by Renee Myers, Executive Director
May 22, 2012

If you spend any time at all in Forest Park, you know that this year’s winter weather hit the park hard. We saw a big increase in the number fallen trees, damaged bridges and trail washouts in the park. These unusual challenges come at a time of tight budgets and competing priorities for the City, forcing our partners at Portland Parks & Recreation to face a choice between investing more resources in improving the ecological health of the park, or doing more to improve and maintain the trails that allow people to enjoy it.

We don’t want FPC and Portland Parks & Recreation to have to choose between saving trails and saving trees, so we’ve come up with a way to help. We hope you’ll join the effort by giving generously to the Forest Park Conservancy Trails Maintenance Fund

For many years FPC has taken responsibility for maintaining all the soft-surface trails in the park’s 80-mile trail system. In past years, the City has provided us with the materials (rock, gravel, timbers) needed for our summer trail maintenance work, while we supplied staff and volunteer labor. That material costs the city about $5,000.00 each year, which is money that could go instead to fund the city’s ecological restoration activities.

If FPC and our supporters could pay for those materials ourselves, PP&R could dedicate that much more money to removing invasive species and protecting the watersheds and wildlife in Forest Park. Can you help us meet this need by making a gift to the Forest Park Conservancy Trails Maintenance Fund today?

The Conservancy wants the park to be healthy, and believes that Portland Parks is working hard to make sure that goal is realized. That’s why we’re appealing to you, our friends and supporters, for help in meeting this additional expense. The cost of these materials is in addition to the usual $10-$15,000 in labor expenses we incur every summer, which is why we’ve set the goal of raising $20,000.00 in this year’s Forest Park Trails Appeal.

Please help us meet this goal. Donating to the FPC Trails Maintenance Fund online is a secure, simple process that only takes a few minutes. Or you can really go the extra mile by signing up for the Forest Park Marathon or the All Trails Challenge and help us raise funds while you enjoy the park. Signing up for one or both of these events is one of the best ways you can support our trail restoration work in Forest Park. When you do, you’ll also be raising awareness of this priceless Portland treasure and the need to help the Conservancy and PP&R take care of it.

We know you love Forest Park’s trails. You probably visit the park often. If you do, we need your help to keep the trails safe and enjoyable for you and all who use it. Thank you for your generous support.

 

Thursday volunteers help complete a short re-route of Wildwood Trail near its intersection with Firelane 15. Now the trail follows the contour of the hill so that water can shed off sustainably. No more mud pits for this section! Take a hike and explore this beautiful part of Forest Park.

By Mikala Soroka, Volunteer Coordinator

On Saturday, May 12th, fourteen dedicated volunteers graduated Forest Park Conservancy's (FPC's) Volunteer Crew Leader (VCL) Training. This training, made possible thanks to the generous support of REI, prepares volunteers to help lead projects at highly attended FPC stewardship events. The added leadership and supervision VLCs provide allows FPC to host larger, in some cases more complicated, projects without having to sacrifice on safety, fun, or quality of work. 

Last Saturday's training operated out of Brooks Hill Historic Church on NW Skyline Boulevard, near the northern tip of Forest Park. Volunteers convened in the former church for a morning of classroom instruction focused on safety, leadership, invasive English ivy removal, trail repair, and new trail construction. FPC's field crew led the instruction along with special guest and Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) representative Jeff Hough.

In the afternoon, volunteers witnessed breathtaking views of Mount Saint Helens and Mount Rainier as they hiked into Forest Park for some hands-on training in trail maintenance, trail decommissioning, and new trail construction (a short re-route of Wildwood Trail). At the end of the day, VLCs graduated with the latest edition FPC crew leader manual, crew leader hat, and all the crew leader skill it takes to spread responsible stewardship in Forest Park.

Want to see Volunteer Crew Leaders in action and help repair trails in Forest Park? Volunteer on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2nd! Click here to register.

Interested in becoming a volunteer crew leader? Email Mikala Soroka at mikala@forestparkconservancy.org for more information.  

by Terry Milner,  Director of Development

April is the time of year when our stewardship team turns from working on habitat restoration to trails maintenance. This year’s winter weather was especially hard on the trails and trees in Forest Park, resulting in a major increase in the number of fallen trees and trail washouts. Sadly, these unusual challenges come at a time when the City’s resources for trail maintenance are extremely low. In years past, our partners at Portland Parks & Recreation were able to supply our crews with gravel, lumber and other materials necessary to this work, but not this year. Because of budgetary challenges faced by the city, PP&R is unable to supply us with the raw materials we need, so the Conservancy has been asked to appeal to our membership and the general public for help. Those materials will cost at minimum $5,000, with another $10-$15,000 labor cost involved in the actual trail work.

Our crews are working daily with PP&R to make the park safe and passable for the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come here each year. A recent recreation survey conducted by Portland Parks & Recreation and Portland State University, an overwhelming number of respondents (49%) named “Exercise and Fitness” as their primary reason for visiting the park. This is why FPC has reached out so strongly to runners and hikers to help us fund our work, most recently through the Forest Park Marathon and the All Trails Challenge. In May, we will launch our annual Fund the Trails appeal, and hope that all our members and friends will give generously to help meet the increased expenses to be shouldered by FPC this year.

Of course, there’s no reason to wait – you can donate to the trails restoration effort online at any time by visiting our secure donation page. Just type “TRAILS” in the “Feedback” space if you want to direct your gift to the trails maintenance program.

The Conservancy has primary responsibility for maintaining the 46 miles of soft-surface trail in Forest Park’s 80+ mile trail network: our professional field crew works alongside hundreds of volunteers each spring and summer to reinforce the trails, clear fallen trees, improve drainage and install split-rail fencing where needed. We believe that improving the experience of human visitors to this amazing urban forest is vital – not only for the fun and recreation it provides, but also to encourage human appreciation and continued public support for the park’s ecological health. That is why we devote so much of our time and resources to trail improvements, and why we hope you will give generously to support this work.

Thursday volunteers get muddy maintaining Wildwood Trail.

The Board of Directors of The Forest Park Conservancy (FPC) has unanimously approved the appointment of Renee Myers as the organization’s new Executive Director.

Previously, Myers was Executive Director of the Watershed Restoration Coalition of the Upper Clark Fork in Montana, where she led a coalition of key partners and stakeholders in one of the largest landscape restoration management projects in the country. Her background includes extensive experience as a hydrologist/soil scientist, working on large scale forest, stream and river conservation and restoration initiatives. She holds a degree in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana and has worked in the environmental conservation field for 12 years.

“Renee’s strong experience and collaborative leadership style will help broaden the Conservancy’s stewardship efforts and deepen our community partnerships,” said Darcie Meihoff, President of Forest Park Conservancy Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to have Renee’s leadership and expertise when it comes to improving and protecting the health of Forest Park.”

At the Conservancy, Myers will be fully engaged planning and managing the organization’s stewardship work, which includes forging critical strategic alliances with a diverse array of stakeholders throughout the region. Working together with Portland Parks & Recreation, the Conservancy plays a critical role in Forest Park trail maintenance and key restoration and preservation efforts.

“Renee is a wonderful fit for the Conservancy’s stewardship efforts and the continued partnership between FPC and Portland Parks & Recreation,” said Mike Abbaté, Director of Portland Parks & Recreation. “Her passion, technical and professional experience are tremendous assets, and will serve well as we work together to improve and protect the health of Forest Park.”

“Forest Park is not only part of an important wildlife corridor and watershed, but is a regional recreational destination. I am proud to join the Conservancy’s advocacy and outreach efforts so that the park may be enjoyed by generations to come,” said Myers.

Thursday volunteers maintained Nature Trail this morning among the stream and its violets.

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2012

MEDIA CONTACT:  
Melissa Moore
503-220-2436 or 503-818-9845 (pager)
melissa.moore@nwnatural.com

NW Natural donates $10,000 to The Forest Park Conservancy 

PORTLAND, Ore. – NW Natural has donated $10,000 to The Forest Park Conservancy in support of the organization’s mission to protect and enhance the urban wilderness that is Forest Park. 

“The work that is being done by The Forest Park Conservancy is crucial to preserving the park’s ecological health and its extensive trail network for generations to come,” said Von Summers, NW Natural community affairs manager. “We couldn’t be more pleased to make a contribution to this important environmental cause.”

 

This is the fourth year that NW Natural has contributed to The Forest Park Conservancy. Each year, NW Natural shareholders contribute about one percent of the company’s net earnings before tax to charity.  

 

About NW Natural
NW Natural (NYSE:NWN) is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and provides natural gas service to about 680,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest. Additional information is available at www.nwnatural.com.

Volunteers are all smiles after planting trees in the sun this morning.

Thursday volunteers get muddy in Forest Park helping the trails drain dry. Here's Dogwood Trail bursting with new Waterleaf, Trillium, and so much more! What baby plants can you name in Forest Park?