Leisure

Saving Our Streams When: Sat, May 15, 2021 9AM-1PM Where: Online workshop

Learn how to landscape for clean water and healthy habitat from the safety and comfort of home.

In this workshop, get to know the practice of designing your landscape so it reduces water use and decreases stormwater runoff . while saving you time, money and energy.

Learn more and register.

These free online classes are offered by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. For more information, contact the EMSWCD office at 503-222-7645.

Seeking Volunteers When: Sun, May 16, 2021 1PM-3:30PM Where: Online workshop<

Learn how to landscape for clean water and healthy habitat from the safety and comfort of home.

In this workshop, get to know the most common garden and landscape weeds, plus some notorious plant invaders in our area. We'll teach you some simple tips to try without turning to synthetic herbicides.

Learn more and register.

These free online classes are offered by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. For more information, contact the EMSWCD office at 503-222-7645.

Beautiful & Delicious When: Sat, May 22, 2021 9AM-11:30AM Where: Online workshop Get Map!

Learn how to landscape for clean water and healthy habitat from the safety and comfort of home.

In this workshop, get the insight and tools to add edible plants into your landscape, from annual veggies and herbs to perennial berries and fruit trees. With design tips, soil and water conservation in mind.

Learn more and register.

These free online classes are offered by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. For more information, contact the EMSWCD office at 503-222-7645.

Family-friendly Fun! When: Sat, May 22, 2021 2PM- Where: Rockwood's Migration Brewing Get Map!

Portland Columbia Symphony is bringing its popular family concerts to Rockwood at Migration Brewing.

Experience the arts with live music outside in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere

The tickets are free, but will be required. Come enjoy live music in person at one of three all-ages summer concerts:

• Saturday, May 22
• Saturday, June 12
• Saturday, July 10

Learn more at Portland Columbia Symphony. Contact the box office at 503-234-4077 or info@pcsymphony.org.

This program is sponsored by the City's Arts and Cultural Grants.

Learn, Share, Grow When: Wed, May 26, 2021 9AM-11:30 am Where: Online workshop

Learn how to landscape for clean water and healthy habitat from the safety and comfort of home.

In this workshop, meet the beetles, bugs, flies, lacewings and other invertebrates (spiders!) that work around the clock to provide free pest control, aka the good guys.

Learn more and register.

These free online classes are offered by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District. For more information, contact the EMSWCD office at 503-222-7645.

Let's Grow Together! When: Sun, Apr 04, 2021 1PM-3:30PM Where: Online workshop

Learn how to landscape for clean water and healthy habitat from the safety and comfort of home.

In this workshop, get advice for how to include edible plants in your landscape, from annual veggies and herbs to berries and fruit trees.

Learn more and register

These free online classes are offered by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.

For more information, contact the EMSWCD office at 503-222-7645.

Join the Fun! When: Mon, Apr 05, 2021 7PM-8PM Where: Online Virtual Event

Get ready for Cello Jam with the Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra.

First Monday Music and More virtual concerts are free and feature local artists and performances. Learn more about Cello Jam and watch it live on Facebook or MetroEast Community Media channels.

Music Mondays is presented by the Gresham Center for the Arts Foundation and community sponsors. For more information, call 503-489-1157.

Gardening Workshop When: Tue, Apr 06, 2021 6:30PM-8PM Where: Online via Zoom

Learn how to improve your garden's health and our environment by growing organically.

Gresham Japanese Garden volunteer Jim Buck will offer instruction about soil preparation, planting succession tips, companion planting, avoiding diseases, different types of composting, and elements of permaculture.

This is a free class hosted on Zoom.

Register to attend the class. The Zoom link will be sent to you before the class.

Learn more about the Gresham Japanese Garden or email info@GreshamJapaneseGarden.com.

PMG PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER KEIZUR - Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall celebrated the youths maintaining Nadaka Nature Park during a visit Thursday morning, March 11.

Source: Gresham Outlook, March 16 2021
By Christopher Keizur

Nonprofit Play Grow Learn celebrates youth-oriented efforts at Nadaka Nature Park

When the winter ice storm hit East Multnomah County earlier this year, it wreaked havoc on a popular Rockwood greenspace.

Nadaka Nature Park had been buffeted by rain, sleet, snow and high-winds. Branches fell across the 10-acre property, young trees had been uprooted, pathways destroyed, and the community garden was a mess.

But for the youths who have been working at Nadaka for the past year, the damage was not daunting. Instead they rolled up their sleeves, grabbed their shovels, and got to work.

"This park is beautiful," said 19-year-old Rico Garland. "We all care about it and helping our community."

Twice a week, 20 youths have been working at Nadaka Nature Park, 17615 N.E. Glisan St., through the nonprofit Play Grow Learn. They plant, weed, and clean the park to ensure it remains a safe and fun place for local families to visit.

The Play Grow Learn youths, ages 15-24, all receive a stipend for their work, and are helping fill the gaps in Gresham when it comes to funding and maintaining parks. For those kids, Play Grow Learn led to the first time they had ever visited Nadaka, despite it being in their community.

"They want to work and take ownership of the park," said Germaine Flentroy, program coordinator with Play Grow Learn. "All it takes is one opportunity."

Now, if not for the youths, the state of Nadaka would be in a much more dire place.

"I'm so grateful (they) are helping maintain this park, because the city isn't able to," said Lee Dayfield, the creative force behind Nadaka.

PMG PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER KEIZUR - The youths led Gresham leaders on a tour of everything they have accomplished at Nadaka in the past year.

On Thursday, March 11, those kids were able to showcase their hard work to Gresham Mayor Travis Stovall, who visited Nadaka to learn more about Play Grow Learn's efforts.

The mayor walked along a newly constructed path through the wooded area, toured the gardens where community members are learning to grow their own healthy produce, and admired the dozens of trees that have been planted. He even got a lesson on how to propagate new plants from cuttings.

"What Play Grow Learn is accomplishing here is incredibly important and impressive," Stovall said. "The best part was listening to their passion about planting trees."

The tour was also a chance for the youths to connect with the new leader of their city. Many were excited to meet "someone famous," and used the opportunity to speak with Stovall about what their communities need.

And of course, they were proud to show Stovall all that has been accomplished at Nadaka.

"Do you see that — we planted those trees," Garland said.

Fund-amental problem

For many years it has been the same song, different tune in Gresham — the city does not have the funding to support parks. The problems began two decades ago with a pair of ballot measures passed in Gresham that hamstrung the city's ability to fund greenspaces.

PMG PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER KEIZUR - Mayor Travis Stovall spoke about the need to find funding mechanisms for Greshams parks.

The votes set a permanent property tax that was the second lowest in the state.

In 1990, Gresham's property taxes paid for 100% of police and fire services. Now, those taxes are only able to foot 40% of those expenses. And the lion's share goes to public safety, leaving parks to wither.

"It's about funding mechanisms to get our parks to a new level," Stovall said.

One solution would be to form a parks district, which the city is investigating with a feasibility study. The district would have the power to construct, reconstruct, alter, enlarge, operate and maintain lakes, parks, recreation grounds and buildings; acquire necessary lands; and to call necessary elections after being formed.

But it is difficult to implement, and necessitates city leadership lessening control over greenspaces and a successful public vote. Other solutions include a new parks utility fee; increasing the existing Police-Fire-Parks fee; or vying for an Operations Levy/Bond Measure, which would collect from property taxes.

A group within the community, including Dayfield and other leaders at Nadaka, have also requested participatory budgeting when it comes to parks, which allows for community input in how to spend funds.

"Years ago the city had to cut parks and recreation programs, which was really hard on the community," said Keri Handaly, who works with the Nadaka kids through Gresham's water resources division. "Programs like Play Grow Learn help bring back those needed services."

While there are no easy answers, the work being done by youths at Nadaka highlight a potential future for the city's parks.

"We are doing the stuff that otherwise isn't going to get done, and showing the city what can be accomplished with a shoestring budget," said Anthony Bradley, executive director of Play Grow Learn.

Seeking support

PMG PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER KEIZUR - Play Grow Learn youths are filling in the gaps at Nadaka Nature Park.

Play Grow Learn is thriving at Nadaka thanks to a coalition of partners all coming together. Friends of Nadaka lends guidance and has continued its ambassador program.

Vanessa Chambers and Rhonda Combs continuing oversight at the park, tidying the playground and ensuring the space remains safe and welcome to the many families who visit.

City staff and Friends of Trees visit to provide expertise; Adam Kohl and Outgrowing Hunger operate the community garden and assist in securing grants; East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District provides funding; and Metro Regional Government and East County Rising both have backed the nonprofit organization.

The latest partnership is with PGE Project Zero, which will send two interns this summer to help Play Grow Learn at Nadaka.

"The program connects young folks with meaningful employment," Taaj Armstrong, cohort dean for Project Zero's green jobs internship program. "We are so excited to partner with Play Grow Learn."

But everything Play Grow Learn is accomplishing remains on unstable ground.

"This all could be gone tomorrow," Flentroy said. "We are surviving on short-term grants and solutions."

Play Grow Learn requires more support to keep going, and they hope the visit from Mayor Stovall might signal future backing from the city of Gresham. The nonprofit organization needs more stable funding and in-kind support to continue teaching youths skills and keeping them out of dangerous situations.

"I believe the support is out there," Bradley said.

If they can secure it, Play Grow Learn has a bright vision for Gresham. They want similar programs in every East Multnomah County park, with teams of teens caring for greenspaces, learning valuable skills, and finding future employment opportunities.

"We all have to do our part to represent and teach kids of color," Flentroy said.

Support Play Grow Learn
To volunteer or provide donations to Play Grow Learn to back its efforts to teach youths valuable skills, email Anthony Bradley anthonybradleypgl@gmail.com or Germaine Flentroy gflentroypgl@gmail.com.

This story first appeared in The Outlook. Support community newspapers. Subscribe at http://savinglocalnews.com

Seeking Volunteers When: Thu, Jan 07, 2021 via Zoom Time: 2:00PM-3:30PM & 6:00PM-7:30PM Where: Via Zoom

Gresham residents may participate in our COVID-safe bird survey this winter to help the City collect information about local bird populations and habitat needs. The City is offering free online training to all interested volunteers. Experience is not required, and training is open to all ages. Families are encouraged to join in.

The bird survey training will include:

• How to identify birds.
• How to use a bird survey application that will allow you to upload your findings to an international bird database.

A smartphone or computer is required. All other materials will be provided.

Two trainings are available via Zoom:

• Thursday Jan. 7, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm
• Thursday Jan. 7, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm

RSVP to receive the training invitation.

For more information, contact Marissa.Eckman@GreshamOregon.gov

Learn more about the City's bird surveys.