Intertwine October 2012 Newsletter
Dear Friends,

Greetings! We're coming off our first year as a stand-alone nonprofit and The Alliance is thriving! In this first year we grew from 28 partners in The Alliance to 70 and are still going strong. There is a lot going on! Here's an update.

The Intertwine Alliance has six new partners! We'd like to welcome the newest partners in The Intertwine Alliance: the Hoyt Arboretum, KPFF Consulting Engineers, Leach Botanical Garden, OBEC Consulting Engineers, the Oregon Zoo and Rewild Portland. Read about these new partners on the website.

Learn about becoming an Intertwine Alliance Partner with our Partner Packet.

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici to speak at October Intertwine summit. The Intertwine Alliance's Fall Summit is October 25th from 2:00 to 6:30 PM at the Oregon Zoo. We'll have two workshops at 2:00 PM, one on The Intertwine Alliance Regional Conservation Initiative and one on the region's Active Transportation Plan. At 4:00 PM, Congresswoman Bonamici will deliver a keynote address. Then at 5:30 PM we'll adjourn for networking and happy hour. For more information visit our Alliance page.

We've recently launched five committees to help guide the success of The Alliance - Civic Leadership, Promotions, Intertwine Adventure Race, Regional System Funding Strategy, and Alliance Development and Management. Read more about these committees. To get involved in a committee, contact Corrine Gilbertson.


   Hoyt Aboretum   KPFF Consulting Engineers   Leach Botanical Garden  OBEC Consulting Engineers Oregon Zoo    Rewild Portland 

 
Updates From The Alliance "Petals"

Active Transportation - The first phase of the Regional Active Transportation Plan to identify priorities and strategies for completing the regional active transportation system is well underway. This phase includes understanding the current state of active transportation and identifying challenges and opportunities. Participants in next week's summit workshop will weigh in on system alternatives and help identify key corridors and connections as we plan the future of The Intertwine.
 
Acquisition - As a result of the collaboration between Metro and the Cities of Wilsonville, Clackamas, Sherwood and Tualatin, The Ice Age Tonquin Trail Master Plan will be released to the public next month. When the trail is complete, it will connect the Willamette and Tualatin Rivers, the cities of Sherwood, Tualatin and Wilsonville - and dozens of neighborhoods, businesses, schools and parks along the way. The paved regional trail will offer a wide variety of experiences, from a weekend stroll with the family to a headache-free commute to work. It also provides a window into a unique landscape shaped by post ice age floods.

Conservation - Thanks to the contributions of dozens of experts from over thirty organizations, the Regional Conservation Strategy and Biodiversity Atlas are complete. These valuable tools for helping protect our region's most precious habitats will be available on theintertwine.org for use by conservation planners, urban designers, wildlife ecologists and the public. We will now begin to implement the plan, which will include an Urban Forestry Strategy to be launched at next week's summit.

The Regional System - In next month's election, residents in Vancouver will be voting on the Vancouver Metropolitan Parks District Measure. If passed, the revenue created from the .35 per $1,000 property tax levy would stabilize funding for park maintenance and service programs. The approximately $5.4 million generated would help offset the funding cuts that Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation has faced since 2008. Currently, about 6% of the city's budget goes to parks and recreation in comparison to 58% for public safety. Find out more on the levy.

Metro considers levy for May 2013 - The Metro Council is considering a 5-year levy that would provide funding for the care of parks and natural areas. The levy would be referred to voters on the May of 2013 ballot. The levy could raise $10-12 million per year (with the average household paying $20-24 per year), though the level of funding has not yet been decided. Metro is considering using the funds for these purposes:
50% for preservation and restoration of Metro natural areas
30% for maintenance of Metro parks
10% for access to new Metro natural areas
10% for competitive grants, education and volunteer programs

We are encouraging our partners to notify their members and constituents about the levy and we are available to assist with that. Please contact Daniela Brod for more information. Also, The Intertwine Alliance is holding a partner-only workshop on November 8th to discuss collaborative approaches to levy implementation (should the levy pass). Contact Daniela to RSVP. Please also take Metro's latest Opt-In Survey on the levy.

Portland parks bond coming November 2013 - Parks Commissioner Nick Fish has announced that he is committed to bringing a Portland Parks & Recreation bond measure to the City Council for the November 2013 ballot. The bond will help repair deteriorating parks and facilities as well as ensure social justice for all Portlanders by bringing new parks to neighborhoods without them. Details on the size (likely $150-250 million) and specific projects will be forthcoming, but both Commissioner Fish and Director Mike Abbate are encouraged by the support this idea has already generated among Portlanders.

Conservation Education Leadership - Committee members are working to integrate participant feedback from the June Education Summit into committee action plans. If you are a conservation education leader, we encourage you to join one of this petal's new committees (Funding, Partnerships & Collaboration, Practice & Program Development, Place). The committees are advancing the Conservation Education Council's ultimate goal: a region where everyone shares in a lifelong connectedness to nature. Find more on the Conservation Education Leadership page.
Upcoming Events

Let Us Build Cully ParkThomas Cully Park Getting Built!
Celebrate a brand new community garden in NE Portland on Thursday, October 18th. Join volunteers, residents and civic leaders in the grand opening of The NE 72nd Avenue Community Garden - part of Verde's Let Us Build Cully Park! project. The Thomas Cully Park project is a collaboration of local organizations working to create a park in the Cully Neighborhood in NE Portland. Intertwine Alliance partner Vigil-Agrimis developed the Master Plan for the project, which incorporates a community-based approach to creating employment and educational opportunities. Designed by students at Scott School, the community garden is the first completed improvement of the park. Get the details.

Spooktacular Ride
Spooktacular Bike Ride of Gateway Green
Get in the Halloween spirit by dressing up in your favorite costume and enjoying a family-friendly, Halloween-themed bike ride with Gateway Green on Saturday, October 27th! If you're feeling extra festive this season, you can even dress up your bike! This easy-paced, guided ride will haunt the streets of east Portland for an afternoon of Halloween fun on two wheels! Get the details.

Stewardship Season Dig this - Rivers, Restoration & Raingardens!
Our partners are gearing up for a season of stewardship. Create a raingarden, get into naturescaping, boost your street's tree canopy, restore streams, rip up ivy, count spawning salmon - there's so much to get into outside with these Intertwine partners. Check out some fun upcoming events with SOLVE, Friends of Trees, Vancouver Watersheds Alliance, Johnson Creek Watershed Council, The West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, The East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, Forest Park Conservancy, The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, Tualatin Riverkeeps, or Friends of Tryon Creek.

Stay tuned to The Intertwine Outdoor Events Calendar for more great things to do outdoors all year. You can even subscribe to your favorite Intertwine activities to stay looped into upcoming events.