Community News November 2012

Restoration Ecologist Master Gardener Program

 

Multnomah County Master Gardener Mark Griswold Wilson will give a presentation on the Portland Urban Meadowscaping Project November 13 at 6:50 pm at the Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church, 5441 SE Belmont. Parking is on SE 54th Ave.

Front yards and parking strips are unique landscapes traditionally planted with turf grass that require regular maintenance practices such as mowing, irrigating and application of pesticides. There is a strong movement now to remove lawn and replace it with a selection of plants that provide habitat for wildlife, manage stormwater on-site and require less maintenance. Portland Urban Meadowscaping Project is working with urban homeowners interested in establishing Willamette Valley prairie grasses and wildflowers in high-use landscaped areas. Wilson will showcase these properties and discuss methods to establish meadows, including plant selection, site prep and long-term maintenance.

For nearly three decades, Wilson has been developing his expertise in the arts and sciences of horticulture, environmental and science education and in the practice of ecological restoration and management work. Currently serving with Portland Parks as restoration ecologist for the Lower Willamette watershed, he plans, designs, and oversees ecological restoration projects in Portland Parks natural areas including Oaks Bottom, Ross Island and the South Waterfront Greenway.

 

Historical guide to Lone Fir

 

Portland photographer and writer Johan Mathiesen recently published a charming book titled, Lone Fir The Cemetery A Guide & History.

The book originally began as a “cheat sheet” for tours of the cemetery. It has evolved into an informative and arty book that can be read on its own or taken along on a stroll through the cemetery.

Mathiesen has visited more than 750 Territory cemeteries and taken 16,000 photographs. These are supplemented by his blog, “Blogging a Dead Horse”.

The section on the history of Lone Fir is particularly interesting. From the very first, Lone Fir has had struggles but thanks are due to the perseverance of dedicated individuals throughout the past 150 years. The original owner was a descendent of one of the three sponsors for Captain Gray’s 1792 voyage to America.

The Lone Fir Cemetery: A Guide & History tells stories of the people and agencies who kept the cemetery going, relayed in a succinct yet lyrical way with photos to support the data.

Today we can thank the Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery and Metro for taking on the responsibility of seeing that this SE Portland icon will be preserved.

Rachel Fox, the current director of  Metro, did an extensive inventory of all the cemeteries under their jurisdiction in 2011. They are determining what will be done to preserve those plots of land and how to pay for them in the future.

Local history buffs will enjoy this as a reference book.

The Lone Fir Cemetery: A Guide & History is available at Powell’s, Broadway Books and Metro.

 

SE Uplift Hosts GNA Workshop

 

SE Uplift hosts a workshop designed to empower neighbors, businesses and institutions in effectively addressing common livability issues such as crime, parking and noise. The workshop will be held at SE Uplift, 3534 SE Main, on Wednesday, November 14 from 5:30-6:30 pm.  Attendees will learn how to develop a good neighbor agreement (GNA).

With guidance from an Office of Neighborhood Involvement representative, workshop attendees will learn when neighborhoods should and should not enter into a GNA; how neighborhoods should approach businesses to talk about a GNA; what legal standing a GNA has; what can and cannot be included in a GNA; and what resources are available to neighborhoods looking to create a GNA.

Come learn tools and tips about GNAs and share your experiences with others. The workshop is free and light refreshments will be served.

Space is limited and registration is required. Go to www.southeastuplift.org/gna and register.

 

 

Mt Tabor Visitor Center Report

 

By Dave Hillman, Coordinator; Park Visitor Center

 

It has been exactly one year since we first opened the door of the new Mt Tabor Park Visitor Center.

The total for the year from mid-October 2011 to mid-October 2012 is 4,904. Visitors have come from 46 states (all except Wyoming, New Hampshire, Maryland, and South Carolina) based upon my notes and map pins.

Visitors have come from all over the world including Central America, South America, Africa (8 countries) all over Europe,  Iran, India, China, Japan, Australia and most of the far east and south pacific. Our map pins now number 72 non USA locations.

There have been a total of 12 different people who have volunteered, several of whom have become fairly regular in their time and volunteer days/hours.

I have been surprised how well we are doing selling FMTP merchandise, notecards and receiving contributions. I have personally made bank deposits in the amount of $1,151 plus prior to making the deposits, gave several deposits directly to the FMTP Treasurer, the exact amount I cannot remember.

All of the statistics are based upon the log book entries, a book retained on the desk in the Center. Any feedback is most welcome, since progress can only be accomplished if everyone can assist in continuing to turn this small experiment into a model  of success.

 

Obituary

 

This is to announce the death of Jon Maurer owner of Shadowhouse Collectibles on 42nd and Hawthorne, Portland, Oregon.  Shadowhouse was owned and operated for 11 years by Jon and unexpectedly closed in February 2012.

Sadly Jon passed away on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012 from a staph infection which caused his liver and kidneys to shut down, consequently resulting in his death.   He had no health, life or mortgage insurance.

There will not be a service at this time.  There will be a “Celebration of Life” in 2013, which will be announced beforehand.

Those interested, may donate to a memorial contribution fund for his family through Bank of America, account number 485008699630.

 

Lincoln Street Museum

 

A new museum, The Lincoln Street Kayak and Canoe Museum, displays at least 30 full-sized, functional replicas of Arctic hunting kayaks as well as other exotic watercraft and has opened at 5340 SE Lincoln St., the site of a former beauty parlor.

Admission is free, but the only scheduled open hours are from 4 pm to 7 pm, Wednesdays.

Visitors are also welcome when there is an “Open” sign in the window or by arranging an appointment by calling the owner, Harvey Golden, at 503.234.0264.

Golden spends 60 hours or more on each craft he replicates. He builds them for sale only on request.

After visiting museum kayaks in England and Scotland, he was inspired to write an article that evolved into a 580-page book, Kayaks of Greenland.

He’s now working on a sequel about Alaskan kayaks at the museum, which doubles as his office.

Golden estimates he’s built about 70 canoes and other vessels since 1993, and inviting the public to view some of them only seems natural for someone who has “always loved museums.”

Preparing his new museum took about 10 months.

More information can be obtained by visiting www.traditionalkayaks.com/museum,

 

EarthTalk on fracking

 

Dear EarthTalk: I have heard that fracking is becoming a major environmental issue in the U.S. Which parts of the country are already hosting fracking operations? Are there efforts underway to stop the practice in specific states or across the country?                            — Jim Ross, Toronto, ON

Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a process whereby drillers blast millions of gallons of water, sand and hazardous chemicals at high-pressure into sub-surface rock formations to create fractures that facilitate the flow of recoverable oil or gas. The technique has proven so effective at reaching previously hard-to-access reserves that it has helped spur a boom in natural gas production around the country.

This influx of domestic natural gas means lower home heating costs and thousands of new jobs in the industry, but opponents point to dozens of fracking-related accidents in recent years and worry that the technique is polluting groundwater and air and poisoning communities—all to get at more fossil fuels when we’d all be better off moving more quickly toward developing clean, renewable energy sources.

While fracking goes on all across the country, the Marcellus Shale, a layer of sedimentary bedding under the Allegheny plateau that spans nine northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States, has become America’s primary fracking grounds. Thanks to fracking and other new extraction techniques, the gas industry is now able to access the natural gas in the Shale and beginning in 2006, commenced big extraction operations in parts of western New York State, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere.

Geologists estimate there may be as much as 489 trillion cubic feet of natural gas—400 times what New York State uses in a year—throughout the Shale. The race is now on to extract as much as possible as quickly as possible.

It’s this very ‘gold rush mentality’ that has led to many so-called “fraccidents” in and around the Shale. The group Earthjustice tracks and publicizes such incidents online via its “Fracking Gone Wrong” campaign. They list dozens of examples of tainted drinking water, polluted air and industrial disasters caused or exacerbated by fracking at or near extraction sites since operations began six years ago.

“Wherever Marcellus development has occurred in Pennsylvania, reports of poisoned water, sick kids and dead animals have followed,” reports Marcellus Protest, an alliance of western Pennsylvania organizations seeking to halt fracking operations.

The group coordinates anti-fracking efforts, organizes demonstrations and produces educational materials, including the website MarcellusShale.org, a clearinghouse on fracking and related activism. Its advocacy work helped convince the Pittsburgh city council to ban fracking there back in 2010 and is now working to extend the ban to other areas in the region and beyond.

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

EarthTalk®
E – The Environmental Magazine

 

Dear EarthTalk: How eco-friendly are professional sports leagues and their teams? Which stand out especially for their green efforts?                                                        — Al Simpson, Medina, OH

 

Professional sports, like many other pursuits, are getting greener every day. While pro leagues and teams have traditionally been the last to go green, it has all changed in recent years. Maybe it’s the fact that wasting less saves money. Or that going green generates good public relations. Or that it’s just the right thing to do. Whether it’s any or all-of-the-above, professional sports certainly have never been greener.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a leading environmental non-profit, has worked with several sports teams and leagues to green their operations, and has bundled a collection of case studies into a recently released report, “Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment.” One example is how baseball’s San Francisco Giants have so far saved 171,000 kilowatt hours of energy at its stadium, AT+T Park, through a series of lighting retrofits. Another is the building of a 3-megawatt photovoltaic solar array at NASCAR’s Pocono Raceway, which offsets 3,100 metric tons of CO2 each year and provides enough power to operate the raceway and 1,000 nearby homes. Still another is basketball’s Minnesota Timberwolves’ construction of a 2.5 acre green roof that prevents annually a million gallons of storm water from spilling into the Mississippi River from atop their Minneapolis arena.

NRDC hopes its report can help educate sports professionals, their suppliers and the millions of fans that patronize the teams and their venues about the business case for greening, from achieving cost savings and enhancing brands to developing new sponsorship opportunities and strengthening community ties.

To further these goals, NRDC, along with Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc., launched the Green Sports Alliance in 2010, bringing together venue operators, team executives and scientists to exchange information and develop solutions to their environmental challenges. The findings gathered are made available to Alliance members so that they can better understand how sporting events can be performed in an environmentally sensitive manner. Alliance members represent more than 100 teams and venues from 13 different leagues.

For teams that want to go green but don’t know where to start, NRDC created a Greening Advisor program, featuring sustainability tips and green inspiration. Teams from each of North America’s major sports leagues can find treasure troves of information at the intersection of saving money and the planet.

NRDC calls the greening of pro sports “a cultural shift of historic proportions” and delights in the fact that “North America’s professional leagues, teams and venues have collectively saved millions of dollars by shifting to more efficient, healthy and ecologically intelligent operations.”

“At the same time, the sports greening movement has brought important environmental messages to millions of fans worldwide,” says NRDC. “Sport is a great unifier, transcending political, cultural, religious and socioeconomic barriers. It also wields a uniquely powerful influence [and] in so doing, promotes a non-political public commitment to environmental protection.”

CONTACTS: “Game Changer” Report, www.nrdc.org/greenbusiness/guides/sports/game-changer.asp; Green Sports Alliance, www.greensportsalliance.org; NRDC Greening Advisor, www.greensports.org.

 

EarthTalk® is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E – The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

 

Trees & Planting Scholarships

 

Friends of Trees invites homeowners in SE Portland to sign up for trees to plant with their neighbors this fall and winter. The first neighborhood planting is in the Brooklyn, Eastmoreland and Sellwood-Westmoreland neighborhoods on Saturday, Nov. 3.

The cost for a tree in the 19 SE neighborhoods where Friends of Trees is planting this year ranges from $35 to $75, except in the Woodlawn neighborhood, where street trees are free!

Friends of Trees doesn’t want the cost to keep anyone from adding trees and the good things that grow on trees to their home and neighborhood. If the cost is more than you can afford, call 503.595.0212 to sign up for a scholarship.

Help others beautify their neighborhood by donating to the scholarship fund at www. FriendsofTrees.org/Donate. Just select “Planting Scholarship Fund” from the donation category dropdown menu.

Add your name to the list of people who want trees at the website too. Each neighborhood has one planting per year, and sign-up deadlines are approximately five weeks before each planting event. Friends of Trees’ new tree selections and engaging website make ordering easy and fun.

A $35 to $75 fee includes the price of the tree, delivery, hole digging, planting assistance, stakes, and follow-up maintenance checks. You’ll also be invited to join a neighborhood potluck after the planting.

Click “Order Trees” at the website to find the planting date for your address.

Neighborhoods plantings are scheduled in Brentwood-Darlington, Brooklyn, Buckman, Creston-Kenilworth, Eastmoreland, Foster-Powell, Hosford-Abernethy, Kerns, Laurelhurst, Montavilla, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Mt. Tabor, North Tabor, Reed, Richmond, Sellwood-Westmoreland, South Tabor, Sunnyside, and Woodstock neighborhoods.

If you don’t see your neighborhood on this list, contact Andy Meeks at AndyM@FriendsofTrees.org to learn how you can bring a planting to your neighborhood.

Since 1989, Friends of Trees has planted more than 450,000 trees and native plants in Portland-Vancouver and Eugene-Springfield areas.

Questions? Visit the website at FriendsofTrees.org., email FOT@FriendsofTrees.org  or call 503.595.0212.

 

Business Beat

 

Taoist Tai Chi – Beginning Classes offered in November starting Saturday, November 3 at 10:30 am. Another class begins Tuesday, November 6  at 4:30 pm. 90 minute Beginning Classes meet once weekly for four months and the complete 108-move Taoist Tai Chi set will be instructed. The Taoist Tai Chi Center is located at 2251 NE Glisan.  For information call 503.220.5970 or see www.oregon.usa.taoist.org .

 

Ambrosia Boutique offers a warm and inviting shopping experience in the heart of Montavilla. From children’s party dresses to vintage cashmere coats, from antique buffets to vintage jewelry, you’ll find beauty at every turn. They offer high quality resale clothing, shoes and purses, suitable for both career and evening. Ambrosia Boutique, 8037 SE Stark St., 503.206.8313.

 

CHROME NW is a Design-Build-Brand firm specializing in car dealership renovations. Chrome NW uses the design-build project delivery method that cuts down on costs and time lags associated with construction administration. They add branding to the package, delivering a high quality, marketable dealership upgrade. The team consists of architects, contractors, interior designers and brand strategists who work together to create a consistent customer experience that satisfies both corporate standards and local dealership branding efforts. Located at 221 SE Main St., visit  www.chromenw.com for more information.

 

Healthy Feet Nurses are providing foot care to seniors at local Loaves and Fishes sites in the Brooklyn neighborhood. On third Wednesdays of the month at Thelma Skelton Center, 3925 SE Milwaukie Ave., and the second and fourth Thursdays of the month through IRCO at the Cherry Blossom site, 740 SE 106th. Many seniors are unable to safely perform their own foot care or due to medical problems such as diabetes should have this care done by a nurse. Contact information to make a $30 appointment is available on our website www.healthyfeetnurses.com .

 

Franklin High School Fall Band Concert – Wednesday, December 12, 7 pm, Franklin Auditorium, 5405 SE Woodward.  Free and donations are welcome too.

 

ANNUAL ADVENT CRAFT FESTIVAL–Tabor Heights Methodist Church, 6161 SE Stark St. Sunday December 2. Crafts for all ages including Christmas Swag. Crafts and refreshments 1 pm to 3 pm.  It’s a real community event and it’s FREE. T. Questions?www.taborheightschurch.org or call 503.236.7151.

 

Benefits of Shopping Locally–When you spend $100 in a locally-owned independent store, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures.  If you spend the same amount in a national chain store, only $43 stays here.  Spend $100 online and nothing comes home.

 

The Hawthorne Holiday Stroll is Saturday, Dec 1st from 12 noon to 7 pm. This festive holiday event will feature carolers, live music, family activities and great sales. Participating stores will raffle off their holiday wreath and the gifts on it. Raffle tickets will be issued to customers with a qualifying purchase. A percentage of the days sales will be donated to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanithy.

 

Buckman Historic District Update–Buckman Historic Association intends to submit a nomination for a National Register Historic District in the Buckman neighborhood to the State Historic Preservation Office November 1. The district roughly spans 12th to 20th Avenues and Morrison to Ankeny.  For more information about the district, contact Historic.Buckman@gmail.com. For information about the nomination process and timeline, contact Ian Johnson, State Historic Preservation Office, 503 986 0678, ian.johnson@state.or.us .

 

CALL TO ARTISTS: This coming year’s annual Mt. Tabor Art Walk will be held May 18 and 19, 2013. This juried event showcases the many artists who live in the Mt. Tabor neighborhood, a limited number of guest artists, and promotes high-quality visual art in a variety of media. For details, and to complete an application, visit www.MtTaborArtWalk.com.Applications, fee, and images for jurying are due January 15, 2013. Please note that the deadline is firm.

 

FREE PERSONAL GROWTH CLASS – Second Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at 1235 SE Division St., Suite 207. Taught by a licensed mental health counselor. Thursday, November 8: “Emotions 101.” Why do we get stuck in certain feelings? How can we feel better, faster? This eye-opening class tells all. Drop-in only; no registration necessary. There is no class in December. Classroom opens at 6:15 pm. Seating is limited. More information at www.tinagilbertson.com .

 

The Grant/Cleveland Ski Race Team has its annual Ski & Snowboard Swap fundraiser Nov. 9, 10, 11. The Mountain Shop on NE 37th Ave. & Sandy Blvd. has generously donated space for the event. Drop off used ski or snowboard equipment and clothing for donation or consignment between 5-8 pm, Nov. 9, or between 9 am – noon Nov. 10. Sale runs from noon to 5 pm, Nov. 10, and 11 – 3 pm, Nov. 11. All proceeds help with team expenses. For information, email grantskiteam@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook & Twitter @gcskiracer.

 

Christmas Tree Lot – Troop 351 Boy Scouts of America and Venture Crew 2012  tree lot sale will be at the SW corner of St. Ignatius parking lot at 3400 SE 43rd Ave.  This will be troop 351’s, 32nd year selling Christmas trees and wreaths. The non-profit sale funds Boy Scouts and Venture Crew’s summer camps and activities for the entire year. The sale is run by volunteer boys, girls and parents. This year they taking Visa and Mastercard for your convenience. Sales run from Saturday November 24 until Saturday December 23, weekdays from 5 to 9 pm; weekends from 9 am to 9 pm. The Cub Scouts Recycle Tree Lot will be open on December 27 through January 12, weekdays from  5 to 9 pm, weekends from 9 am to 9 pm. For information call the Tree Lot Trailer phone number 503.775.2848.

 

Leaf Day Made Easy–Urban trees are good for the city and work for everyone everyday. It’s in all of our interest to maintain them and help them flourish. Find out which Leaf Zone you’re in and when your leaves will be picked up. You can opt-out of the process too. For questions call the “Leaf Line” at 503.865.LEAF (5323). or online at www.portlandoregon.gov/leafday.

 

Compassionate Communication or Nonviolent Communication (NVC) with Dianne Emerson and Upgeya Pew.  The domination system is a standard of behavior in our society. What holds the domination system in place is not only structures of domination, but also a psychology of domination.  We’ve been trained to think and communicate in a way that enables our powerlessness, disconnection and victimization. Learn how to Occupy Peace, how to truly make the world safe for yourself and others. This process begins within each of us, within our hearts, and can expand in the way we communicate and relate with others, to encompass the world. WeekDay Group, Tuesdays, 1 – 3:30 pm, Women’s Group, Saturdays, 3 – 5:30 pm, St. Francis of Assisi Church, 1131 SE Oak St. Call 541.362.1011 for information.

 

Anything Worth Doing is the title of a book by Jo Deurbrouck. She will speak at a meeting of the Oregon Whitewater Association Nov. 14  beginning at 7 pm. The meeting will be held at Flying Pie Pizza, located at 7804 SE Stark St. and is open to the public. The book is about the lives of two wilderness raft guides who believe that ‘anything worth doing is worth overdoing’, and spending ten years trying to prove it on the West’s great wilderness rivers, and in particular, Idaho’s Salmon River, the last long free whitewater river in the lower 48. The resulting adventures, a white-knuckled adventure classic, evolve from lovely to tragic. Part of the story involves the time they spent in Portland. They stopped at Salty’s and sailed over the Columbia Bar in a 20-foot long whitewater dory.

 

 

Community News November 2012

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