Restoring Nichols Natural Area

Nichols Natural Area: A Chance to Restore a Greenspace

 By Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director of Columbia Riverkeeper

We have a rare opportunity to restore a natural area along Hood River’s rapidly developing waterfront. The City of Hood River recently acquired nearly three acres of riparian habitat along the south end of Nichols Basin, in front of the new hotel. Columbia Riverkeeper holds a conservation easement to protect this habitat. This abandoned industrial site, in the heart of Hood River’s waterfront, can once again team with life.

The Nichols Site Can Be a Terrific Community Resource

  • Student laboratory – Hood River County students can help design, study, and implement a restoration project. Turning a former industrial area into a greenspace will create a living laboratory for a generation of students. Hood River Valley High School students did an initial assessment in May.
  • Community restoration site – In a prominent waterfront location, kids can plant trees and watch the progress as both grow up.
  • Stewardship opportunity - Local residents and community groups can act as land stewards to monitor the natural area, sample water quality, and track wildlife.
  • Natural area – As acres of the Hood River waterfront get paved, a natural area is important for fish and wildlife. Young salmon need a place to rest and grow prior to their journey to the ocean. The Nichols Natural Area will provide shade and food in the protected waters of Nichols Basin.

Then and Now

Nichols Boat Works operated from 1939 to 1998. The contaminated site was cleaned up and the property sat vacant and weedy for over a decade. Columbia Riverkeeper agreed in 2015 to hold a conservation easement to protect the land after Friends of the Hood River Waterfront challenged a cable park development. The City of Hood River acquired three acres of riparian areas. Riverkeeper and community partners will work to restore it.


  • See more photos from Hood River Valley High School students' initial assessment in May on our Facebook page.