About 40 native trees and shrubs will go into the ground in McCormick Park's northeast corner this fall, part of a riparian restoration effort led by the volunteer Friends of McCormick Park group and funded by the national Xerces Society.

Emily Wilson, who applied for the habitat kit on behalf of the group, said the plantings will support pollinators, birds, and stream health in an area prone to seasonal flooding.

"This habitat kit will increase habitat value for invertebrates and birds, as well as help us manage our watershed by creating natural filtration and absorption systems, while controlling erosion," Wilson told Your Oregon News in a July 23 story.

The kit comes from the Xerces Society's Oregon Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kit Program, which launched in 2023 as a regional expansion of the nonprofit's national effort.

The national program had planted 614,000 native plants across 2,500 projects since 2019, according to the Xerces Society's website. The Oregon program covers the Willamette Valley and Portland area, with kit pickup scheduled for September and October.

Volunteers have already started the prep work. In early July, Friends of McCormick Park members cleared invasive periwinkle, blackberry, and Scotch broom from the planting site to make room for the native species.

The kit is tailored for riparian zones along streams and waterways. Wilson said the restored habitat will benefit bees, western monarch butterflies, frogs, salamanders, and birds. The western monarch has declined more than 95% from 1980s levels; the 2025 annual count recorded just 12,260 butterflies across 249 Pacific coast sites, the third-lowest total on record, according to the Xerces Society.

Wilson said she hopes the planting events will also bring neighbors together.

No specific planting date has been announced beyond fall 2026. Residents can call Tigard Parks & Recreation at 503-718-2591 for information about McCormick Park and volunteer opportunities.