Sherwood, Oregon is one of the state's most treasured and notable communities. This small but significant town is nestled between Portland 's metro area and the natural beauty of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. The appeal of the town lies in its historic downtown, its family oriented community, its abundance of rural lands, and its proximity to urban life. Sherwood is consistently one of Oregon 's top 2 fastest growing cities, with a population that increased from 2,500 in 1989 to 17,888 in 2009. And yet, Sherwood residents enjoy more green space than any other suburb of Portland. The quality of life enjoyed by Sherwood residents is evident in the #18 ranking on Money Magazine's list of best places to live in the U.S.A.
Water is the lifeblood of any community. Among the many functions and benefits of clean water, Sherwood's water provides habitat and nourishment to special species such as the Oregon white oak, the Valley ponderosa pine, winter steelhead and cutthroat trout, the camas lily, western pond turtle, fender's blue butterfly, kincaid's lupine, western bluebird, and the western meadowlark. Our watersheds include 48.2 miles of stream, 324 acres of wetlands, and 23.5 square miles of drainage area.
Raindrops to Refuge is a small non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating sustainable community actions. We help local citizens learn how to be responsible citizens of their watershed; we restore impaired wetlands and waterways; and we protect our watershed from the hazards of pollution from our everyday practices and from rapid development. Sherwood's position as a key community in Oregon underscores the importance of R2R's presence, as it is the only organization dedicated to protecting Sherwood's watersheds. In order to maintain the quality of life that is currently drawing people to the Sherwood area, the quality of our watersheds must be maintained. Their health is inextricably linked to the beauty and prosperity of this town. |
|
Raindrops to Refuge envisions a community of citizens united in their desires and efforts to keep Sherwood, Oregon a green haven. We believe in the human instinct to protect what we love, to take pride in one's home, to learn from our mistakes, to invest in the community, and to want to leave this world a little better than we found it. We believe that with your help, we can have the community we all want, economically viable and environmentally vigorous. |
 |
