PP&R, the Bureau of Environmental Services, and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council provide youth and adult education programs.

Some of the land was purchased by Metro; just over two acres were donated by Ned Hayes in 1997; and the land in the middle of the site is owned by Portland Public Schools. Part of the site was once a junk yard full of scrap metal, old cars, and 2,000 tires. After public acquisition, the junk was removed, and the site has since been restored with thousands of native plants.

A black cottonwood forest stretches eastward from NE 47 between the two ponds and the Whitaker Slough. While the westernmost pond, adjacent to the interpretive center, is more accessible and scenic, it is the eastern pond that typically produces more wildlife sightings, including great blue heron, osprey, brown-headed cowbirds, willow flycatchers, and Berwick's wrens.