Kehoe Family Gifts 22-acres of Forest Habitat to Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary

Kehoe Family Gifts 22-acres of Forest Habitat to Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary

by | Jul 28, 2019 | Events, Features, News

Portland, OR. Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary, adjacent to Forest Park, just grew by 22-acres thanks to a gift by businessman Marty Kehoe. At a ceremonial ivy-cutting on July 26th, Katherine, Shannon, Allison and Marty Kehoe were joined by Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish and Portland Audubon Executive Director Nick Hardigg. The property, previously slated for development and appraised at more than $14 million, will now be restored and protected, adding to the ecological value of Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary and Forest Park. The Kehoe’s eldest daughter, Katherine Lynn advocated for the gift and the parcel will be named in her honor. “As a family, we talked a lot about this,” Marty Kehoe shared. “We loved the property and felt that it would make a wonderful gift – not only to the Portland Audubon, but as a permanent gift to the whole city.”

Marty, Allison, Katherine and Shannon Kehoe.

Portland Audubon’s first land acquisition was in 1929, when 12 acres of a former dairy farm were purchased with private funds. The following year, the Pittock family donated another 18 acres. Additional land protections occurred in 1982 (the 34-acre Uhtoff Sanctuary), 1983, and 2008 (the 86-acre Collins Sanctuary, owned by Metro and managed by Portland Audubon). This last gift of 22-acres from the Kehoe family brings the sanctuary to 172-acres.

The Kehoes decided to protect the land permanently by donating it to Portland Audubon — with the caveat that its remaining mortgage be paid off within the year. Bordering Portland Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary, the property is ecologically significant with the headwaters of Bones and Balch Creeks, wetlands, steep slopes and partially open canopy of both deciduous and coniferous trees. The property had long been seen by Portland Audubon as one of the largest, most ecologically valuable and at-risk parcels on the periphery of Forest Park.

“We’ve fought to protect lands like this for over a century, and felt development would eventually happen if we didn’t act.” said Portland Audubon Executive Director Nick Hardigg. “We also recognized that this would be one of the most valuable gifts to Portland Audubon ever— worth millions— and we are incredibly grateful to the Kehoe family.”

About Portland Audubon’s 172-Acre Wildlife Sanctuary:

Just 10 minutes from downtown Portland and free to the public, the 172-acre sanctuary is the perfect place for people of all ages to connect with nature. The public can visit the Wildlife Care Center, Nature Store, Interpretive Center, walk more than four miles of family-friendly trails to see old growth forest, a pond and streams, and take part in a multitude of educational classes and events. 40,000 people visit the wildlife sanctuary each year.

Portland Fine Print Fair Benefit Preview Benefits Graphic Arts

Portland Fine Print Fair Benefit Preview Benefits Graphic Arts

by | Feb 12, 2016 | Events, Features

Portland, January 29th, 2016. Collectors, art enthusiasts, and Portland Art Museum supporters gathered for the Portland Fine Print Fair benefit preview. At the event, David O’Donoghue of Stoney Road Press explains a print to Museum Trustee Mark Frandsen and his wife, Katherine. The Fair featured thousands of prints from top North American and European galleries. Benefit preview proceeds support the activities of the Museum’s Graphic Arts department. Fair admission was also free to the public on January 30th and 31st. (photo credit, Nina Johnson)

Portland Art Museum Portland Fine Print Fair benefit preview crowd.

Portland Art Museum Portland Fine Print Fair benefit preview crowd.

Preview benefit attendee browsing prints.

Preview benefit attendee browsing prints.

Portland Art Museum Curator of Asian Art, Maribeth Graybill with Pete Shinbach.

Portland Art Museum Curator of Asian Art, Maribeth Graybill with Pete Shinbach.

The oldest art museum in the Pacific Northwest, the Portland Art Museum was founded in late 1892 when seven leaders from Portland’s business and cultural institutions created the Portland Art Association. The goal of the Association was to create a first-class art museum that would be accessible to all citizens.

The Museum purchased its first collection, approximately one hundred plaster casts of Greek and Roman sculptures, with a gift of $10,000 from prominent local citizen Henry Corbett. Two other local citizens, Winslow B. Ayer and his wife, selected the casts during a trip to Europe after receiving advice from professionals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

This initial collection purchased by Ayer, named the Corbett Collection, went on display in the Portland Art Museum’s first location in a public library at SW 7th and Stark streets. It immediately became one of Portland’s most important and popular cultural resources, attracting art groups, school field trips, and large lecture audiences.