For more than 150 years, one of the nation’s most powerful waterfalls has been mostly off-limits to the public. A new restoration effort aims to change that.

West Linn residents can learn more about plans to reopen Willamette Falls when the Sunset Neighborhood Association hosts Josh Billison of the Willamette Falls Trust on Wednesday, July 8.

Billison, the trust’s tribal and community engagement director, will discuss the Inter Tribal Public Access Project at 7:05 p.m. during a virtual meeting.

The project focuses on Moore’s Island, a 40-acre industrial site between West Linn and Oregon City. Plans call for public walkways, viewing areas, native plantings, cultural spaces, canoe access and a lamprey harvest station.

Willamette Falls is the second-largest waterfall by volume in the United States, but much of the surrounding area has remained closed to visitors for generations.

“This is a very small point in time where this land adjacent to the falls has been industrialized,” said Mary Baumgardner, West Linn City Council president and Willamette Falls Trust board member.

The project has received $45 million in state funding, along with about $30 million in private donations, according to trust officials.

The trust is working to acquire Portland General Electric’s property on Moore’s Island. After that, officials expect several years of demolition and cleanup before construction could begin.

The project is guided by representatives from four Native nations, who are helping shape plans for public access and cultural restoration.

The Sunset Neighborhood Association meeting begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, via Zoom. The presentation begins at 7:05 p.m. with time for questions afterward.