Announcement

Birds Galore! When: Wed Apr 11, 2012 5PM-6PM Where: Columbia Slough Water Quality Facility 19595 NE Sandy Blvd Get Map!

Let's do lunch
Join Metro Naturalist James Davis for a lunchtime birding tour at a hidden wetland in Gresham.

Look for songbirds and spring migrants before settling down to a delicious lunch provided by the Columbia Slough Watershed Council.

RSVP required below.

You know the old saying, "spring ahead, fall back"...

Set your clocks ahead 1 hour Sunday 2AM

It's time to spring ahead! Daylight saving time 2012 officially begins this Sunday, March 11 at 2:00AM (local time) -- remember to set your clocks ahead one hour to 3:00AM when you go to bed Saturday night.

It's also the perfect time to install a fresh battery in your smoke detectors.

About Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time (DST) — aka summer time is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn.

Most of the United States and Canada observe DST beginning the second Sunday in March and ending the first Sunday in November -- almost two-thirds of the year.

(More on the history of Daylight Saving Time below the break)

Public Invited to Attend When :Tue & Wed Mar 13-14, 2011 Where: Gresham City Hall East Hill Church Details below

Transportation and economic development plan being discussed for Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village.

Metro regional government is offering two community forums, March 13 & 14, to learn about and participate in the East Metro Connections Plan.

Investing in Gresham and the East Metro area
Federal and state money is shrinking, and when the region makes difficult decisions about who gets it, they reward those cities that agree on near- and long-term priorities. Through an effort called East Metro Connections Plan, Gresham and other east county cities are developing that shared agreement.

Metro will be advocating for federal and state transportation money to make our area more attractive to employers while protecting our neighborhoods, making our roads safer and promoting our treasured natural areas.

Many of you have participated in this effort already. Your input helped identify problems and shaped the solutions Metro is considering. But your role isn’t over. Decisions will be made this spring about how investments will be prioritized. Metro want you to weigh in to tell them what is most important to you.

Participate in person

Other ways to be involved

• Participate online and discover what we learned over the last year, such as why we don’t need a Mount Hood freeway, at www.oregonmetro.gov/eastmetro
• Get email updates by sending a request to eastmetroconnections@oregonmetro.gov
• Request a briefing for your neighborhood association or local event
• Come to a steering committee meeting share your comments; their next meeting is on March 14 from 2-4PM at East Hill Church (see above)

Weed Watcher Workshop When: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7PM-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall SpringwaterTrail Room 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

What spring weeds cause problems here? Help us fight off Gresham’s weedy invaders by participating as a Weed Watcher.

The Spring Weeds workshop will cover milk thistle, bull thistle, Scotch thistle, yellow archangel, shining geranium, morning glory, garlic mustard, Russian knapweed and Tree of Heaven.

Free workshop. No RSVP required

Help us fight off Gresham’s weedy invaders by participating as a Weed Watcher in our Early Detection, Rapid Response Program. By familiarizing yourself with problem weeds in our area, you can help us stop these plants in their tracks.

All you have to do is attend one (or all) of our free invasive weed ID classes and use your new plant ID skills to alert us to weeds in Gresham. With your help, we can keep our city and homes weed free.

Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations When: Tue Mar 13, 2012 7PM-8:30PM Where: Gresham City Hall Oregon Trail Room 1333 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

Public welcome
The Coalition of Gresham Neighborhood Associations was formed to provide structure and support for the leadership of Gresham's neighborhood associations, enabling more effective cooperation among neighborhood associations in order to achieve desired outcomes. Goals of the Coalition include providing a public forum for the review and evaluation of issues and problems, providing education and information on specific areas such as land use, and providing a unified voice for the neighborhood associations.

The Coalition meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 7:00PM

1874 Zimmerman House. Click to Enlarge

Welcome Spring! When: Sat Mar 17, 2012 10AM-3PM Where: Zimmerman Park 17111 NE Sandy Blvd Gresham, OR Get Map!

A lasting vestige of East Multnomah County's agricultural roots

A delightful 1874 Victorian farmhouse
Take a step back into history at the Zimmerman House, a Victorian era farmhouse, built in 1874 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This beautiful farmhouse is a perfect reflection of typical Columbia River dairy farm life in the late 1800s. The Zimmerman Heritage Farm is a unique cultural education and recreational resource that is being created for the benefit of the public on a 5.98-acre historic site in Gresham, Oregon.

When: Mon Mar 19, 2011 7PM Where: St Aidan's Episcopal Church Murdock Hall 17405 NE Glisan St Gresham, OR Get Map!

Neighborhood Meeting, Everyone's Invited

Join Your Neighbors. Get involved. Make a difference!

Save the date
Be sure to save Monday, March 19th at 7:00 PM for the Wilkes East Neighborhood General Meeting. The meeting will be held at St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 17405 NE Glisan St, Portland, Oregon. Get map!

Topics & Guests
Highlights will include: Neighborhood Update, By-Laws change approval and special guest speakers: Valerie Beck, Director of Marketing, MedCure Inc;
Steve Messinetti, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity; Mike Bowling, Plant Leader, Owens Corning; Dan Blue, Recycling Coordinator, City of Gresham; and former Gresham City Councilor Dick Strathern.

Who should attend?
This meeting is open to all residents and businesses in the Wilkes East Neighborhood!

Be A Part Of Your Community, Plan To Attend.

Click to enlarge

Raptor Road Trip 2012 When: Sat Feb 4, 2012 9AM-2PM Where: Sauvie Island Meet: Kruger's Farm Market 18330 NW Sauvie Island Rd Portland, OR Get Map!

Cost: $10 per vehicle

Annual event celebrates birds of prey
Explore Sauvie Island in search of magnificent bald eagles, hawks and falcons that spend the winter on the island. On this special day devoted to raptors, experienced naturalists and hawk experts host activities and answer your questions at four locations around the island. Enjoy guided bird viewing, meet live raptors up close and sharpen your hawk identification skills. Hot drinks and donuts are available in the morning to keep you warm while you breakfast with the birds.

How does the road trip work?
Begin at Kruger’s Farm Market and pick up your event map and raptor identification guide. The event fee is $10 per vehicle, cash only, and includes a Sauvie Island Wildlife Area parking permit.

When: Thu Feb 2, 2012 6-8PM Where: Gresham City Hall Conference Room 3A 1333 NW Eastman Pkwy Gresham OR Get Map!

About the meeting
The Charter Review Committee will present its final report of findings and recommendations to the City Council, February 7, 2012 at 6:00PM. Council will discuss which recommendations will be referred to the voters. Proposed Charter changes approved by City Council, if any, will be placed on the May 2012 ballot. The proposed changes can be found here.

Council Meeting Agendas, Minutes, and Videos available here.

Charter Review Committee website

Board Meeting, Public Welcome When :Tue Feb 7, 2011 6:30-8PM Where: Margaret Scott Elementary School 14700 NE Sacramento Portland OR Get Map!

Save the Date
Wilkes Community Group is holding their February Board Meeting on Tuesday Feb 7th from 6:30-8PM at the Margret Scott Elementary School Library.

Agenda

• 6:30 PM   Call to order
      Minutes - Joyce Ley, Secretary
      Treasurer’s Report
      Police Report - Neighborhood Response Teams:
      East Precinct - Louis Seals, Tim Mast, Steve Albert
      North Precinct - Eric Zajac, Kelly Kindrick, Pete McConnell, Miguel Olmos, Brad Kula
• 6:45 PM   Discussion and vote for Movies in the Park special donations account
• 7:00 PM   Recap from Joyce Ley on what’s happening at the Wilkes Creek Headwaters New Park site
• 7:15 PM   bigail Cermak from the Brownfield Program will explore possible grant options for use towards developing a master plan for the Wilkes Creek Headwaters New Park site
• 7:55 PM   Movie in the Park announcements
• 8:00 PM   Adjourn

Board meetings are open to the public. All are welcome to attend.