Get involved in and informed about our natural surroundings.  Topics for the evening will include:

• Small watercraft dock update
• Osprey nest resurrection
• Greenway update, featuring guest speaker Liz Moorhead, Portland Parks & Recreation Greenway Project Manager
• Brainstorming session on what to attempt in 2011
  

South Waterfront 20/20 Nature & Greenspaces Committee Meeting
Monday, April 18, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Community Relations Townhome
Atwater Place, Suite 115
0841 SW Gaines Street, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Get involved in a fantastic Earth Day clean-up activity in your community.  The day will focus on cleaning up portions of the South Waterfront District, including the South Waterfront Community Garden.
Sign up for this worthwhile and fun event with Kay Dannen, 503-478-6404 or dannen@portlandstreetcar.org.

South Waterfront SOLV Earth Day Clean-Up and South Waterfront Community Garden Work Party Day
Saturday, April 16, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Meet at the Meriwether East Amenities Room
0836 SW Curry Street, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

For information regarding plans for the new Fulton Pump Station in Willamette Park, please visit Portland Water Bureau’s website at http://www.portlandonline.com/water/index.cfm?c=48846&a=323750

Fulton Pump Citizen Advisory Committee
Thursday, March 3 and Thursday, March 31, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Umpqua Bank
3606 SW Bond Avenue, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Is your furry best friend for the environment?  Help your dog put his or her best paw forward in the South Waterfront through responsible pet ownership.  Simple steps include:

• Leashing your dog – enjoy your dog’s company on-leash in the South Waterfront, for your dog’s safety as well as to show respect for wildlife, our green spaces, and your neighbors and their leashed dogs.
• Scooping the poop – special bag receptacles and garbage cans throughout the community and in all green spaces are so convenient and make this an easy step.  Who doesn’t enjoy a poop-free walk through the park?
• Letting Fido run free – responsibly.  South Waterfront is home to the South Waterfront Dog Club, the District’s only off-leash area for dogs.  Not managed by the City, maintenance of this dog park is paid for by low annual dues from its members:  South Waterfront Dog Club.  The nearest City-managed off-leash area is located at nearby Willamette Park, a half hour walk or 5 minute drive to the south:  Willamette Park Off Leash Area.  Another fun alternative is The Dog House doggie daycare, your dog’s own indoor playground, located at 3720 SW Moody:  The Dog House.

Sounds easy, right?  That’s because it is!  Take the Portland Parks & Recreation pledge so that you and your pooch can both say, “I’m for the environment!” or “Woof!”.

Follow this link for information and to get your pledge form:  Dogs for the Environment. Fill it out and send it back to the address listed.  Portland Parks will send a bright green Dogs for the Environment bandanna for your dog to proudly sport around town.

Portland Parks & Recreation is planning to step up education and enforcement of the leash and poop-scooping laws – violation of either of these laws may result in a $150 fine.  If you notice violations at specific times of day/locations within the South Waterfront, feel free to call 503-823-DOGS to let Portland Parks know.

Let’s all be for the environment!

The Zidell South Waterfront cleanup project is underway!  Results of this complex project will include:

• Improving riparian and aquatic habitats for fish and wildlife and improving ecological functions at the site;
• Capping over 16 acres of riverbank and river bottom to isolate contaminants from the environment;
• Planting more than 200 native trees and 15,000 native shrubs, covering more than 4 acres of land. These plantings will replace current 2.1 acres of vegetation, only 0.1 acres of which is native plants; the rest consists of large areas of invasive Himalayan blackberry and butterfly bush; and
• Removing more than 2,100 old, treated wood pilings from the river to improve habitat.

Visit http://zidell.com/cleanup.html for more information about the project, including updates, detailed plans, and a time line.

The March 2011 issue of Sunset Magazine features a lovely paragraph about our own Elizabeth Caruthers Park.  Find it on page 39 in an article titled, “Chasing spring: a guide for 2011″.  The park is listed number 16 in a list of Sunset’s Top 20 spring day trips.

The paragraph mentions how easy it is to get to Elizabeth Caruthers on the streetcar and encourages readers to “Grab Vietnamese sandwiches or salads from Bambuza…, then stroll beside wetlands with pops of purple and yellow flowers.  Spread a blanket on the sloping lawn, let the kids frolic in the fountain, and clamber over wooden beams stacked like pickup sticks.”  The paragraph finishes with an invitation to return in summer for fantastic movies in the park.

Passionate about Terwilliger Parkway, Portland’s most significant habitat, scenic, and recreation corridor?

Come help Friends of Terwilliger and Portland Parks plan the centennial celebration happening in 2012. Bring your ideas, energy, and talents; we’ll provide the atmosphere and refreshments.

Friends of Terwilliger
Thursday, March 10, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Umpqua Bank
3606 SW Bond Avenue, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Join the South Waterfront Nature & Greenspaces Committee for a lively discussion of topics, including:

• Portland Parks & Recreation Update – Greenway Development Project and Dogs – Offleash Concerns
• Zidell Property Update
• River Study
• South Waterfront Dock Update
• Community Garden Update
• Heron and Osprey

Nature & Greenspaces Committee Meeting
Tuesday, February 22, 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Mirabella
3550 SW Bond Avenue, Portland, OR Map It

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Dog Park Reopened for the Winter
The South Waterfront Dog Club is reopened for winter after reseeding the grass in October. A group of South Waterfront residents started the South Waterfront Dog Club in order to give their dogs a place to run off-leash. Membership in the Dog Park is only available to South Waterfront residents. All activities in the park are done by volunteer members and are funded by donations or volunteer work. Right now the ground is still very damp, so only part of the Park is available for use.

Please go to the Dog Club website for more information.

Dog Park Closed
The South Waterfront Dog Club is closed until further notice for grass re-seeding. Our thanks to the many volunteers who gave of their time, energy and monetary donations to help prepare and fund the field for seeding. Please go to the Dog Club website for more information.