 The creation of the refuge was first proposed to the city of Sherwood by a local citizen in 1990 . A year later , the United States Fish and Wildlife Service began looking at creating a national wildlife refuge along the Tualatin River near Sherwood at Rock Creek . The original plans called for a 2 @,@ 500 @-@ acre ( 1 @,@ 000 ha ) refuge near Sherwood and Oregon Route 99W and then grew to a 3 @,@ 000 @-@ acre ( 1 @,@ 200 ha ) proposal that would have unconnected parts , with the additional wetlands near Scholls to the west . To press for the creation of the proposed Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge , citizens groups lobbied Congress for funding , which included a video narrated by actor Robert Wagner . Initial estimates for the completion of the project were up to 30 years at a cost of USD $ 10 million for land acquisitions . 
