Not Your Dad's Summit. At this year's Fall Summit, spend an afternoon hearing the stories of our region's youth leadership and how their perspectives can inform your work. Participate in a workshop (rumored to be mind-blowingly awesome) led entirely by young people. We're also working on a special keynote speaker, to be announced when we get confirmation. The November event will be held again at the Oregon Zoo. Stay tuned for an email with event details and registration information.

Moving Our Initiative Forward. We're busy putting the final touches on the Fall Health and Nature Forum, to be held at Portland State University's Native American Student Community Center on Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. to noon. Seating is limited, so register now to be part of moving this dialogue forward. Click here to register.

Since We Last Talked ... NEW PARTNERS The Alliance's list of partners continues to grow and grow we're up to 124 groups. Newly on board is Cascadia Wild, The Center for Community Engagement at Lewis & Clark College and Legacy Health. Welcome, partners! We're excited to diversify our coalition.

Meet Tara. The Intertwine Alliance is excited to introduce our newest team member. Tara Wilkinson (right) joins us as communications coordinator to work on our newsletter, publications, website and social media. (Ramona DeNies will continue to write and edit for us, so never fear, her creative energies will still be a vibrant part of the mix.) Tara has worked for a number of nonprofits doing communications, marketing and web development. We look forward to her whipping our website into shape!

Intertwine News  

Prioritizing Parks Two parks-related measures will appear on Nov. 4 ballots here in The Intertwine. In Portland, Measure 26-159, "Fix Our Parks," raises up to $68 million for the City's most urgent park maintenance needs - without increasing the tax rate. The North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District Measure 3-451 would re-form NCPRD as an independent district separate from county government, at a new tax rate comparable to those of neighboring districts. The increase from 54 cents to 89 cents per $1,000 would fund park maintenance and programming in the cities of Milwaukie, Happy Valley and the unincorporated areas in between, plus the creation of new parks, natural areas and open spaces. Please call us with any questions about these two measures and how to get involved. Measure advocates are seeking letters of support for the voter pamphlet - but you'll have to move fast, as the deadline is Sept. 8.

Think BIG. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will deliver the keynote address at this year's National Workshop on Large Landscape Conservation Oct. 23-24 in Washington, D.C. Also speaking will be The Intertwine's own Executive Director Mike Wetter and Board Member Bruce Roll. Make plans today to attend this exciting event. The conference also invites the public to submit posters describing any aspect of their large landscape initiatives, with a deadline of Sept. 15.

Drumroll, Please ... August Photo Contest Winners: Another month, another set of deserving winners. August's theme was the Urban/Art Connection. Congratulations to Dave Taube, Sherri Chastain, Dawn Shelton, Laurie Steiner and Jan Warner. Check out their winning photos. September's theme is Local Park Love; start snapping and submitting for a chance to walk away with stylin' new Keens. October's theme will be Faces in Nature. Click here for contest details.

Wild Cascade Locks. A millennia after the gods crossed a Columbia River land bridge near Cascade Locks, Oregon, ambitions surge here again. Bob Weinman of Mt. Hood Community College explains in this week's blog post. Miss last month's posts? Catch up with Access Recreation's Georgena Moran on her project to create more comprehensive trail maps for the disabled. Play along with Nick Hardigg of the Portland Parks Foundation as he makes the case (in a very fun way) for capital investment in our city parks. Finally, see the world from a tree's point of view with our August Feature, "If Trees Could Speak," by our own Ramona DeNies.


Partner Updates
 
Health = Nature = Health. Right? Hooray for the USDA Forest Service for launching a new monthly webinar series. Urban Forest Connections will bring experts together to discuss the latest science, practice and policy on urban forestry and the environment. The series kicks off Sept. 10 with "Urban Forests for Human Health and Wellness" by the University of Washington's Kathleen Wolf and TIA partner Legacy Health's Teresia M. Hazen.

Find Yourself. Wanna dig deeper into your personal connections to place? This fall, Lewis & Clark's Continuing Education program offers Environmental Identity and the Ecological Self, a course guiding students toward reflection about identity and experience related to place, the natural world and other species.

ODOT Wants YOU An Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Listening Meeting Workshop is coming to Portland on Sept. 24. It's part of the Oregon Department of Transportation's series of gatherings to hear from the public on policy related to walking and biking in Oregon. Participants will be involved in discussions of critical destinations, connectivity and safety. Space is limited, so register now.

Rx for Better Health. Dr. James F. Sallis, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living Research program, will lead a discussion about movement's impact on health Oct. 7 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Beaverton Round Executive Suites. To register for this free event, or to find out more about this series in Salem, Eugene, Portland and Bend, click here.

Watch the Season Turn in Paradise. Though we're loathe to admit that summer 2014 is almost history, we wanna remind you how much there is to look forward to, like great fall hikes organized by Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Check out their upcoming offerings, and immerse yourself in one of Oregon's natural treasures.

More September Events:
Sept. 1 - Bike Commute Challenge - Bicycle Transportation Alliance
Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28 - Creative Collaborations: Exploring the Natural World through Art - Friends of Tryon Creek State Park
Sept. 9 - Parklandia Civic Drinks - Portland City Club

Sept. 10 - Metro's Intertwine Trails Count
Sept. 12-14 - NWTA Trails Fest 2014/Mountain Biking Festival - Northwest Trails Alliance

Sept. 13 - Aquifer Adventure, a family festival - Columbia Slough Watershed Council 

Sept. 13 - Lock Fest 2014 - Willamette Falls Heritage Area Coalition/Walker Macy Architects

Sept. 18 - Native History Series: Columbia River Artist, Adam McIssaac - Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Sept. 20 - Sturgeon Festival - Columbia Springs
Sept. 20 - Tualatin River Cleanup - Tualatin Riverkeepers
Sept. 23 - Healthy Living Collaborative Summit in Vancouver