Oregon Wildlife Scores New Digs

By Jeanette Schuster

On November 15, 2024, an affiliate of the Bird Alliance of Oregon (formerly known as the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon) acquired an approximately 12.5-acre vacant property located on NE 82nd Avenue in Portland, across from McDaniel High School, where the organization plans to build a new, state-of-the-art wildlife hospital and nature center.

Tonkon Torp LLP is proud to have been able to provide pro bono legal support for the real estate and environmental portions of this transaction.

For decades, Bird Alliance has been mending Oregon’s injured wildlife at a facility located at the nonprofit organization’s 172-acre wildlife sanctuary on NW Cornell Road in Forest Park, one of only two licensed wildlife rehabilitation centers in the Portland area. The center is by far the busiest in the region, treating 3,000 to 5,000 wild animals each year.

The current wildlife care center is too small, inaccessible by public transport, and not equipped to meet the demands of its patients. The dream of a new wildlife care center was fueled by Bob Sallinger, who tirelessly fought for the care and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat for three decades in various roles at Bird Alliance, including as Wildlife Care Center Director and Conservation Director.

A few years ago, Bird Alliance threw in the towel on building a new facility or upgrading the old one after it was determined that the significant amounts of wastewater generated by wildlife care activities could not be managed on site – the search for a new location was on.

The property that was ultimately selected was the location of a former landfill, which is consistent with the organization’s advocacy on reutilizing so-called “brownfields” such as this one. Bird Alliance has big dreams for the new property, including space to service around 6,000 animals a year, an on-site surgical suite, solar power, and habitat restoration.

Unfortunately, Bob Sallinger was not able to join in the celebration of this big win for the organization – he passed away unexpectedly days before the sale on the new property closed. His loss has been widely mourned across the state and will be felt for decades to come.