Tour trio of Gresham Backyard Habitat yards this weekend

Published 5:00 am Friday, August 1, 2025

: Three Gresham participants in Backyard Habitat will showcase their yards during tours this weekend. (Courtesy photo: City of Gresham)

Interested in transforming your backyard into a wildlife sanctuary/botanical garden? Then mark your calendar for this Saturday’s Backyard Habitat Gresham Garden Tour.

From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, there will be free tours of a trio of local yards that have been transformed with native plants, rain gardens, and wildlife habitat. The event is open to anyone in Gresham, Fairview, and Troutdale.

The tours are self-guided. Participants will walk or drive between the sites. The goal is to get people interested in joining the Backyard Habitat program while showcasing ideas for your own home.

Backyard Habitat Gresham Garden Tour

Stephanie’s Yard

1580 N.W. Bella Vista Ct.

A platinum-certified participant in the Backyard Habitat program. She began converting to native plants 10 years ago. Now her yard has three rain gardens, 100 native varieties of plants, and seven fruit trees. She is excited to share cuttings, seeds and sprouts with any visitors.

Marcia’s Yard

1629 N.W. Towle Ter.

A gold-certified participant that showcases how a small lot can be transformed. She removed her lawn in lieu of two rain gardens and disconnected her downspouts to harness stormwater. Marcia mixes native plants with hardy ornamentals. She is excited to share more about plants that thrive in tight spaces, as well as composting tricks.

Keren & Cate’s Yard

4785 S.E. First Ter.

The duo took on the massive undertaking of removing compacted river rock from the entire front yard and tackling a wall of blackberry brambles. That project took nearly a decade. Now they are platinum-certified with a pond, rain garden and beds packed with plants, including maturing native maples. Keren has even taken on stewardship of a nearby park area and enrolled that green space with the Backyard Habitat program. They are excited to talk about taking on those challenging tasks and enhancing forest plants.

How Backyard Habitat Certification works

Backyard Habitat is offered through the Columbia Land Trust and Bird Alliance of Oregon.

The program is about the creation and expansion of urban natural habitats. More than 12,000 homes/organizations have signed up.

An East Multnomah County habitat technician visits after you enroll. They will tour your outdoor space and identify problem weeds, suggest beneficial native plants, and discuss natural gardening solutions and other outdoor features to support wildlife.

The program is offered on a sliding scale starting at $5. Participants get:

Site visit with habitat technician
Report with recommendations for your yard/outdoor space
Advice on managing rainwater
Free resources like gardening coupons
Offers for discounted pricing on native plants
Sign for your yard (you have probably seen dozens of these on walks around your neighborhood)

Learn more and enroll online at: backyardhabitats.org