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photo of two children hiking at Mount Talbert Nature Park

Parks and Nature Annual Report 2017-18

Explore highlights, photos and results from voter investments.

 
  • 繁体中文

Parks and Nature 2018: Nature education and volunteering

A group photo of volunteers for the Broughton Beach clean-up day
Photo courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers, Widmer, SOLVE volunteers help Metro clean up Broughton Beach

Metro partnered with SOLVE Oregon, Widmer Brothers Brewing and the Portland Trail Blazers for an afternoon of "Service, Sports & Suds" at Broughton Beach in June 2018. Photo courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers

Trail Blazers, Widmer, SOLVE volunteers help Metro clean up Broughton Beach
A group of volunteers using shovels to clean an access ramp of sand
Photo courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers

A small team made up mostly of Widmer employees shoveled and swept about two feet of sand from an access ramp that's compliant with the Americans with Disability Act. Volunteers then hauled large rocks from a nearby rock pile to make a barrier, so that the sand wouldn’t blow back up onto the ramp. The work ensures that people using strollers and mobility devices will continue to enjoy safe access. Another team trimmed overgrown grass and brush from an adjacent walkway. Photo courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers

photo of volunteers at Broughton Beach
The volunteers – including Blaze, the Blazers mascot – removed 30 pounds of micro trash, including over 300 cigarette butts that will be recycled, and cleared 3 cubic yards of invasive Himalayan blackberry, which will be fed to the elephants at the Oregon

With Mount Hood as a backdrop and planes roaring overhead as they departed from Portland International Airport, about 45 volunteers gathered at Broughton Beach in June 2018 to pick up litter, clear sand from access ramps, and gather branches and materials for the elephants at the Oregon Zoo to eat. 

Volunteer uses grabber to pick up trash on Broughton Beach
Photo courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers

The volunteers – including Blaze, the Blazers mascot – removed 30 pounds of micro trash, including over 300 cigarette butts that will be recycled, and cleared 3 cubic yards of invasive Himalayan blackberry, which will be fed to the elephants at the Oregon Zoo. Photo courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers

photo of nature education class
Voter investments pay for expanded nature education programming, including more school field trips, guided nature walks, plant identification classes, nature photography courses and other activities.

Voter investments pay for expanded nature education programming, including more school field trips, guided nature walks, plant identification classes, nature photography courses and other activities. During the summer, naturalists lead twilight nature walks, which often feature spectacular sunsets.

photo of survival skills class at Oxbow Regional Park
Nature education programs include a survival skills class, where participants learn how to start a fire.

Nature education programs include a survival skills class, where participants learn how to start a fire.

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Metro logo

Parks and Nature 2018: Nature education and volunteering

Nov. 6, 2018 3:05 p.m.

Nature education programs and volunteer events offer community members opportunities to connect with nature. These types of hands-on activities can provide people with deeper and more enriching experiences.

Voter investments pay for expanded nature education programming, including more school field trips, guided nature walks, plant identification classes, nature photography courses and other activities. Salmon Homecoming every October at Oxbow Regional Park allows visitors to witness the annual return from the ocean of salmon, fighting upstream to spawn and die in the rivers of their birth. 

Volunteering provides individuals and groups with special connections to nature through participation in a wide variety of tasks.

Volunteers help restore parks and natural areas by removing invasive plants, cleaning up parks and historic cemeteries, gardening, gathering seeds from rare native plants, volunteering at Metro’s Native Plant Center, and planting native trees and shrubs. After receiving free training, volunteer naturalists help lead school field trips. Other volunteers waded into chilly ponds in the winter to count frog and salamander eggs, helping scientists survey their numbers as well as the overall health of wetlands in the region.

nature education and volunteers infographic for Parks and Nature Annual Report 2017-18

Trail Blazers, Widmer, SOLVE volunteers help Metro clean up Broughton Beach

With Mount Hood as a backdrop and planes roaring overhead from Portland International Airport, about 45 volunteers gathered at Broughton Beach in early June to pick up litter, clear sand from access ramps, and gather branches and materials for the elephants at the Oregon Zoo to eat. 

Metro partnered with SOLVE Oregon, Widmer Brothers Brewing and the Portland Trail Blazers for an afternoon of "Service, Sports & Suds." Employees from each organization and their families volunteered to help clean up different areas of the beachfront.

The volunteers – including Blaze, the Blazers mascot – removed 30 pounds of trash, including over 300 cigarette butts that will be recycled, and cleared 3 cubic yards of invasive Himalayan blackberry, which will be fed to the elephants at the Oregon Zoo.

Metro is dedicated to keeping parks and nature facilities clean and beautiful, and involving the community in their maintenance is a great way to encourage people to care about the region’s natural spaces, said Lupine DeSnyder, a parks and nature volunteer coordinator for Metro.

"We really hope to serve as a place for people to come together either to volunteer or enjoy nature,” she said. “Volunteering is a way to connect with nature through your place of employment or just through volunteering with your family. Coming out to different sites allows you the chance to see them, while also doing good."

Additionally, a small team made up mostly of Widmer employees shoveled and swept about two feet of sand from an access ramp that's compliant with the Americans with Disability Act. Volunteers then hauled large rocks from a nearby rock pile to make a barrier, so that the sand wouldn’t blow back up onto the ramp. The work ensures that people using strollers and mobility devices will continue to enjoy safe access. Another team trimmed overgrown grass and brush from an adjacent walkway. 

Following the beach clean-up effort, volunteers were invited to enjoy drinks and snacks provided by SOLVE and Widmer. The adults were treated to ice-cold Widmer beer on the hot afternoon. Additionally, volunteers entered a raffle for a chance to win tickets for the Trail Blazers, Timbers and Thorns, free beer for a year from Widmer, and an autographed practice jersey from Trail Blazer Jusuf Nurkic.

A few of the volunteers said they had never visited Broughton Beach before.

“It’s really beautiful. I’m really surprised I’ve never been here,” said Rikki Ford, who works for the Trail Blazers’ corporate communications. “As an organization, we really respect our environment and want to make sure that we're doing our part to help clean up and maintain the beautiful place we live.”

Previous: Part 4

Even as Metro moves to open new destinations, work is underway to upgrade the parks and facilities that 1.6 million visitors a year already enjoy. Some of Metro’s most beloved destinations, including Blue Lake and Oxbow regional parks, are decades old and in need of repairs and upgrades. Park improvement projects are aimed at upgrading aging facilities, improving sustainability features, and enhancing safety and security.

Next: Part 6

Community investments fuel a variety of projects: restoration, nature education, outdoor experiences, land acquisition, capital improvements, visitor amenities and more. Altogether over the last 25 years, the public – through Metro – has invested more than $90 million to support a broad range of community nature projects across the region, helping to preserve land, restore habitat, expand access and more.
 

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