Our two newest Alliance partners ____. Welcome, Vancouver Audubon Society and World Forestry Center!

Force of Nature Awards. Nominations for the awards are now open! We will recognize this year's winners at our November 5th Fall Summit.
 

Intertwine News

Shutterbugs: it's an Intertwine photo contest! Each month through October, online voters like you will pick their five favorite crowd-sourced photos (submit yours here), and the winners will take home a free pair of KEENS! Check out our monthly themes and spread the word!

• July: Natural landscapes
• August: Urban art connection
• September: Local park love
• October: Faces in nature
  

Feature story

Blog! W

Webinar at 11:30 am today! for the third free webinar in our Metropolitan Greenspaces Alliance series. In the third webinar in the monthly series from the Metropolitan Greenspaces Association,  Bruce Roll of Clean Water Services makes the connection between wastewater and greenspace. contact Mike for more information.http://theintertwine.org/mga

Plant off! Starting in August, four teenage teams across The Intertwine will launch an exciting campaign to see who can rally the most tree-planters for an October "PLANT OFF." This brand new Intertwine project is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and coordinated in collaboration with Friends of Trees, Clean Water Services, Groundwork Portland, Metro, OHDC and the National Park Service. All summer long, our teen teams will compete furiously to recruit participants for the big day, using promotional tools like social media, Tri-Met advertising, donated KEEN footwear, and Moda-donated Blazer game tickets. Check back here next month for more updates!

On July 17th, Metro Council will vote on Regional Active Transportation Plan. Testimony? Impact? -- link to the plan with a little blurb about the adoption date and how it relates to the Intertwine (see  chapter 5 of the plan)

Partner Updates

Bigger. Better. Huggier. Oregon pride is at stake as tree huggers from around the Northwest will gather on July 12th at Hoyt Arboretum - Portland's museum of living trees - to defend our record for the world's largest tree hug. We set a new world record last year at Hoyt with 936 people simultaneously hugging trees for one minute; however, challengers have already attempted to best Portland's record, most recently in Nepal and Scotland. Join us on the 12th as we stand tall, hug big!

Do you have an outdoor recreation or conservation project that might benefit from planning assistance? The National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) is accepting applications for planning assistance until August 1st.

http://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/index.htm

Picnic in paradise! On July 27th, join the Friends of Columbia Gorge for an oak-shaded potluck picnic just north of Steigerwald Lake Wildlife Refuge. http://gorgefriends.org/article.php?id=847

Prefer personal flotation devices over potlucks? You're in luck! On Sunday the 27th, The Intertwine also celebrates the annual Big Float. Register here!

Travel Oregon launches the first crowdsourced travel philanthropy fund! Check out the seven restoration projects your dollars will fund at givebacktooregon.org.

Bigger, better, more! On July 30th, Metro's Annual Trails Fair takes it outside, with pie and a plethora of tabling opportunities for partners. If you're on Metro's trails list (contact Carrie Belding if you're not), look for a formal email soon detailing how to plug into this expanded event.

On Aug. 14th, you'll find many of our partners at Leach Botanical Garden, partying at the Environmental Education Association of Oregon's Summer Soiree! Get your tickets at http://www.eeao.org/events.aspx