Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/Balch Creek

Balch Creek

 * This is the archived discussion of the TFAR nomination for the article below. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as Wikipedia talk:Today's featured article/requests). Please do not modify this page. 

The result was: scheduled for Today's featured article/September 9, 2015 by Brianboulton (talk) 12:31, 24 August 2015 (UTC)



Balch Creek is a 3.5 mi tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at the crest of the Tualatin Mountains, the creek flows generally east down a canyon and through Forest Park, a large municipal park in Portland. The stream then enters a pipe and remains underground until reaching the river. Danford Balch, after whom the creek is named, settled a land claim along the creek in the 19th century, and was the first person legally hanged in Oregon. Basalt, mostly covered by silt in the uplands and sediment in the lowlands, underlies the Balch Creek watershed, which includes the Audubon Society of Portland nature sanctuary. Mixed conifer forest with a well-developed understory of shrubs and flowering plants is the natural vegetation. 62 species of mammals and more than 112 species of birds use Forest Park. A small population of coastal cutthroat trout resides in the stream, which in 2005 was the only major water body in Portland that met state standards for bacteria, temperature, and dissolved oxygen. Although nature reserves cover much of the upper and middle parts of the watershed, industrial sites dominate the lower part.
 * Most recent similar article(s): 8 June
 * Main editors: Finetooth
 * Promoted: Aug 2008
 * Reasons for nomination: looks refreshing, the "short, schizophrenic creek that begins in a forest and ends in a storm sewer"
 * Support as nominator. Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:07, 5 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Comment Three fact tags added. — Chris Woodrich (talk) 23:41, 7 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Support Contingent on the resolution of the fact tags. RO (talk)  22:32, 17 August 2015 (UTC)