Glitz & glamour -- it's opening night! Please join us
Wednesday, Dec. 9, at McMenamins Mission Theater & Pub for the premiere of the
Our Common Ground Film Series, sponsored by the Port of Portland. "The Olmsted Vision: Past, Present and Future" will start with a screening of the documentary
"Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America," and continue with a panel discussion between Mike Abbate, director of Portland Parks & Recreation; Mike Houck, executive director of Urban Greenspaces Institute; Bill Hawkins, local architect, historian and author of
The Legacy of the Olmsted Brothers in Portland; and Laurence Cotton, historian, author and consulting producer of the evening's feature film. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the film starting at 6 p.m. Stick around for social time from 8 to 9:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public -- and we hope to see you all there!
Farewell to our hero of logistics. It's hard to imagine The Intertwine Alliance without Office & Projects Manager Kevin Le. But there's a time for everything, and our dear Kevin has taken a fantastic opportunity to manage events at
EcoDistricts. His last day at the Alliance will be Dec. 18. We'll miss him like crazy, but wish him much happiness and success. Know a fabulously qualified replacement? We're open to full- or part-time scenarios, and looking, of course, for guru-level skills in office administration and event logistics. View the Mac's List posting
here. We might also have a place for an expert in event sponsorships; contact us if you're interested. Please send resumes and cover letters to info@theintertwine.org.
But it's not all goodbyes. Please join us in welcoming Megan Burns and David Fiske, two interns from Portland State University who'll be with The Intertwine Alliance through the 2015-2016 academic year. David, a 2016 masters of urban and regional planning candidate, is an avid swing dancer who has taught swing dance in Bangkok, Thailand. Megan, a community development major with a double minor in sustainable urban development and Swahili, spends her free time hiking with her dog and plotting ways to study sustainable infrastructure in other countries. (The photo at right shows her on moving day in Copenhagen.) David and Megan will contribute to a wide variety of Intertwine Alliance projects, from communications and community outreach to events planning and program development.
New partner wins national award. A big welcome to
Caldera, the newest partner in our ever-growing coalition. A catalyst for the transformation of underserved youth, Caldera provides innovative, year-round art and environmental programs. If that isn't cool enough, check this out: Caldera has been honored with a
2015 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented by First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House ceremony on Nov. 17. Congratulations!
Declare YOUR Intertwine Project. We're pleased as punch to announce the first five official Intertwine Projects. They are -- drum roll, please --
the Oak Prairie Work Group, Portland-Vancouver Regional Eco-Blitz Series, AccessTrails, Daycation mobile app and Bi-State Urban Forestry Strategy.
Read all about these collaborative efforts -- and consider declaring a project of your own. As debuted at this year's Fall Summit, the Intertwine Project model is an exciting new way for the Alliance to organize itself, apply its resources and enhance the work of its partners. Questions? Email david@theintertwine.org.
On that note... One of the responsibilities -- and perks! -- of leading an Intertwine Project is attending quarterly meetings of project leaders (including the spring and fall summits). We're devising these to be fun, inspirational and educational. Topics will vary, and will be announced in advance. The first one is set for
Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the David Evans & Associates building (home to The Intertwine Alliance). We'll gather all declared Intertwine Project leaders along with interested and prospective project leaders to talk through the vision, roles, responsibilities and benefits. Please join us! RSVP to tara@theintertwine.org.
Conservation Forum coming right up. Over the last few months, The Intertwine Alliance Regional Conservation Steering Committee has been working to create opportunities to advance the implementation of the
Regional Conservation Strategy. To this end, we're creating quarterly forums with presentations, facilitated networking, and catalytic opportunities for partnerships. We’ll gather conservation practitioners to exchange information, ideas, organizational priorities and work plans. The first forum, on
Thursday, Jan. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the David Evans & Associates building, will focus on pollinators, followed by gatherings on corridors and shared measures & metrics. To sign up for updates and meeting announcements, email Bruce Barbarasch at nature@thprd.org.
Your Daycation's about to get a lot smarter. The
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Waste Management, Frank Creative, Metro, the Oregon Zoo and other Intertwine Alliance partners are hard at work on the
Daycation mobile app to launch in spring 2016. About 25 representatives of partner organizations gathered on Monday, Nov. 23, to review and give feedback on the app's features. Next steps are beginning the design and build, kicking off a marketing campaign utilizing and targeting youth and the Latino community, and soliciting Daycations to populate the app at launch. Interested in contributing a Daycation representing your organization or property? Read
this to get started, and email questions/ideas to daycation@theintertwine.org. Please also stay tuned for emails about future product review meetings.
Trees to the max. We're excited that we've reached maximum capacity for our first
Intertwine Alliance Urban Forestry Un-Forum on Monday, Dec. 7. Want to get on the waiting list? Please email kevin@theintertwine.org. You can also stay up to speed about upcoming events and other urban forestry issues at our new
Bi-State Urban Forestry Strategy page.
Applause for a profound partnership. Congratulations to Self Enhancement, Inc. and Metro, whose partnership was honored with a statewide
award at this year's Oregon Recreation & Park Association conference. The 2015 Distinguished Service Award recognizes SEI and Metro for creating opportunities for children of color to have meaningful outdoor experiences through nature lessons, projects and field excursions. Check out this cool
video celebrating the project and the ways it's making a difference.
Happy trails. Metro completed its annual trails count in September, and has finished tabulating the data. Curious what they found? Click
here to find out. Annual trail tracking has many benefits, including monitoring the impact of trail investments and gaining a understanding of how and why trail use grows or declines over time.
Wanted: new parks leader. Portland Parks & Recreation is seeking a Land Stewardship Division Manager, the senior manager overseeing all land management activities for PP&R's more than 200 parks and natural areas totaling 11,000+ acres. The application deadline is Monday, Dec. 14. View the
full job announcement.
Raising your voice. In November's
Outside Voice,
Chom Sou of Momentum Alliance paints a crystal clear picture of equity in nature. Local composer
Christina Rusnak writes about "landscape music," blending her love of hiking and composing. And Katie McClure of Oregon Healthiest State and Bobby Cochran of Willamette Partnership co-author an introduction to the just-launched
Oregon Action Framework for Health and the Outdoors. Now it's your turn! Submit
blog posts to tara@theintertwine.org, or sign up to receive blog
email notifications.
Funding & Giving Opportunities
Conservation education grants available. Have an idea for connecting people with nature? A
conservation education grant from Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods could help your program grow with small grants up to $30,000. A wide variety of projects can fit the bill, such as nature education for school-aged children, job training or internships for nature-based careers, or building capacity for groups to connect their communities to nearby natural areas. Apply by Jan. 26, 2016. To learn more or ask questions, contact Grants Coordinator Crista Gardner at crista.gardner@oregonmetro.gov.
Washington funding for school-based walking & biking. Friends and partners in Clark County
, check out these three Washington-specific opportunities to improve street safety, bolster student pedestrian and bike education, and make site improvements so kids can get more physical activity both in and out of school. Proposals for Safe Routes to School Bike & Pedestrian Safety Education Grants up to $20,000 are due Dec. 3. Healthy Kids-Healthy Schools Grants are due Feb. 19, 2016. WSDOT Grants for bike, pedestrian, and Safe Routes to School engineering projects will open in early 2016. Learn more about all of these opportunities
here or at a free workshop on Jan. 6, 2016. Space is limited to 25; register
here.
Get creative about pedestrian safety. The Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) is distributing a "mini-grant" of up to $2500 to fund a creative project highlighting the issues of walkability, activity, and access to transportation in the Jade District and East Portland. The proposal deadline is Monday, Dec. 7. Read more and apply
here.
Final reminder! Applying for a 2016
Partners in Conservation grant of $5,ooo to $100,000 from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District? Make sure to get all application materials in by Tuesday, Dec. 15. If this is your first grant application, or if you will request a grant of $30,000 or more, please email Suzanne Easton at suzanne@emswcd.org to review your project. View guidelines and projects funded in 2015
here.
Season of giving. This year's
Willamette Week Give!Guide once again features a slew of Intertwine Alliance partners. Donate at various levels to get free and discounted products and on "Big Give Days" for a chance to win cool incentives like a Salt & Straw ice cream party for 80 (Dec. 10). Please direct your gift to any of these Alliance partners: the Audubon Society of Portland, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Caldera, Columbia Riverkeeper, Depave, Ecology in Classrooms & Outdoors, Forest Park Conservancy, Friends of Gateway Green, Friends of Outdoor School, Friends of Trees, Groundwork Portland, Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and Willamette Riverkeeper.
