Get active. Explore The Intertwine and become active in The Intertwine Alliance

Ross Island Vision Team: Envisioning Ross Island
The Institute has produced, with its partners at the Willamette Riverkeeper, Audubon Society of Portland, Greenworks landscape architecture, architects, and landscape architects a plan for Ross Island, Envisioning Ross Island (.pdf), which lays out scenarios for how Ross and its sister islands Hardtack, East and Toe, might be managed as a unit with the Holgate Channel and the 160-acre city-owned Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge as an urban wildlife refuge complex, public natural area park, and place to contemplate nature in the heart of downtown Portland.

Bi-State Trail Plan Unveiled The long awaited Bi-State Trail Plan was released at a meeting of The Intertwine Alliance on April 9th in downtown Vancouver, Washington. The plan contains information regarding the values of a regional trail network and displays 37 regional trail elements of the proposed regional system. The plan was created by the Urban Greenspaces Institute, National Park Service's Rivers and Trails Conservation Assistance Program, Metro Sustainability Center and Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation. To read the plan click here.

Oregon Public Broadcasting features Portland Memorial Mausoleum mural project. On April 15th OPB's Art Beat Program ran a 10 minute special feature on the 50,000 square foot wetland mural that the Urban Greenspaces Institute collaborated with ArtFX Murals to produce on the Portland Memorial Mausoleum overlooking 160-acre Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. Click here to view OPBs video.

Urban Greenspaces Institute participates in creating an agricultural and natural resources map for Metro's Urban and Rural Reserves planning.

October 2nd and 3rd Dedication of Portland Memorial Mausoleum and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge Mural, the nation's largest hand painted mural
[See photo]
[Download invitation]

UGI National Advisory Board member, Jon Kulser , honored by the Association of Wetland Scientists with Lifetime Achievement Award

Institute Director Mike Houck receives The Garden Club of America Club Conservation Commendation from the Portland Garden Club, Wednesday, June 11, 2009

Memorial Mausoleum Mural Completed!

Quiet, No Wake Zone For Holgate Channel and Ross Island

Wild in the City Field Trips - Exploring Regional Greenspaces by Kayak, Bike and Foot

Urban Green, A Radio Documentary on Green Planning in Portland.

Quiet, No Wake Zone For Holgate Channel and Ross Island

The Urban Greenspaces Institute, Willamette Riverkeeper, Audubon Society of Portland, and Friends of Ross Island are petitioning the Oregon State Marine Board to establish a No Wake Zone for the Holgate Channel between Ross, Hardtack, and East Islands and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge. We are also asking to establish a non-motorized zone in the Ross Island lagoon.

View the Ross Island No-wake and Non-motorized Zones fact sheet

View The Oregonian editorial on the no-wake zone:

Our objective is to create a safe, peaceful area for canoeists and kayakers east of the islands, reduce impacts to eroding banks and restored habitat and reduce disturbance to wildlife. We need your help to accomplish these objectives.

There are two ways that you can support this effort: The first is to write a letter of support. The second is to become a co-petitioner if you belong to an organized group, especially a paddling group.

How To Write A Letter of Support

Use the template letter [MS Word] or [PDF] and, in your own words write your support letter, including your name, organization if any, address, phone and email address if you have one. Send as a Word document to: Mike Houck, mikehouck@urbangreenspaces.org.

To Be A Co-Petitioner

We need to receive your hard copy letter and intent to become a co-petitioner as soon as possible so we can proceed to assemble our petition [MS Word] or [PDF] and submit it in to the Marine Board in a timely manner. We will need your co-petitioner signature in ink on an original that is mailed in to us. It is particularly helpful to have co-petitioners who represented businesses, community groups or river related activities. Send your signed copy of the petition to: Urban Greenspaces Institute, No Wake Zone Project, P O Box 6903, Portland, OR 97228-6903.

Do NOT send your letters or petitions directly to the Marine Board!

Click here for contact information for the Institute.