NEWBERG, Ore. — A large, solitary Douglas fir looms above construction workers as they install a pedestrian bridge over a newly restored section of Hess Creek. Previously, a dam had created a pond and impeded the creek, but after the dam’s removal, the pond has disappeared, and this portion of Hess Creek has come back to life.
The pedestrian bridge and dam removal projects are part of a larger vision for a 54-acre plot of undeveloped land surrounding Hess Creek in northern Newberg east of the Collina housing development and along Mountainview Drive.
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Known as the Hess Creek Nature Preserve, the property already has two pedestrian bridges installed across the creek and will include a parking lot, restroom, and nearly a mile of paved pathways by the time it becomes public during a soft opening near the end of 2026. Before its official grand opening in spring 2027, an overlook structure will be added on the paved path, along with an additional mile of wood-chip trail, a smaller pedestrian bridge, and a sundial art installation based around the 42-inch-diameter Douglas fir on the east side of the preserve.
The Hess Creek Nature Preserve sits inside the Springbrook Master Plan, a vision for north Newberg first published in 2008. Created by Austin Industries, the plan spans 250 acres and includes residential sections and community spaces in addition to the preserve.
For Ashley Parrish, president of the Hess Creek Preserve Project and granddaughter of A-Dec and Austin Industries founders Ken and Joan Austin, the preserve will be the focal point of the master plan.
“This is a place people can come to experience nature, connect with nature,” Parrish said. “I’m hoping this is a focal point from the standpoint that there will be trails with the paved paths around the preserve and soft surface trails, there will be future trails that we hope to connect with.”
Plans for the preserve have been in the works for more than three years, according to Brian Naffin, executive director of the Hess Creek Preserve Project. Before construction, invasive species such as English ivy and Himalayan blackberries had to be removed. Parrish sees this removal as restoring the preserve to its natural state.
At one point on an unfinished portion of the soft-surface trail, Parrish and Naffin pointed out a view of the creek that had previously been overgrown by blackberries.
“Getting out all the blackberries and ivy turned out to be a much bigger project than we thought because they’re very resilient and have been here for decades,” Naffin said.
Restoration has been one of the key goals for the preserve, according to Naffin and Parrish. Work is under way to restore 10 acres of oak savanna and 36 acres of riparian forest on the west side of the preserve, and new trees will be planted along the east side where construction is taking place.
Parrish wants the preserve to be a place where anyone can come to be in nature, whether during a lunch break from the nearby A-dec building or on a walk from the adjacent Collina housing, but she also recognizes the importance of maintaining the natural state of the land.
“We’ve been using the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge as an example to focus on preservation of plants, animals, the creek and its tributary,” Parrish said. “Right now we’re trying to find a balance between allowing dogs on the paved path, but probably not allowing dogs on the soft surface trails in order to preserve those native plants and animals and to not distress the animals in particular.”
The preserve has been collaborating with several organizations to ensure a broad range of expertise. Ash Creek Forest Management, which has also worked with Oregon State Parks, Washington State Parks, and Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District, among others, is leading invasive species removal and habitat restoration efforts.
Part of the habitat restoration includes planting new trees and shrubs that align with current species in the preserve. According to a plan submitted to the City of Newberg in December 2025, tree species to be planted along the paved trail and throughout open areas of the preserve include white alder, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and Oregon white oak.
McMinnville-based engineering firm Solid Forms is working with the preserve to design, manufacture, and install the pedestrian bridges and overlook structure. Otak, an urban architecture firm, has been working as the project manager and planner to restore the portion of Hess Creek that runs through the preserve, including setting the path for the creek after the removal of a dam upstream.
“This team has been one of the strengths of this project,” Naffin said. “I don’t think we knew how big of a project this was going to be or what we were getting into, but the different groups that we’ve been working with have really opened our eyes.”
Because the Hess Creek Nature Preserve is within city limits, the City of Newberg is also closely involved in the process through permits and approvals. At the Sept. 21 Newberg City Council meeting, the council approved Resolution 2026-4047 to allow Aspen Way West LLC, which owns the preserve property, to install a temporary wood-chip path along the northern side of Mountainview Drive to where it meets North Aspen Way, connecting to the existing footbridge near the Collina development. Once Collina at Springbrook develops the land between Hess Creek and North Aspen Way, the trail will be replaced with a paved path.
The trail will allow pedestrians to access the preserve from eastern parts of town and will be available before the soft opening near the end of 2026. The soft opening will open the preserve to pedestrians, while ongoing work builds toward the grand opening.
“We want to make the preserve available as soon as possible, so that’s the balance of having the soft opening and then the grand opening,” Parrish said. “We want everything we have currently in motion done and shiny so we can point to it. But we’re trying to balance community access and a big reveal.”
Details about the soft opening and which parts of the preserve will be open to the public will be announced through a website set to launch in the coming months.
