Get Involved

The best way to get involved in urban parks- trails- and Greenspaces issues is to join one of the numerous "friends" organizations that have sprung up throughout the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region. For a listing of these groups see the latest version of the Urban Natural Resources Directory- produced by the Audubon Society of Portland. This directory lists all non-profit organizations- large and small- all agencies- watershed councils- and friends groups that are engaged in urban Greenspaces issues.

The Audubon Society of Portland has a comprehensive website for its FAUNA community outreach effort that will provide you with up-to-the minute information on hearings and other policy related issues related to fish and wildlife habitat and urban natural resources.

The Coalition for a Livable Future has an informative and timely list serve that goes to its more than 70 member organizations and interested individuals. The CLF is a coalition of affordable housing advocates- transit advocates- urban designers- food policy advocates- parks- trails and greenspace advocates- and growth management specialists.

If you have ideas for how you might contribute to the Urban Greenspaces Institute's mission directly please send us your ideas.

Wild in the City, Exploring The Intertwine Launched!

Wild in the City, Exploring The Intertwine has launched!
Go to Audubon Society of Portland website

Oregon Public Broadcasting features Portland Memorial Mausoleum mural project

On April 15th OPB's Art Beat Program ran a 10 minute special feature on the 50,000 square foot wetland mural that the Urban Greenspaces Institute collaborated with ArtFX Murals to produce on the Portland Memorial Mausoleum overlooking 160-acre Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. Click here to view OPBs video.

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John Charles Olmsted, adopted son of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., was invited to Portland by the citizen park board. Olmsted's visionary plan for a comprehensive, interconnected park system remains an inspiration to modern park planners, In his report Olmsted noted, "Marked economy in municipal development may also be effected by laying out parkways and park, while land is cheap, so as to embrace streams that carry at times more water than can be taken care of by drain pipes of ordinary size. Thus brooks or little rivers which would otherwise become nuisances that would some day have to be put in large underground conduits at enormous expense, may be made the occasion for...

Ross Island Vision Team: Envisioning Ross Island

The Institute has produced, with its partners at the Willamette Riverkeeper, Audubon Society of Portland, Greenworks landscape architecture, architects, and landscape architects a plan for Ross Island,Envisioning Ross Island (PDF), which lays out scenarios for how Ross and its sister islands Hardtack, East and Toe, might be managed as a unit with the Holgate Channel and the 160-acre city-owned Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge as an urban wildlife refuge complex, public natural area park, and place to contemplate nature in the heart of downtown Portland.