The Hopkins Demonstration Forest is welcoming the public to celebrate the opening of its new, 2,400-square-foot Forestry and Natural Resources Outreach Center next month.
The 140-acre demonstration forest in the Beavercreek area of Clackamas County, which is owned and managed by the community nonprofit Forests Forever Inc., will host the open house event from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 2.
A dedication ceremony will be at 3 p.m. Hopkins Demonstration Forest is located at 16750 South Brockway Road in Oregon City.
Forests Forever Inc. broke ground on the new outreach center in January 2021.
“We are very excited to be opening the center,” said FFI Executive Director Ken Everett, a resident of Colton. “We’ve had great contractors who kept the project moving and amazing volunteer contributions to help reduce the cost of the building project by doing as much of the work ourselves.”
More than a dozen volunteers — led by Pete Wille from Oregon City — helped frame the building’s walls, operated FFI’s portable sawmill to cut all of the exterior cedar siding from Hopkins-sourced lumber, treated and installed the siding, installed the metal roof, wrapped the building and installed the windows.
Wille and a friend custom-built all of the cabinetry in the center, too, Everett said.
The outreach center will create important new opportunities at Hopkins including overnight accommodations for visiting educators, researchers, summer interns and graduate students. A conference room will be open to the public as a small meeting room accommodating up to 15.
The center also includes a caretaker residence to assist with the upkeep and maintenance at Hopkins, including daily opening and closing access.
Nearly $350,000 in community donations have already been raised to fund the Outreach Center. FFI is still hoping to reach its project goal of $500,000 by the end of 2023.
The Hopkins Demonstration Forest was created in 1990 from the gift of a 120-acre forest tract owned by Margaret Hopkins, of Milwaukie. Her goal was to see her family’s property become a community resource for youth, adults and the public to learn about Northwest forests.
Approximately 5,000 youth and adults participate in forest education programs, tours and service projects each year. An additional more than 15,000 visit and enjoy Hopkins’ trails and natural demonstration areas.
The corporation is managed by a volunteer board of directors.
For more information about Hopkins Demonstration Forest, visit its website at demonstrationforest.org.
