The Intertwine launches on streets across the Portland-Vancouver region

Metro news release: Sept. 16, 2009
Contact: Karen Kane at 503-797-1942 or 503-680-0691

Metered parking spaces will become mini-parks, complete with grass, trees, native wildlife and fun activities, to celebrate the launch of The Intertwine

Media note: The Intertwine will kick off its festivities at 10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 18 at 506 SW Washington Street, in front of the Hotel Monaco

The streets will be paved with green Friday, Sept. 18 as dozens of groups come together to create parks in public parking spaces around the region. Park(ing) Day celebrates parks and promotes the need for more of them. People in cities from Portland to New York participate in this annual happening. Download an event map

This year's Park(ing) Day is the occasion for the unveiling of The Intertwine, a unifying name and brand for the Portland metropolitan area's network of parks, trails and natural areas. Whether you walk, hike, bike, bird, paddle or play – whatever you love to do and wherever you love to do it – if you're doing it in the Portland-Vancouver area, you are already using The Intertwine. The Intertwine Alliance, a coalition of businesses, nonprofits and public agencies have joined together to promote The Intertwine and commit to linking trails, parks and natural areas with homes, jobs and schools to create one of the greatest parks networks in the world.

Mayors from throughout the region, including Gresham Mayor Shane Bemis, Lake Oswego Mayor Jack Hoffman and Forest Grove Mayor Richard Kidd will join Metro Council President David Bragdon and Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish to officially launch The Intertwine at 10 a.m. at a Park(ing) Day park at Hotel Monaco, 506 SW Washington St. in Portland.

For more information about The Intertwine, including participating organizations, visit www.TheIntertwine.org.

Event locations

In Portland

Hotel Monaco – 506 SW Washington St.
Hosted by Trust for Public Lands
Contact: Daryn White 503-417-3359
Enjoy this park-for-a-day created by local dignitaries and Intertwine partners to highlight the variety and range of activities and experiences available in the region's network of parks, trails and natural areas.

Keen Footwear – Northwest 13th Avenue and Lovejoy Street
Hosted by Keen Footwear, Forest Park Conservancy
Contact: Chris Enlow 503-805-9962
Forest Park is The Intertwines' signature attraction – a 5,000-acre forest that lies within the boundaries of our largest city. See what "old growth" ivy does to a forest. Find out how you can help the Forest Park Conservancy and their partners restore the life and health of our region's largest nature park.

Bridgeport Brew Pub – Northwest 13th Avenue and Marshall Street
Hosted by Audubon Society of Portland
Contact: Bob Sallinger 503-292-6855
Say hello to Finnegan the falcon, Julio the owl or Jack Sparrowhawk – one of a handful of rescued birds used by the Audubon Society of Portland to educate and inspire people to love and protect nature. Find out more about the native wildlife that depend on The Intertwine for food, travel and shelter.

City Hall – Southwest Fourth Avenue and Madison Street
Hosted by Portland Parks and Recreation, Bureau of Environmental Services
Want to get fit? Practice your yoga? Shoot some hoops? On Park(ing) Day you can sample the wide range of classes and activities offered by Portland Parks & Recreation throughout the year that help you explore and enjoy the Intertwine. Across the street, Bureau of Environmental Services staff will showcase a "Green Street" to demonstrate how green development practices and sustainable storm water management helps protect and restore our local rivers and streams.

Green Works – Northwest Second Avenue and Couch Street
Hosted by Metro
Contact: Corie Harlan 503-797-1764
The Intertwine's newest nature park will open next fall in Wilsonville. Come preview the trails, wetlands and wildlife that the public will see, hear and enjoy when they visit the Graham Oaks Nature Park – built for a day in downtown Portland by landscape architects, Green Works.

128 SW Third Ave. (in front of Stumptown Coffee)
Hosted by Friends of Trees

Pacific Northwest College Art – Northwest 13th Avenue and Johnson Street
Hosted by Urban Greenspaces Institute
See what two PNCA classes have designed to demonstrate the power of art in teaching about and connecting people with the environment.

In Beaverton

Beaverton City Hall – 4755 SW Griffith Drive
Hosted by City of Beaverton

Saturday, Sept. 19 only

Beaverton Farmers Market – Southwest Hall Boulevard between Third and Fifth streets
Hosted by Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District

In Gresham

Northwest Third Avenue and North Main Street
Hosted by City of Gresham, Office of Mayor Shane Bemis
Join city staff and volunteers for a day on the green. Visitors can receive information about regional and local parks that are a part of The Intertwine. The Mayor will be stopping by around noon to have a picnic with those in attendance.

Rockwood Plaza Del Sol – Southeast 188th Avenue and Stark Street
Hosted by Gresham Parks and Recreation
Pick up a paint brush and help convert 13,000 square feet of parking lot in to the Plaza del Sol, a public space to be used by all. Food and refreshments will be provided to volunteers all day. At 2 p.m. enjoy a visit from Mayor Bemis and Metro Council President David Bragdon. Hear from them about Gresham and Metro's 20-year mission of protecting and preserving the city's signature buttes and significant natural areas – a key part of The Intertwine.

In Lake Oswego

A Avenue and First Street
Hosted by Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation
If you're looking for the perfect picnic spot on Park(ing) Day, you'll find what you need in this lush, green Park(ing) space located in beautiful downtown Lake Oswego. Bring the family. Enjoy games, entertainment and treats for your pets.

In Vancouver, Wash.

Wallis Engineering – 215 W Fourth St.
Hosted by Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation
Enjoy a community barbeque. Learn more about connections to The Intertwine's trails and pathways for walking, hiking and biking.

Mon Ami Coffee Shop – 19th and Main streets
Hosted by Community Choices and C-TRAN
Did you know that approximately 40 percent of the region's driving trips are less than 3 miles? Take more of your trips on The Intertwine using alternative transportation – including transit, biking and walking. Learn more. Also includes demos and practice for taking your bike on the bus.

Angst Art Gallery – 10th and Main streets
Hosted by Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation
Clark County's parks, trails, and natural areas are part of The Intertwine's network of parks, trails and natural areas. Find out how you can enjoy The Intertwine here in Clark County and what partnerships are growing across the river.

Turtle Place – Seventh and Main streets
Hosted by Vancouver Watersheds Council
Learn how partners are working together to engage the community to protect and enhance the local rivers and streams that contribute to the overall health of The Intertwine.

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