Wild Society

This spring, I followed a pair of red-tailed hawks, courting in the updrafts, and found their nesting site perched in a narrow ribbon of oak habitat between the noise of industry and traffic.

Early on, the incubating female discouraged my loitering with sharp calls to her mate in a nearby tree. Both would take flight and hover menacingly if I was too close. In late spring, just before the trees leafed out, the mother spent more time on the edge of her nest than within it. I finally spotted a fluff of white, and the calls turned around that of a hungry little voice. Just before the nest emptied, I accounted for a healthy family of three as the youngest strengthened its wings in practice flights.

Certain things choose us more than we choose them. That is how it has worked with Friends of Overlook Bluff, stewards of this fringe of oak and madrone trees that hems the east side of the Willamette as the river’s north reach winds toward its confluence with the Columbia. This route is a gift for walkers, bikers and runners who call North Portland home. It is the only potential sliver of continuous woodlands on the east side left to reclaim, and its ecological significance is irreplaceable. 

Historically, white oak savannahs provided hunting and camping grounds along the river. Settlers found these paths useful as trade routes. Trade made way to travel, and the path widened into its familiar incarnation: Interstate-5. Riparian corridors like these are vital to the food chain of over 200 birds and animals. As a migratory route, oak savannahs have traditionally run from Canada to California.

The corridor of urban wilderness to which Overlook Bluff belongs mesmerizes year-round. The deep blue greens of oak leaves in summer, the gray brown gnarl of their trunks and branches in winter. Blown and drenched free of leaves in the fall, rust-color madrone bark reveals itself amidst the oaks. In early spring mornings the darkness lifts, the rains hold off, and nature wakes up.

We wake up more each year to the significance of our surroundings, and how we might care for it. There is much to steward; Friends of Overlook Bluff inherited a legacy to protect. A Heritage Oregon white oak tree believed to be 150 years old stands alone on an open meadow overlooking the train yards, river, downtown and Forest Park. 

The Friends implement hand-managed oak meadowscaping, native plantings, invasive species removal, and work to raise community awareness of local ecology with speaking events and native plant sales. With our selection for a 2014 Metro Nature in Neighborhoods capital land grant, we are focusing on fundraising and building partnerships to acquire the property before it is sold for development.*

For now, if you’re afoot at Overlook Bluff, you must navigate fragmented trails that run sometimes within the woodlands, and sometimes along the steep pitch of bluffs above the railroad tracks. Paths do exist: parallel to Willamette Boulevard behind the Adidas campus; down Waud Bluff Trail (the nicely engineered pedestrian entry/exit to Swan Island); below University of Portland; and in Baltimore Woods, which begins just beyond the St. Johns bridge. The goal is to make them continuous. The 40-Mile Loop is slated to stitch adjacent to the fabric of this oak and madrone corridor and may also recognize Overlook's pedestrian potential. 

From the hawk's perspective, the connection from St. Johns in deep North Portland to Overlook just north of the Fremont Bridge is apparent. Now, the pieces of this quilt are also being assembled on the ground in North Portland -- neighborhood by neighborhood, mile by mile, loop by loop. To volunteer or find out more about us, please visit www.overlookbluff.org.

* Coalitions of community involvement are a must if cities are to be able to continue to acquire open spaces, and to that end we are working with organizations including Metro, the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Parks & Recreation, SOLVe, Portland Audubon, the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, Northwest Youth Corps, the Xerces Society, East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, Friends of Baltimore Woods, the Trust for Public Land, and the Columbia Land Trust.

Passion. That’s one thing those of us active in the world of conservation don’t lack. Beyond logic and civic-mindedness, we FEEL the importance of our work.

So why, for many of us, is it still such a struggle to tell our stories in compelling ways? To be heard in an oversaturated information marketplace?

It can be done -- my team and I here at Frank Creative have been doing this for years. Last spring, The Intertwine Alliance hired us to develop a unique campaign intended to meet this challenge.

On Friday, I shared the campaign with webinar attendees from across the nation. Now you can see for yourself how we broke down the challenge, examined our options, and arrived at "Our Common Ground" -- a promotional campaign designed to sell sustainability without selling out.

In our hour-long webinar, we explain how organizations like The Intertwine Alliance can join forces for greater Collective Impact, and do it in a way that can go toe to toe with the best brands in the market. We call it fighting fire with fire.

Click here to watch the webinar, and scroll down to see how we answered some burning questions from participants who tuned in from across the nation.

YOU ASK, WE ANSWER:

What is the timeline for these various campaigns?

Funding levels dictate, but the next 12 to 16 months is what we're shooting for. Right now it looks like our Daycation app will be the first piece that we'll release, followed by the social media campaign. And then hopefully within 18 months, we can build to what I'd call the tipping point, to get those animated spots out to the wide audience this campaign deserves.

How will you measure the success of the campaign?

Awareness and education are our first true two outcomes we're looking at. The Intertwine is starting at a pretty low awareness level, so we can use polling to get to those, with our partners’ assistance.

We also have the opportunity for rich insights based on our Daycation app, by tracking subjective data (like interactions between users) as well as hard metrics like the number of downloads, photos uploaded, trips completed, etc.

But the longer term goal for all our partners is true behavior change. We're trying to raise the collective understanding of all these issues to a new normal.

Right now, we gear up for every election cycle, spend money to get people to pay attention for six months and move a ballot issue six to seven points. And then we go away.

However, if we can brand more consistently, talk about these issues in between the election cycles, we can create understanding so that when the election comes, we only have to move the needle two or three points. Which costs a lot less money and a lot less energy.

So ultimately, as a success measurement, that would be it: are we able to talk to the public through the ballot box and get the support we need?

What does a campaign like this cost, and how do you fund it?

Each of one of these campaign strategies has their own cost to implement. For the KEEN project, they've already donated the shoes and we've done most of the art work up front to provide that to our partners, so that's a pretty low cost campaign.

For the app, we budgeted about $150,000. Much of that goes to into the programming and development, but there are also some promotional dollars in there to get the word out -- teaming with TriMet to create some critical mass for the adoption.

The animated spots obviously are bigger. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars to get those up and running and delivered. But then they have a shelf life. We're going to our corporate and municipal partners to create matching programs.

It really is this notion of collectively leveraging our small resources. Right now we’re throwing tiny pebbles out there and no one’s noticing us. We need to come together and throw a bigger boulder.

Can you talk more about ways to reach diverse audiences and underserved communities?

What I’ve presented here is the overall campaign template. We have our basic compass points, but those have nuances to them. So now we must start to identify which audiences we specifically want to reach, then go in and work with community groups, talk to people in the community. We’ll look at those issues that resonate, and have our spokes-species talk pointedly to those specific issues.

This is a diversity-driven campaign. It’s able to reach diverse audiences based upon many different motivations, many different psychographics, versus demographics. Understanding demographically who we're talking to and what those audiences prioritize is still important, but I think this concept allows us to deploy various messages under one umbrella campaign, and not have to reinvent the wheel every time we have to shift language or group.

Have you used focus groups or other methods to ensure that your spokes-species resonate with a diverse audience?

We have not, but certainly could with the budget to do so. We have vetted the animals with many of our partners. They were not selected in a vacuum. We had input from many groups. A good example is some Native groups we talked with felt that we should avoid animals like eagles, animals with greater iconic or religious status. And we respected that wish. Our four spokes-species are just the beginning. I would hope to create a whole family of animals because we've left a lot off the table.

Consider the local leader who founded the City of Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission.

The leader who was a big part of many of Portland’s most iconic features, from the Portland Streetcar to Lan Su Classical Chinese Garden.

The same guy who thought the Japanese American Historical Plaza in Waterfront Park would be even more powerful, if framed by great swaths of beautiful Akebono Cherry trees.

Then ask yourself: This April -- Arbor Month -- what would Bill Naito do, given the chance?

The more one learns about Bill Naito, who passed in 1996, the more one understands the meaning of community. That’s why every spring since 1995, Portland’s Urban Forestry Commission has chosen one or more recipients for the Bill Naito Community Trees Award.

The first honorees were Friends of Trees founder Richard Seidman, and Portland General Electric, the company that helped fund the original Seed the Future Campaign. Later recipients include Phyllis Reynolds, the author of Trees of Greater Portland, and an English as a Second Language class from David Douglas High School who planted nearly 1,000 trees in their community.

Throughout his life, Bill Naito championed projects and movements that helped Portland reinvent itself for the benefit of people from many different walks of life. Just a few examples: planting 10,000 street trees; launching the Japanese American Historical Plaza, Saturday Market, and Artquake in the 1980s and early ‘90s; helping to keep alive the White Stag sign; developing the McCormick Apartments that extended the livable city boundary to the north; and leading the preservation of Union Station.

It’s a legacy that has changed the face of Portland’s urban core, not least because Bill placed trees at the core of community building.

On April 26th, the Urban Forestry Commission will recognize our 2014 Bill Naito Community Trees Awardees. Each embodies one of two aspects that made Bill so effective: big picture thinking (e.g., that if we care for trees, then trees will take care of us); and the steady dedication, seed by seed, that’s required to restore a forest.

Congratulations to:

• The 936 Portlanders -- led by arborist, Damon Schrosk who had the big idea, and hosted by Hoyt Arboretum Curator Martin Nicolson -- who this past July set the Arboretum's Guinness world record Tree Hug; and

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  Phil Hamilton, an extraordinary individual who has dedicated over 21,000 hours of service to documenting and restoring the forest of Tryon Creek State Natural Area. Almost any Saturday, you can find Phil at Tryon and work shoulder-to-shoulder with him to restore this remarkable state park within the boundaries of two cities.

Why not join us for the celebration? It’s what Bill would do.

This winter, San Francisco Bay Area is experiencing a severe drought. Here at the Bay Area Open Space Council, we’re thinking about connections between land and water. And today, for our friends in Portland, I offer this post about green grass, reasons your grass is greener, and what we all need to keep it green.

Grass is green

The Portland and San Francisco Bay Areas are both really lucky. We have science-based biodiversity visions for our respective regions: your Regional Conservation Strategy and our Conservation Lands Network. Both regions have an ethic that values urban parks, trails and working ranches and farms.

Grass is greener

But keeping nature in our cities and sustaining watershed function takes commitment by elected officials and planners. And this is one area where Portland is ahead: you have a strong regional entity that also leads on transportation planning.

While we are lucky to have California's Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008, we have much work to do to integrate land use, housing, transportation and conservation to meet greenhouse gas targets.

Your unique directly-elected regional government, Metro, implements regional policies. We envy that Metro has a Planning and Conservation function. And I'm inspired by The Intertwine’s work to calculate the benefits derived from natural areas and to challenge civic leaders to lead this agenda.

Keeping it green

Here in the Bay Area, we’re working on two big questions aimed at making land stewardship as sexy as acquisition, and as ubiquitous as pavement.

The first is a movement we are embarking on within our community: How do we encourage people of all kinds to engage in meaningful ways with our efforts to protect and steward land?

The Bay Area land conservation community has done great work – protecting 1.3 million acres in 10 counties. And now, that land needs to be managed and stewarded. There are streams to restore, school groups to involve, histories to understand, and relationships to build. From rare habitats to day-lit urban creeks, active and adaptive stewardship is critical and increasingly will be the focus of land conservation efforts in the Bay Area.

The second question is about listening: How do we create a land conservation culture that is welcoming, interactive and participatory?

This isn’t a one-way street where we need to convince others of the value of protected lands. It is an exchange of information and resources that flows in both ways.

On May 8th, we'll be looking at habits and transitional approaches with a close eye to what we can do differently to get results. We’ll report back here on what we are learning and we hope to keep learning from you, our neighbors.

If you had five minutes a month on television, what topics would you talk about? For the last seven years I’ve asked myself that question over and over. Here are some of my answers – as seen on KATU’s morning magazine show, AM Northwest.

1) Think before you sprink

When the sun’s high in the sky, and it’s time to drag out the garden hose to do a little watering, or maybe just cool off under the sprinkler…pause. A recent study by HealthyStuff.org found several toxic chemicals in common garden hoses.

Should you be concerned? Bottom line: a little concern is warranted, but no need to immediately trash your hose and rush to the store for a greener alternative. Get the full scoop or see the study findings here.

2) Willamette Valley gardeners – this booklet’s for you

Native plants are growing in popularity thanks to their beauty, adaptability and value to wildlife. And thanks also to the many public agencies and organizations promoting them – 23 banded together last year to create a new edition of the Native plants for Willamette Valley yards booklet, with more than 140 plants, color photos, growing requirements and maps.

Ask Metro at 503-234-3000 for your free copy now, view it online, or watch this video to learn more.

3) Beware common household chemicals

A 2013 statement from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine warns against the harmful effects of pesticides and other common chemicals on children and pregnant women.

With a young family of my own, children’s health is top of mind for me. Fortunately there are plenty of ways we can help protect our families and ourselves from both pests and pesticides, indoors and out.

Click here for the video tips, or check out the medical groups’ statement.

4) You can protect your pets – and wildlife – while you garden

It’s great to share your yard with your furry friends. But how do you protect your pets from pesticides and poisonous plants – and how do you protect your plants and your local songbirds from your pets?

It’s all about nontoxic pest control, picking the right plants (including lots of natives) and of course making a catio -- otherwise known as a cattery. See the clip here.

Got ideas for me to consider for future AM Northwest topics? (Ones that relate to reducing pesticides and other toxic chemicals in homes?). Please let me know by emailing me. Otherwise, check out our online library of video clips and other  resources, or give us a call at 503-234-3000.