wheelchair accessible

Beginning mushroom class at Metro's Oxbow Regional Park

Saturday, October 13, 2012 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Metro
Address: 
United States
Park/Trail: 

Beginning mushroom classes 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 13, and 20 Spicy scents of autumn trees, giant golden leaves on maples and the silvery chatter of American dippers in the river. These are the smells, sights and sounds of Oxbow Regional Park in the autumn. Witness the return of wild salmon to one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier rivers – the glacier-fed Sandy – just 45 minutes from downtown Portland.

 

Celebrate the abundance of fall by exploring the incredible diversity of fungi in Oxbow’s ancient forest. In this beginners mushroom class learn the basics of mushrooms and other fungi and how to go about identifying this complicated group of strange and fascinating life forms. This hands-on introduction will get you started identifying mushrooms and deepen your appreciation of the amazing variety of shapes, colors, textures and smells that make these life forms so intriguing. Suitable for adults and children age 12 and older. Meet at Alder Shelter (group picnic area A) at 1:45 p.m. Free with a $5 parking fee per vehicle and registration is not required. Leave pets at home. For more information, call 503-797-1650 option 2

Contact Name: 
Metro parks
Contact Phone: 
503-797-1650
Contact Email: 
parks@oregonmetro.gov
Venue: 
Oxbow Regional Park
Venue Details: 
Metro's Oxbow Regional Park offers rare access to many of the region’s natural wonders while providing a variety of unique recreational opportunities. The river draws swimmers, rafters, kayakers and drift boats carrying anglers. Oxbow is a great place to see wildlife and animal tracks. The area’s natural habitat makes an ideal home for wildlife such as mink, beaver, raccoon, fox, deer, osprey, songbirds, salmon, elk, black bear, cougar and many others. Twelve miles of trails invite you to explore an ancient forest with centuries-old trees and ridges and ravines carved by volcanic and glacial flows. The park also offers a wooded campground, reservable picnic shelters, playgrounds, equestrian trails, and a number of environmental education opportunities.
Cost: 
free

Salmon homecoming at Metro's Oxbow Regional Park

Saturday, October 20, 2012 - 11:00am to Sunday, October 21, 2012 - 3:30pm
Metro
Address: 
3010 SE Oxbow Parkway
gresham, OR 97080
United States
Park/Trail: 

Spicy scents of autumn trees, giant golden leaves on maples and the silvery chatter of American dippers in the river. These are the smells, sights and sounds of Oxbow Regional Park in the autumn. Witness the return of wild salmon to one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier rivers – the glacier-fed Sandy – just 45 minutes from downtown Portland.

Naturalists are on hand at the river’s edge to help spot spawning salmon and interpret their behavior and life cycle. Special salmon-viewing glasses are available on loan. Salmon viewing proceeds rain or shine. The trail is unpaved and fairly level; wear good walking shoes. Inquire at the entry booth for starting location of the salmon viewing then follow the signs to the salmon! Suitable for all ages.  Free with a $5 parking fee per vehicle and registration is not required. Leave pets at home. For more information, call 503-797-1650 option 2.

Contact Name: 
Metro parks
Contact Phone: 
503-797-1650 option 2
Contact Email: 
parks@oregonmetro.gov
Venue: 
Oxbow Regional Park
Venue Details: 
Metro's Oxbow Regional Park offers rare access to many of the region’s natural wonders while providing a variety of unique recreational opportunities. The river draws swimmers, rafters, kayakers and drift boats carrying anglers. Oxbow is a great place to see wildlife and animal tracks. The area’s natural habitat makes an ideal home for wildlife such as mink, beaver, raccoon, fox, deer, osprey, songbirds, salmon, elk, black bear, cougar and many others. Twelve miles of trails invite you to explore an ancient forest with centuries-old trees and ridges and ravines carved by volcanic and glacial flows. The park also offers a wooded campground, reservable picnic shelters, playgrounds, equestrian trails, and a number of environmental education opportunities.
Cost: 
free

Mushrooms 101

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Cascadia Wild
Address: 
1912 NE Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97211
United States

Join us for an immersion into the world of mushrooms and mushroom cultivation. Learn how to grow mushrooms at home, using simple, low-tech methods that utilize free and easily obtainable resources. Set up your back yard garden patch and keep your mushrooms thriving! Also learn basic mushroom taxonomy, ecological niches, and common edible and medicinal mushrooms that you can grow or harvest locally. Everyone receives printed instruction materials. A limited number of spawn kits will be available for purchase for $10-20.

Contact Phone: 
503-235-9533
Contact Email: 
info@cascadiawild.org
Venue: 
Cascadia Wild
Venue Details: 
1912 NE Killingsworth St. Look for the white house on the corner of 19th and NE Killingsworth.
Cost: 
sliding scale $10-20

Swift Watch During September

Sunday, September 1, 2013 - 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Audubon Society of Portland
Address: 
NW 26th Avenue and NW Raleigh Street
Portland, OR 97210
United States

Vaux’s swifts are likely to use the Chapman Elementary School chimney as an evening roost during their fall 2012 migration. Grab a seat on the school lawn or in neighboring Wallace Park to observe the birds gathering overhead. On most evenings during September, Audubon volunteers will be on hand to share information about Vaux's swifts.

Please visit the Portland Audubon website for information about parking and public transit options, the natural history of Vaux's swifts, best times to arrive and more.

Background: Every year in late August, one of Portland’s most spectacular natural events begins: Thousands of Vaux’s swifts gather in the city as they prepare to migrate to Central America and Venezuela.

Migrating swifts often use chimneys as roosts (places to sleep), and they are likely to return to the same roost year after year. One swift population has been returning to the Chapman chimney since the 1980s, and it is the largest known roost of migrating Vaux's swifts in the world.

Contact Name: 
Steve Engel
Contact Phone: 
503-292-6855
Contact Email: 
sengel@audubonportland.org
Venue: 
Chapman Elementary School
Cost: 
Free

Seaport Celebration

Saturday, August 18, 2012 - 10:00am to 4:00pm
The Port of Portland
Address: 
11040 N. Lombard Street
Portland, OR
United States

Come join in the fun at the most family-friendly, fun-filled day of adventure on the river this summer! Seaport Celebration, presented by Gunderson, will take you inside the fences of an active marine terminal to explore the working waterfront with activities and excitement for all ages.

You'll enjoy live music and entertainment, interactive displays and demonstrations, face painting, a photo booth with costumes, free giveaways and prizes, $5 jet boat rides, $10 Portland Spirit Cruise, carts selling international foods and much more! 

Contact Name: 
Brooke Berglund
Contact Email: 
Brooke.Berglund@portofportland.com
Venue: 
Port of Portland, Terminal 4
Cost: 
Admission and parking is free. Registration will be available soon.

Getting Your Graywater Permit

Thursday, August 23, 2012 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District
Address: 
5211 N Williams Ave
Portland, OR 97217
United States

Have you ever thought of re-using water from your shower or washing machine to irrigate your landscape? Maybe you didn't even know it was possible. Your great-grandmother might not have considered using water twice to be a big deal—it was just common practice back then. These days, as we all think about ways to use less water around our homes, the subject of graywater is gaining popularity again. 

In this workshop you will learn:

  • What graywater is and what it can be used for
  • How to get a permit for a graywater system for your home or business
  • Common mistakes to avoid when planning and permitting a graywater system

Space is limited. To register contact: Candace Stoughton at 503-935-5366 or candace@emswcd.org

Contact Name: 
Candace Stoughton
Contact Phone: 
503-935-5366
Contact Email: 
candace@emswcd.org
Venue: 
East Multnomah SWCD Office
Venue Details: 
Off-street parking and covered bicycle parking is in the lot behind our building which can be accessed by NE Roselawn St.
Cost: 
$0 free

Your Land, My Land: Using and Preserving Oregon's Natural Resources

Saturday, September 22, 2012 - 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Metro
Address: 
SW Wilsonville Road
Wilsonville, OR
United States

Oregonians are known for fierce independence and rugged individuality, as well as progressive environmental policies – a dynamic combination. Veronica Dujon, sociology professor at Portland State University, invites you to consider how attachments to places shape our desire to both use and preserve natural resources. There’s much to discuss at Graham Oaks, an important Native American site and historic farm that was once considered for a landfill or women’s prison. This discussion continues a special series of The Conversation Project, with Oregon Humanities and Metro unplugging this summer to bring some of Oregon’s most fascinating thinkers to voter-protected natural areas. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy; Metro will bring the pie. Conversation is free, no registration required.

Contact Name: 
Metro parks
Contact Phone: 
503-797-1850
Contact Email: 
metroparks@oregonmetro.gov
Venue: 
Graham Oaks Nature Park
Venue Details: 
Explore trails, restored oak woodlands, a conifer forest and rich wildlife at Metro's new Graham Oaks Nature Park in Wilsonville. Ride your bike on the Tonquin Trail, stroll through a conifer forest or spot birds from a wetland overlook at Metro's Graham Oaks Nature Park in Wilsonville. This 250-acre destination is a playground not just for people, but also for wildlife. With restored oak woodlands growing bigger every year, Graham Oaks provides important habitat for native birds and mammals. Bring your family, bring your camera, bring a picnic to the sustainable new picnic shelter. Bring your curiosity, and learn how voters helped renew this special landscape. Park highlights Three miles of trails traverse Graham Oaks, allowing visitors to explore several habitats in a single park. Cyclists and joggers can take the paved Tonquin Trail, which eventually will connect Wilsonville, Tualatin and Sherwood. A spur trail leads to a wetland overlook, perfect for bird-watchers; Coyote Way meanders through young oak woodlands. For a bit of shade, follow the Legacy Creek Trail through a rich conifer forest where thousands of species thrive. Be sure to visit Graham Oaks’ five plazas – perfect spots to rest, reflect and learn about the park. Be on the lookout for native wildlife such as white-breasted nuthatch, Western bluebird, orange-crowned warbler and Western gray squirrels. A historical landscape Graham Oaks has a long and storied history, from the Kalapuyan tribes who gathered food here to the family that farmed the land – and the voters who helped purchase the site, restore its habitat and open it as a nature park. Learn more Greening Graham Oaks Did you know Graham Oaks is one of the region’s greenest parks? At Graham Oaks, pervious pavement in the parking lot manages stormwater and removes pollutants. Solar panels on the restroom feed into the City of Wilsonville’s electric grid, and the beautiful stonework at the plazas and overlooks is Columbia River Gorge basalt stone. Find out about sustainable strategies used in the design, materials and construction. Learn more A living laboratory Graham Oaks serves as an outdoor classroom for Inza Wood Middle School, Boones Ferry Primary School and CREST, the environmental education center operated by the West Linn-Wilsonville School District. Students study the rich wildlife, habitat and cultural history of Graham Oaks – an undertaking that helped create artwork and books showcased at the grand opening. Access Graham Oaks Nature Park is free and open from 6:30 a.m. to legal sunset. Many of the park features are wheelchair accessible, although some trails offer a higher level of challenge. There is limited parking at the park entrance. Parking is not allowed at any of the schools. There is a permanent bike parking structure at the entrance of the park, accommodating a total of six bikes. Bikes are permitted only on the Tonquin Trail.
Cost: 
Free

A City’s Center: Rethinking Downtown

Saturday, July 21, 2012 - 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Metro
Address: 
1700 SE Jefferson St.
Milwaukie, OR
United States

Nan Laurence, a senior planner for Eugene, explores how downtowns can represent a community’s ideals and aspirations. Join her at Milwaukie’s Riverfront Park – where a Metro nature grant is helping launch a major transformation – to talk about the changing character of downtown activities, urban forms and public spaces. This program kicks off a special series of The Conversation Project, with Oregon Humanities and Metro unplugging this summer to bring some of Oregon’s most fascinating thinkers to voter-protected natural areas. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy; Metro will bring the pie. Conversation is free, no registration required. Co-hosted by the City of Milwaukie.

Contact Name: 
Metro parks
Contact Phone: 
503-797-1850
Contact Email: 
metroparks@oregonmetro.gov
Venue: 
Milwaukie Riverfront Park
Venue Details: 
North Clackamas Parks & Recreation District (NCPRD) includes the North Clackamas Aquatic Park, the Milwaukie Center, Milwaukie Riverfront Park and over 60 parks and open spaces, that offer a wide range of recreation and educational offerings. Also found within NCPRD is the Mt. Talbert Nature Park, Hood View Park and the Trolley Trail.
Cost: 
Free

The Art of the Possible: Jazz and Community Building

Saturday, August 11, 2012 - 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Metro
Address: 
18892 SW Kemmer Road
Beaverton, OR
United States

At the juncture of suburban neighborhoods and rolling farmland, Metro's Cooper Mountain Nature Park isn't a typical jazz venue - but it's the perfect place to discuss the value of risk, collaboration and individual voice in this highly democratic art form. Scholar and musician Tim DuRoche will look at the literature, economics and history of jazz. This discussion continues a special series of The Conversation Project, with Oregon Humanities and Metro unplugging this summer to bring some of Oregon's most fascinating thinkers to voter-protected natural areas. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy; Metro will bring the pie. Conversation is free, no registration required.

Contact Name: 
Metro parks
Contact Phone: 
503-797-1850
Contact Email: 
metroparks@oregonmetro.gov
Venue: 
Cooper Mountain Nature Park
Venue Details: 
Explore the trails, natural garden and visitor facilities and enjoy the views and rare habitats at the new Cooper Mountain Nature Park near Beaverton.
 
 Overlooking the Tualatin River Valley, the new Cooper Mountain Nature Park sits on the southern edge of Beaverton, shouldered by dense urban development to the north and open agricultural lands to the south. The 231-acre park offers visitors 3 1/2 miles of gravel trails traversing the park's rare habitats and natural features. Cooper Mountain Nature Park is operated through a partnership between Metro and the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District.
 
 Discover Cooper Mountain with bird walks, guided hikes and more
 Naturalists from Metro and the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District – as well as other experts – offer classes and tours for all ages at Cooper Mountain. Register for classes by calling 503-629-6350 or visiting Metro's calendar at www.oregonmetro.gov/calendar.
Cost: 
Free

Regional Trail User Counts

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - 3:00pm to Sunday, September 16, 2012 - 3:00pm
Many Intertwine Alliance Partners
Address: 
United States

VOLUNTEER FOR TRAILS! 

Become a trail counter for the 5th annual Intertwine Regional Trail Counts by volunteering for a two-hour shift. 

 
For the fifth year in a row, volunteers will count the number of people biking and walking on the Intertwine – the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan region’s system of trails, parks and natural areas. Join in the effort by Metro, local jurisdictions and the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project to gather accurate trail use data to help decide where and when to build new trails, obtain funding and respond to the needs of trail users.
 
 

 

Contact Name: 
Mel Huie
Contact Phone: 
503.797.1731.
Contact Email: 
mel.huie@oregonmetro.gov
Venue: 
Recreational Trails and Active Transportation Corridors Across the Region
Cost: 
Free - Registration Required

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