Wednesday, June 17, 2009

North Portland Sunday Parkways is THIS Sunday!

North Portland Sunday Parkways Is Great For Families

Kids' Bike Rides, Jumping Rope, Hula Hooping, and Ice Cream


North Portland Sunday Parkways, sponsored by the City of Portland and Kaiser Permanente, offers families an opportunity to get out in their neighborhood streets for some safe and free summer activities. You are invited to walk, bike, skateboard, run, and roll on 7.5 miles of traffic-free streets in North Portland on June 21. There will be music, activities (such as hula hooping, yoga, kids' circus), and food.


The 7.5-mile North Sunday Parkways two-way route will have two loops. A 3.2-mile loop through Kenton and Arbor Lodge neighborhoods; and a 4.5-mile loop connecting Arbor Lodge and Piedmont neighborhoods via the Bryant Pedestrian Bridge and North Ainsworth. The scenic Willamette Bluff will once again be enjoyed. There is no start or finish line - join the fun where ever you want!


North Portland Sunday Parkways:

June 21 in North Portland - 9 AM to 4 PM


Featured parks/activity areas: Arbor Lodge, Peninsula and Kenton Parks, plus Willamette Bluff - Click here for a list of activities, food and entertainment. Below is just a small sampling:


* Hoopshine - Hula hooping for the kids and the kid in all of us.

* Safer Routes to School bicycle skills rodeos - Safer Routes to School, Providence Bridge Pedal and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, are hosting a short bike skills training course and ride for children. Kids without a bicycle can borrow one for the skills rodeo and ride.

* The Jumping Jackie O's - Jumping rope all day long.

* And, of course, The Ice Cream Pedaler - what summer event is complete without ice cream? Served along the route by bike.




RIDER READY WORKSHOPS AT SUNDAY PARKWAYS

Free bike skills training courses and rides for children are being offered at all Sunday Parkways events this year.


Safer Routes to School, in partnerships with Providence Bridge Pedal and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance are hosting these free workshops to help families with children get ready to ride safe all summer long. Professional bike safety educators will teach bike skills and lead group rides. Bike maintenance, helmet give-aways and helmet fittings will be available on site. Kids of all ages (as long as they can ride a bicycle already) are welcome.


Do you need a bike for the event? Bikes will be available for children who need to borrow one for the skills course and ride. For information on organizing groups contact Carolina Iraheta Gonzalez at Carolina.Iraheta@trans.ci.portland.or.us or 503-823-1189.



BE A SUNDAY PARKWAYS "SUPERHERO"

Volunteers are the life-blood of Portland Sunday Parkways. They do everything from mailings, distributing door hangers and lawn signs, stuffing packets, sweeping the routes, and much more. But we reserve our "Superheroes" title for those Sunday Parkways volunteers who help us monitor the over 110 intersections along the route.


Superheroes (in addition to having a cool title, don't you think?) get a supply of chalk to decorate their own spot along the course, are lavished with snacks and water donated by some of our sponsor businesses, and make sure that those residents who live along the route can safely navigate to and from the route if they need to get out of their driveways.


To leap tall bikes; to change the direction of traffic; to be a superhero! click on the link and register as a volunteer. The world (and our volunteer coordinators) will thank you.


WE NEED YOU!
You can help make this event a success by volunteering, leading a fun activity or donating. We have plenty of fun-filled volunteer opportunities. Be the first on your block to sign up and volunteer for this great event. We have several shifts so you can work for part of the time and still participate in the event.


Volunteer Info

Check out the volunteer job descriptions and register today!

Volunteers are needed to monitor intersections, assist in parks, and more. For specific questions contact Janis McDonald: Janis.Mcdonald@PDXtrans.org, 503-823-5358.





Monday, June 15, 2009

Levee vegetation clearing

Just a reminder:

On June 18th and 19th - that's this Thursday and Friday - a crew contracted by Pen2 will be cutting blackberries, grass and invasive weeds form the river side of the levee.

They will NOT be cutting trees!

They will though be using chainsaws so be prepared for the noise :D

Questions? Call:

Adam Zucker 503.281.5675 ext 308

or Bob Eaton 503.281.5675 ext 301

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Levees and Trees - still in the news

COLUMBIA, La. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers is on a mission to chop down every tree in the country that grows within 15 feet of a levee — including oaks and sycamores in Louisiana, willows in Oklahoma and cottonwoods in California.
Cut em down is still the Army Corps of Engineers mantra.
Experts outside the corps say a tree has never caused a U.S. levee failure.

"If trees are a problem, why aren't we having problems with them?" said George Sills, who formerly worked for the corps' Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Miss. "There's never been a documented problem with a tree."
And Halpin, the corps' dam and levee expert,
said the agency does not know whether a tree has ever directly caused a levee failure. But he noted that dam failures have been linked to trees, including a 1970s collapse in Georgia that claimed 39 lives.
And so because a dam failed maybe due to a tree - levees will lose trees. As we said when I was a kid: "clear as mud."

Full article: http://cli.gs/Vb5H0E