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February 2015 Newsletter
SAVE THE DATE! The Intertwine Alliance Spring Summit is set for Tuesday, April 21,
at 1 p.m. at the Oregon Zoo. Be prepared for some big announcements,
along with break-out sessions to continue important conversations
started at last
spring’s event. Topics will include youth engagement and
environmental education, conservation, and ways to connect to and take
advantage of our new Daycation App. Look for detailed workshop and
registration information later this month.
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Alliance Updates
 A moving success. “How
We Get There Matters,” the Jan. 27 Intertwine Alliance Active
Transportation Forum, was a huge hit, with about 70 active transportation
advocates and practitioners gathered at PSU’s Native American Student and Community Center. The event was sponsored by Metro, the Pacific Northwest Safe
Routes to Schools program and PSU's Initiative for Bicycle and
Pedestrian Innovation. The next step for the
group is to build the case for regionally significant projects in a
white paper that we envision as instrumental in future advocacy and project
development. The success of this event bodes well for future gatherings –
so stay tuned! In the meanwhile, check out this Flickr album of the event. Calling Clark County. A new Clark County/Intertwine Network is getting off the ground with a networking event scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center. This will be a great opportunity to understand the assets we have in Clark County and better solidify relationships among all players. The group’s ultimate goal is to improve communication among practitioners and build better public connections to their conservation and recreation work. Watch for a formal invitation and event details within the week. For more information, contact Program Manager David Cohen at david@theintertwine.org. First equity cohort convened. Nine partners have been chosen to participate in a pilot of The Intertwine Alliance's Equity Strategies Cohort. Starting this month, members will begin assessing their organizations and developing an equity-and-inclusion strategy under the guidance of PSU Professor Ann Curry-Stevens and Inger McDowell of the Coalition of Communities of Color. We hope to offer an anti-racism training workshop later this year, available to a broader group. Welcome to the following cohort members: Audubon Society of PortlandSurvey says. A big thank you to the 532 partners and friends who responded to the parks, trails and natural areas survey we emailed in mid-December. Hatfield Fellow Joe Otts will publish the results later this month in a report about The Intertwine's effect on the local economy. A sneak peek: 83 percent of respondents ranked parks, trails and natural areas as “very important” or "somewhat important" in their decision to continue living in the Portland metro region. That's a big deal! Three cheers for new partners! A hearty Intertwine welcome to The Conservation Fund, Bark and Tryon Life Community Farm. The Conservation Fund has protected 7 million acres of land and water in all 50 states, from the park down the street to historic battlefields, wild areas and more. Bark is a grassroots organization defending and advocating for Mt. Hood National Forest. Tryon Life Community Farm, nestled on seven acres adjacent to Tryon Creek State Natural Area, is an educational facility and community gathering place. We're thrilled to join forces with these three fine groups. Intertwine News  Slam dunk. Intertwine Plant Off teams gathered to watch the Portland Trail Blazers come from behind to win 103 to 96 against the Washington Wizards on
Saturday, Jan. 24. The game was awarded to the youth by Alliance
partner Moda Health for successfully leading community tree-planting
events on Nov. 1. Ten Alliance partners supported the
youth in producing two successful plantings. Watch a short video about the event here. The Alliance will
continue to support youth teams in leading key projects throughout the region. Finger on the pulse. This year's Urban Ecology Research Consortium (UERC) is just a week away. It's a great place to find out what’s happening in conservation and restoration in our region and hear from some amazing guest speakers -- this time including Dr. Marina Alberti from the University of Washington Department of Urban Design and Planning, and Scott Hoffman Black, Executive Director of the Xerces Society. It's Monday, Feb. 9, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Portland State University. Online registration closed on Monday, Feb.2; registration at the door is $50 general/$15 student, cash or check only, as space allows.  Outdoor educators unite. The 2015 Oregon Environmental Education Conference
is slated for March 18-21 at YMCA Camp Collins in Gresham. Workshops
include: building a career in environmental education, advocacy,
inclusion (ensuring all audiences are engaged), and STEM-related topics. The event is organized by the Environmental Education
Association of Oregon with sponsors
Metro,
Friends of Outdoor School
,
Trackers Earth
, the World Forestry Center
, Wisdom of the Elders,
Oregon Forest Resources Institute and Vernier. Cost is $175-$200. Registration now open. Pedal power, fleet feet. The Oregon Active Transportation Summit, coming March 30-31 to the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland, is the state’s premier gathering of active transportation advocates and practitioners. Focused on the most relevant challenges and opportunities facing our changing urban landscape, it's coordinated by the Bicycle Transportation Alliance with a large steering committee representing dozens of organizations and agencies. The event is a who’s who of thought leaders, many of whom have put this region on the map as a frontrunner of bike-ped planning and programs. Click for more information and to register.  International incident.
This year's Annual Metro Trails Fair on May 17 is getting a major boost by
joining forces with the 2015 International Trails Symposium
at the Oregon Convention Center. A Sunday event, we
hope to get a great representation of trails-focused organizations to
strut their stuff in front of a national, international and, of course,
local audience. Make sure you’ve signed up for a booth; you can even be
part of the trade show that lasts the entire length of the conference. More info here.World-class volunteer opportunity. The Intertwine Alliance is coordinating the volunteer program for the entire 2015 International Trails Symposium, May 17-20, at the Oregon Convention Center. Many skill types are needed over a five-day period. We're looking for 150-200 trail enthusiasts to assist in showing our out-of-town guests the way Portland does things. A live volunteer registration page is coming soon. Click here for details of volunteer opportunities and benefits. Choose your own adventure. The Vancouver Parks and Recreation Department has published two new maps: The Guide to Parks, Trails and Community Centers and Trails of Vancouver and Clark County. Free and available at several locations. Catch up on your reading. Former Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder blogs about the history and importance of outdoor school in Oregon, and the launch of the "Outdoor School for All" campaign, in last month's Outside Voice. Also explained are the whats and whys of new City of Portland tree codes, by the city's own Lauren Wirtis. And in case you missed it, Intertwine Alliance Board Member Isabel LaCourse's nature education work with Tualatin Riverkeepers was featured last month in the Portland Tribune. It's a lovely piece, and we couldn't be prouder. Partner Happenings
For more upcoming events, see the Intertwine Alliance partner calendar. |
