Green light for the levy. On June 30, the Metro Council voted to put the current parks and natural areas local-option levy on the November ballot for renewal. If you care about the restoration of our regional natural areas and parks, and Nature in Neighborhoods grants to community organizations across the region, now is the time to mobilize. The campaign will need your help reaching constituents and making connections. To get engaged with the effort, email Aaron Brown at info@protectournaturalareas.com, and/or attend the kickoff event at Intertwine Alliance headquarters (David Evans & Associates, 2100 SW River Parkway) on
Thursday, July 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. The levy will raise about $81 million over 5 years. Since it is a renewal, it does not raise taxes. Read more about the levy, how it works and what it will achieve,
here.
Three cheers for new partners! It's our pleasure to welcome these fascinating new partners to The Intertwine Alliance:
- Our first beer-making partner, North Portland's Ex Novo Brewing Co., donates 100 percent of profits from making and serving beer to social justice causes. Look for Ex Novo beers to be poured at upcoming Intertwine Alliance shindigs.
- Nonprofit We Love Clean Rivers, Inc. -- "Turning restoration into recreation" -- is dedicated to cleaning high-use rivers by mobilizing the river recreation community in partnership with local environmental, recreation and educational organizations. You might know them for their flagship event, the annual Down the River Cleanup on the Clackamas River.
- The Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO), a statewide advocate for environmental education, cultivates environmental literacy and engagement among diverse community leaders.
Power to the projects. As we reported last month,
The Big Float and
The Green Loop were both in the pipeline to become Intertwine Projects -- and now they're official! We're so excited to give visibility and support to these vibrant, forward-thinking efforts.
- This year's Big Float is Sunday, July 10. Don't miss the group inner tube float and joyful celebration of the Willamette with 3,000 to 4,000 fellow river lovers. The shindig is put on by Human Access Project, TriMet, Columbia Sportswear and others. Register here.
The City of Portland's Green Loop is another big idea, this one an effort to create a 6- to 7-mile linear park through the entire central city. It will link existing open spaces to develop a safe, easy and fun way for all Portlanders to walk, jog, roll or bike to city destinations and attractions.
Interested in joining the project network and getting support for
your work?
Here's how.
Story time. Speaking of
Intertwine Projects: a reminder and last call that the next
quarterly project leaders meeting is
Tuesday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., here at the David Evans & Associates building (home to The Intertwine Alliance). This quarter's topic is a real treat, so if you haven't already RSVPed, please do so
here by the
end of the day on Friday, July 8. Storyteller
Will Hornyak will lead a workshop about furthering organizational and project goals through the art of telling a whopping good tale. From Irish folktales and Native American legends to Russian fairytales, Greek myths and original material, Will weaves a wide web of oral traditions into engaging performances and workshops. It'll be lots of fun, and as always, lunch will be served. Questions? Please contact Lauren at lauren@theintertwine.org.
Conservation leaders, this one's for you. Don't miss the
next
Quarterly Conservation Forum on
Thursday,
July 21, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Metro Regional Center. Participants will deliver 3- to 5-minute snapshots of their organizations' program priorities for the next year, in hopes of finding alignment and collaborations. Read more about planned activities, and how to get involved,
here. Then
RSVP to save your seat at the table. Also, if you haven't checked in on the
Conservation Working Group web page lately, minutes from previous forums are now posted. Questions? Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation Department's Bruce Barbarasch can help you out: bbarbara@thprd.org.
Call for Daycations: Your best day in nature. Development of the
Daycation mobile app is in high gear, with beta testing of the first version under way. Thank you so much to the volunteers helping us with this critical step. As we work out the bugs, refine and polish, there is a little something you can do: Submit your favorite Daycation! What do
you like to do in The Intertwine? What does your favorite day in urban nature look like? The
Daycation Creation Station makes it easy for you to share your excursion.
We're looking for contributions from partners and other Intertwine-loving friends as we roll out this app over the next several months.
Please contact Tara at tara@theintertwine.org with any questions or ideas.
Get your Intertwine T-shirt! For those of you
who missed last month's T-shirt giveaway at The Intertwine Alliance Annual Meeting, here's some good news: We've got plenty of Intertwine shirts left, in sizes small through extra large. Designed by Frank Creative, the genius firm responsible for the look of the Daycation mobile app, the shirt celebrates Our Common Ground with imagery you'll soon see in the app. Take a closer look at the design
here. Sport your Intertwine pride for all the world to see at just $10 per shirt. Contact lauren@theintertwine.org for payment options.
Spotlight on science. The Urban Ecoystem Research Consortium (UERC) has added a new series to its Friday Brown Bag program.
Forums in the Field allow for more in-depth coverage of topics highlighted at the most recent Urban Ecology and Conservation Symposium. Next up is "Crouching damsel, hidden dragon -- the Odonata of Westmoreland Park" on
Friday, August 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. Questions about the series? Please contact Jennifer Thompson with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at jennifer_thompson@fws.gov.
Summer reading. Last month in
Outside Voice, Explore Washington Parks' JP McNeil provided
hot tips for enjoyingWashington Park's world-class attractions even during the busy summer months. Spoiler: Key to your happiness is the free, daily shuttle with 10 convenient stops. In another sparkling post, Sheri Wantland of Clean Water Services
sings the well-deserved praises of Fernhill Wetlands, updating us on the natural treatment system (NTS) turned tranquil, wildlife-filled retreat for so many.
Outside Voice showcases the ideas, opinions, concerns and projects of Alliance partners. Please direct your ideas or submissions to tara@theintertwine.org. You can also sign up to receive
publication notifications by email.
Mark your Calendar
Highlights of the month ahead. See the Intertwine event calendar for more.
Canopy count. The Johnson Creek Watershed Council, Green Lents and Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry are partnering to map, measure and identify every street tree in Portland's Lents and Brentwood-Darlington neighborhoods. No experience necessary; volunteers will be paired with a trained team leader to measure and record tree data. The next two tree inventory dates are Saturday, July 9, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Bloomington Park and Saturday, July 23, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Glenwood Park. Get more info and RSVP here.
- Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation Department is throwing its 11th annual Party in the Park at Beaverton's Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complexion on Saturday, July 30. The day-long carnival of free activities includes a Family Triathlon, Beaverton International Celebration, and a wide range of drop-in sports, swimming, crafts, games, climbing walls, inflatables and more.
- Don't miss the Willamette River Festival on Sunday, July 31, at the Cathedral Park Waterfront in North Portland. A free celebration with music, beer garden, food carts, Audubon birds, live fish displays, and more, the event will include an environmental fair with walking tours on or near the future npGreenway Trail. The festival is a project of the Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group, with support from Metro, the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District and others.
Toe in the water. The 22nd Annual Columbia Slough Regatta, an exploration of Portland's hidden waterway, is coming up on Sunday, August 7. Despite the name, the regatta is not actually a race, but a leisurely wildlife-watching paddle with about 400 people. Borrow a boat or bring your own. There'll be live music, free T-shirts and nature activities. Preregistration required.
