Dear Friends,

We're so excited about the Fall Intertwine Alliance Summit coming up this month, and we really hope to see you there! As an incentive to sign up early, if you register by this Friday, Nov. 7, you'll get a free drink ticket for the social hour.

"Play, Learn, Serve, Work: A Summit on Youth, Nature and Leadership" is set for Friday, Nov. 14, from 1 to 7 p.m., at the Oregon Zoo. It's sure to be full of inspiration, ideas and connection with Intertwine friends old and new. We're particularly looking forward to a workshop led entirely by Momentum Alliance youth.

We'll also announce this year's Force of Nature Awards, honoring and celebrating some very special colleagues. Please join us! 

It's raining ... partners! A big welcome to new Intertwine Alliance partners Oregon Public Health Institute, David Evans and Associates, and The Wild Network. OPHI is an independent nonprofit committed to building communities of healthy people by advancing policies, plans and practices addressing pressing health concerns. David Evans and Associates are nationwide leaders in the design and management of transportation, land development, water resources, and energy projects. And some of you may remember The Wild Network, our British friends who brought the documentary "Project Wild Thing" to the Portland-area last month with a series of events about getting kids into nature. Welcome to the Alliance!

New on the block. A big thank you to the Audubon Society of Portland for leading us to Dakota Gaines, The Intertwine Alliance's new part-time office assistant. A TALON Program member passionate about connecting children with nature as a camp counselor, Dakota is a recent graduate of Centennial High School and will be starting a nursing program at Mt. Hood Community College in the spring. One of her favorite nature activities is to pick a "sit spot, taking at least a 30-minute break from the city rush to listen to the wind, the birds, the bugs." So glad you're with us, Dakota!

Ramona, we'll miss you. Intertwine Alliance Writer & Editor Ramona DeNies is handing off her duties as Outside Voice blog guru and contributor of amazing feature stories to become an assistant editor at Portland Monthly magazine. We're so grateful to Ramona for all her brilliant work, and look forward to following her rising journalism career. Good luck in this exciting new chapter, Ramona; we'll see you around The Intertwine!

Last photographers standing: Thanks to everyone who participated in The Intertwine photo contest the past four months -- and to KEEN for donating all those beautiful shoes. It's been fun, and full of spectacular photographs. Congratulations to the final round of winners: Meg Tucker, Jessica Selig, Amy Deeter, Eustacia Miliusis and Dawn Shelton. You can see their colorful contributions here.

Intertwine News

Parks vote TOMORROW! On Tuesday, Nov. 4, residents of both Portland and Clackamas County have an opportunity to weigh in on parks funding.

• The Parks Replacement Bond, Measure 26-159, would raise up to $68 million to address the most critical needs and to keep Portland's parks safe and open. "Fix Our Parks" is designed to invest in major maintenance, such as replacing failing playgrounds, preserving access by repairing bridges and trails, and preventing emergency closures at swimming pools. This measure would continue to fund parks at the same tax rate as the expiring rate, and would not increase the current tax rate. See more at www.fixourparks.org.
  

• For Clackamas County voters, Ballot Measure 3-451 would reform the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District as an independent district with a higher level of funding. Increased funds would be available for forest, water and fish protection; access to the outdoors; programs; and maintenance of existing assets. See more at www.voteforparks.org.

Canopy in the city. On Tuesday, November 18, join city planners, urban foresters, elected officials, local developers, home builders, grassroots organizations, local businesses, and community activists from throughout The Intertwine for the Urban Forestry Summit, a hands-on workshop to explore cutting edge approaches to urban tree policy and promotion. We'll work together to produce a best-practice document to share nationwide. The event is being led by Tualatin Riverkeepers, the Oregon Department of Forestry, Washington Department of Natural Resources, Oregon Community Trees, Clean Water Services, Teragan and Associates, Homebuilders Association of Metropolitan Portland, the City of Tigard, Tualatin Basin Partners for Clean Water, the USDA Forest Service, the Bullitt Foundation and Meyer Memorial Trust. It's part of a larger Intertwine Alliance initiative to advance urban forestry in the region. Learn more, or register today.

Conservation grants, come and get 'em! Have an innovative idea for connecting people with nature? Consider Metro’s Nature in Neighborhoods program. Small grants up to $25,000 and large grants up to $100,000 are available for a wide variety of projects, such as nature education for children, job training for nature-based careers, and building capacity for groups to connect communities to nature. Apply by Jan. 13, 2015. The Intertwine Alliance can help connect you with other partner organizations to brainstorm projects and apply collectively. You can also learn more about the parameters and process at a grant workshop on Nov. 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Metro Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Ave., Portland. Or contact the grants coordinator at Crista.Gardner@oregonmetro.gov.

Help bringing in the dollars. Thinking about applying for a 2015 Partners in Conservation or PIC Plus Grant? Everything you need is now available online. Please note that applications are due earlier this year, by 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15. Projects must address soil health, water conservation/quality, habitat restoration, watershed health, and/or environmental education. Looking to strengthen your grant application? The East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District will host two workshops to clarify requirements, on Oct. 22 and Nov. 13. Reserve your space at suzanne@emswcd.org or 503-935-5370.

Cozy up with fall reading material: Last week in Outside Voice, Metro's Juan Carlos Ocaña-Chíu looked at the role of soccer in our public parks, reflecting on his personal experiences, sports-related social change, and the Portland World Cup. Other recent pieces, in case you missed 'em:

• The Intertwine Allliance's Ramona DeNies explores the politics of parks, including the upcoming parks-related ballot measures, in her final Twine Wire feature story.
  
• Metro's Katy Weil describes (and applauds) the wet and wild work of Metro wildlife volunteers.
• Oregon Book Award finalist Donna Matrazzo explores the health implications of children's nature play in her feature story about Rx Play.
  
• Jack McGowan reflects on his Port of Portland-inspired project to tell the story of the Willamette River and engage people in its restoration through a series of podcasts.
  

Partner Happenings

Where kids can be wild things. Portland Parks & Recreation's first-ever permanent nature-based play area has opened at Westmoreland Park, SE McLoughlin Blvd and SE Bybee Blvd. The playscape abounds with logs and boulders, sand and water play, hills, and opportunities to build with branches, pine cones and more. The new playscape is a pilot project for PP&R's Nature-Based Play Initiative, which aims to build settings for creative play and nature interaction in developed parks.

Kickin' hunger out of Clark County. The Mt. Adams Institute and Comeback Sports are hosting a Vancouver Community Soccer Tournament and Food Drive supporting the Clark County Food Bank on Nov. 29 at the Luke Jensen Sports Complex. Registration is open for co-ed teams of 7 to 10 players, payable with $10 or 10 cans of food. Sign up, donate or get more information.

H2O 101. Join the Columbia Slough Watershed Council and the Portland Water Bureau for Groundwater 101, a free workshop teaching groundwater basics like local geology and hydrology, the role groundwater plays in our drinking water system, and how to protect this important resource. The interactive workshop is appropriate for adults and high school students age 14 and older. It's Saturday, Nov. 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in Portland. Pre-registration is required.

Boosting your science. How can you take the big leap from collecting data to reporting meaningful information? Intertwine Alliance partner Sitka Technology Group will address this very question at an "Emerging Technologies in Field Data Collection" workshop on Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Oregon's White Stag Building in Portland. Learn how emerging technologies can reduce monitoring costs and improve results by providing scientists with more time to analyze and compile data. If you've used digital devices in the field, fill out this survey for a chance to win an iPad Mini. (Must be present at the workshop to win.) For more information, please email kpierson@usgs.gov. Or register here.

Wanna run the show? Here's a job for you: The Johnson Creek Watershed Council seeks an executive director to lead five staff members, an active board, and a diverse group of volunteers to protect and restore one of Oregon's most densely populated watersheds. With an annual budget of $500,000, the Council operates programs in ecological restoration, monitoring and research, volunteer stewardship, community outreach, environmental education and regional land use advocacy. Its offices are in Milwaukie, near Portland's Sellwood neighborhood. Learn more about the JCWC and Johnson Creek. To apply, email a resume, cover letter and three references by November 14 to Cathy Geiger at cathy@jcwc.org. Please use PDF or Microsoft Word format for attachments.

Bike-loving gig in East Multnomah County: The Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center is hiring a part-time Bicycle Tourism Initiative Project Coordinator to implement the East Multnomah County Bicycle Tourism Initiative. The project engages a diverse coalition to leverage resources for economic development and job creation by increasing bicycle tourism. For more information, including a full list of job responsibilities, email alisonh@greshamchamber.org. To apply, submit a resume and cover letter to resumes@greshamchamber.org. The position is open until filled.

For more November events, see the Intertwine Alliance partner calendar.