for healing for many.

The project aligns with environmental justice principles, empowering Black and Indigenous youth and young adults in the Portland Metropolitan Area. It provides culturally specific programming, mentoring, and experiential learning opportunities through our partner orgs: African Youth & Community Organization, The Blueprint Foundation, David Douglas High School, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, and Wisdom of the Elders Inc, along with help from experts at Portland Parks & Recreation, and many dedicated volunteers.

Leach has been actively working to restore the area and fully integrate the property into the rest of the Garden's trail system; we anticipate opening the first two acres of the property to the public in spring 2026.
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In spring 2024 the project faced an escalating challenge with vandalism. We had a large western red cedar illegally felled, along with evidence of small fires, garbage, and many smaller trees cut down. We contracted with Wisdom's ITEK interns to plant 13 new cedars. Wisdom's Elders also worked with their interns via teachings about bark removal for uses including art and ceremonial uses, clothing, canoes, ropes and cordage, baskets, and mats. Elders also led a healing ceremony. We worked with Connecting Canopies to remove debris to reduce fire risk, and we worked as a partnership to flyer the neighborhood providing information about the destruction. In the future we will use the downed log to talk about human destruction in the environment, the benefits of nurse logs, and how nature heals.