The collection consists of the papers of Michael C. "Mike" Houck, an environmentalist from Portland, Oregon, who specializes in the conservation and management of urban parks and greenspaces. The collection includes planning documents, reports, and maps produced by Oregon Metro, the Columbia Region Association of Governments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District, the Portland Audubon Society, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and Intertwine. It also includes records of the Open Spaces Program and the subsequent Metropolitan Greenspaces Program that Oregon Metro adopted; speeches and essays by Houck; and a book that Houck co-edited. Other materials consist of resolutions and proclamations relating to the establishment of the great blue heron as Portland's city bird; a reproduction of a 1903 report by John Charles Olmsted proposing a city-wide system of parks in Portland; and a program, collection of posters, and video footage from a 2003 symposium honoring Olmsted. The collection also includes a document written by Houck that explains the significance and historical context of materials in the collection.