All about the Ainsworth Habitat Corridor

Written and shared by Lizzy Coll, Columbia Slough Watershed Council

Photo by Dhruv Bhatnagar, September 2021

The Ainsworth Habitat Corridor is a 3-block area of naturescaped right-of-way that is designed to help create pollinator habitat and mitigate stormwater flows. It is located between NE 22nd and 25th Ave, on NE Ainsworth St.

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council; a local non-profit with the mission to protect and enhance the watershed, are stewards of this habitat project. It's important to them that this habitat highway is maintained, so it can become self-sustaining in the future. Columbia Slough Watershed Council staff encourages the growth of native species, while trying to reduce the spread of invasive species through native plantings and invasive removal events.

This project is so important because native plants provide health benefits for communities, as well as for pollinators. Since pollinators all over the world are in a dramatic decline because of a lack of suitable habitat, the Ainsworth Habitat Corridor provides pollinators a safe place to rest and forage on the native plants. The plants also provide health benefits for people such as: offering shade, cleaning the air and water of pollutants, and can decrease depression rates. Managing weeds and creating suitable growing conditions for native plants will set this nature patch up to be more self-sustaining in the future, in order for the long term benefit of the community.