Summer 2015

Welcome to the summer 2015 edition of the Friends of Baltimore Woods e-newsletter. It’s time again to share news of our ongoing work to bring a native oak woodland to the riverbank in St. Johns. We invite your feedback and participation.

Upcoming Events:

St. John’s Farmers Market Community Table Saturday, June 27, 9am-2pm @ St. Johns Plaza

Marvels in the Meadows

By Mark Hitchcox

“There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.” So wrote Aristotle, over New FoBW Stream Team 2300 years ago. Although science and techCaptains nology have progressed our understanding of Jerrad Bracamonte, nature, Aristotle’s quote still rings true today. Mark Hill, To find those marvelous things these days, we Jim Barnas, sometimes need to look a little harder, move a Susan Gere, little slower, or just stop—and observe. Amira El-Cherbini and This spring and summer, Baltimore Woods Doug Biolo volunteers will be focusing their nature observations on the meadows, looking for small but significant visitors, the pollinating insects. small helper planting milkweed Pollinators play an important role in helping flowering plants reproduce, and most fruits and vegetables that we eat rely on the activity of busy bees, butterflies, and other insects. What pollinators are visiting the meadows in our neighborhood? That’s a question we hope to answer. With the help of volunteers and students, we will conduct observations, taking notes on the types of butterflies and bees,

Congratulations!

Mark Hitchcox and other volunteers transplant milkweed in the meadow for the butterfly monitoring project

to provide a baseline of information on the diversity of insect pollinators visiting Baltimore Woods. Observations at Baltimore Woods may contribute to larger conservation studies of native bumblebees and monarch butterflies (Danius plexippus). Do monarchs visit Portland? Do they breed here? Although Multnomah County is not considered a major migratory pathway for most of the western monarch population, there are historic occurrence records for the Portland area (Xerces Society 2014). As a part of their restoration efforts, the Friends of Baltimore Woods (FoBW), with assistance from Portland Parks and Recreation, are enhancing the native milkweed in Baltimore Woods Meadow. Pollinator observations this spring and summer will also monitor for any visiting monarch butterfly activity. Volunteers can make special observations of milkweed plots, recording simple notes to document observations about butterfly behaviors, such as nectaring, courtship, or ovipositing (egg laying), or whether any caterpillars or pupae are observed on the milkweed.

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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The project is looking for interested volunteers. For more information please contact [email protected]. You could be the first to record monarch activity in Baltimore Woods! Or perhaps, for you, your prize comes from just standing in a meadow, surrounded by purple blossoming iris, lupines, and grasses, observing the marvelous things that nature may reveal.

ThanksWade! We’d like to give a special shout out to Wade Hockett.

For the third year running, the FoBW plant sale has had the benefit of his generosity with use of his large box-truck to transport plants from Bosky Dell Natives to the sale site.

Also, Wade has independently planted two large Oregon white oaks at his property on Decatur. If you tune in to KBOO at noon every other Monday, you can hear some of his vast collection of Western swing and country music on his show, Noontime Jamboree.

Native Plants Find New Homes

By Caroline Skinner

FoBW’s annual native plant sale in St. Johns Plaza offered a wide array of vigorous and healthy native plants for sunny and shady conditions, and for spaces large and small, with something for just about any yard or garden. It’s a good feeling to know that hundreds of native plants have been placed all over north Portland to help enhance our overall habitat for wildlife. Unlike last year’s all-day, non-stop cold rain, we had ideal plant sale weather this year, cool with cloudy skies but no rain. Our shoppers bought everything from camas and ferns to cascara and Pacific yew, and many other wonderful plants from Bosky Dell Native Plants, of West Linn, and the Scappoose Bay Native Plant Nursery. A large group of volunteers, expertly organized by FoBW volunteer coordinator Amira ElCherbini, made this sale possible. We also thank FoBW treasurer Martha Shelley for her important role as head cashier.

FoBW Executive Director Barb Quinn noted, “We so kicked it this year! What a team effort everyone! We went from a gross of $5,489 last year to around $8,773 this year! It’s not only about gaining funds to help us do our work but all those native plants going out into the community. The birds will be eating those native fruit and seeds from our plants and spreading those around instead of invasive plant seeds. Who knows what the cumulative effect could be!” Amira El-Cherbini added, “Our native plant sale enhanced awareness of the Friends of Baltimore Woods and our mission to restore our local wildlife corridor. We made new friends in the community while increasing gross sales this year by over 55%! Remember, the plants we sold will also be a big help for native bees, butterflies, other native insects, and birds. I hope to see all of you soon at another FoBW event!” We greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication of event organizers Mark Hill and Barbara Quinn, and we need to give special recognition to Betsy Valle for her successful effort to modernize our checkout system using Square to make electronic payments. It allowed us to have two payment lines, one for cash and one for debit and credit cards. The payment process seemed much faster this year. Betsy’s home-made Square stand is totally cool. ReClaim It, at 1 NE Killingsworth Street (reclaimitpdx.org), provided the idea and materials gleaned from Metro Central Transfer Station. Betsy’s Square stand swivels

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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Thank

you!

Tulip Bakery

for donating pastries for our Earth Day work party!

and comes complete with decorative touches and a folding handle. Way to innovate! Betsy commented, “We had beautiful plants from Bosky Dell and Scappoose Bay Watershed Nursery. Plants were set out and sold by 40 volunteers! How smoothly it went this year. It took two hours set up and just one to clean up.” Our expert sign-maker Erin Brown said, “Thank you to all the volunteers! Many hands made light work. I’m already looking forward to next year.” Thanks also to our guest tablers from the Backyard Habitat program and Neighbors for Clean Air. Happy planting everyone!

from the nursery. Mix compost into your soil before you plant, especially if your soil has poor drainage.

Mulch matters - Mulching retains moisture and suppresses weeds. Woodchips, bark, hazelnut shells and other items can be used as mulch for various needs. Most mulches should be spread about three inches deep.

Water well - Well-chosen native plants and shrubs thrive without irrigation once they’re established, but they will need to be watered in the warm season for the first two or three years.

Information from Metro on Spring Gardening— Success with Native Plants

From Nature News Monthly Digest, 3/26/15

The gardening season came early this year. These tips can help ensure your success.

Native Big Leaf Lupine

Plant natives - Plants native to the region— in these parts, that’s largely the Willamette Valley—are best for birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. Pick ones adapted to the sun, soil, and water of the spot where you plan to plant. Vary size and shape Even in pots on a porch you can layer your landscape with low-growing ground covers, annuals and perennials, medium and tall shrubs, and trees. Layered landscapes offer attractive shelter for birds and other beneficial wildlife that help your garden grow.

Compost improves soil structure You can make your own compost from yard trimmings and food wastes, or buy it

Create a Healthier Yard with Backyard Habitat

From Portland General Electric’s March 2015 Update

PGE supports the Backyard Habitat Certification Program as it expands to Gresham and Fairview. Background: The Backyard Habitat Certification Program, from Columbia Land Trust and the Audubon Society of Portland, teaches residents how to garden with native plants and create yards that are healthy for people and wildlife. The goal: Plant roots, create a habitat and transform the world—one yard at a time. Where: Already in Portland and Lake Oswego, the program recently expanded to Gresham and Fairview. How it works: A Backyard Habitat technician conducts a site assessment ($35) and provides a report with plant recommendations. Homeowners dig in and start restoring habitat. Plant discounts, yard tours, workshops,

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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and a tip-filled e-newsletter help the transformation. Completed restorations earn a “Certified Backyard Habitat” sign. Plus, homeowners get to enjoy the birds and other wildlife that visit their yards. For more information, visit www.backyardhabitats.org.

April 26 Capacity-Building Update

By Howard Harrington

FoBW member Sylvia Allen makes a point in the capacity building meeting

FoBW continues to focus on the capacity building project started last summer, funded by a Metro grant. A series of planning meetings began last fall and continued in January and April. We continue to tighten our focus on a comprehensive plan and fine tuning of the Friends organization. The goal of this process is completion of a master plan in June to guide our efforts for five years, supported by a new organizational structure.

January 19 marked the third extended membership meeting devoted to capacity building. Springing from the self-evaluation and brainstorming of the first two meetings, this session shifted into a more concrete planning process. Discussions at the second meeting had focused our goals into four topics: Inspire (education), Restore (Baltimore Woods native habitat restoration), Engage (membership recruitment), and Organize (strengthening our organization to meet future challenges). Then, at the

January 2015 meeting, members continued to refine the scope and activities of these work groups. Rotating through a series of small group discussions, our members identified critical milestones to be achieved by 2020. Together we created lists of activities to pursue for the year from July 2015 to June 2016. Discussions were lively and generated impressive groups of tasks for the coming year. This was the most energy-packed session yet in our series of capacity building sessions. Members signed up for ongoing work groups based on the four meeting topics. These groups continued to meet throughout February, March, and April to convert objectives and activities into a simple work-plan format that will be enacted in Year Two of the capacity building grant. Fifteen members assembled again on April 26 of this year to spend a Sunday afternoon working together on the next step in preparing FoBW for the years ahead. Inspire, Engage and Restore work groups reported on the activities each suggests for the coming year, all focused on reaching 2020 milestones. We are definitely filling our plates! The Friends’ Engage work group will strive to increase active membership to fulfill these tasks. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to helping the Organize work group craft an organizational model to roll out in July. Three scenarios were posed, depicting situations that could arise for our members while doing the work of the Friends. Groups of five were asked to consider what organizational structures would support individuals in making decisions that support our mission. Many useful ideas emerged. The major themes arising from the activity included: decisionmaking authority, coordination of several simultaneous tasks, creating annual plans, and

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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Weekly Work Parties

Mondays, 7-8pm, meet at N. John & N. Edison, Tools & gloves provided A good time is guaranteed as we join old friends and new to help our native plants flourish and thrive by weeding, watering and general encouragement.

Tools and gloves are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you like. Wear appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes. We will be meeting from 7 pm to 8 pm every Monday evening through the summer. No need to sign up, just show up and work with us. Meet at the corner of N. St. Johns Ave and N. Edison St. Look for FoBW signs. ~ Caroline Skinner

creating an annual budget for each work group. The Organize work group will incorporate these ideas into an organizational proposal to the members in May or June. As the calendar moves on to the end of Year One on June 30, what lies ahead in the next several weeks? Work groups will continue to meet to fit their activity plans into a common format. The Organize work group will interview members serving in specific capacities to identify the critical functions they fulfill, adding to the resources to be used in the organizational proposal. The Organize group requests more help in completing this assignment. Please contact Sylvia Allen if you wish to participate. Work plans and an organizational plan will be completed by late June and forwarded to Metro as part of our Year One final report. All of those documents will be available on our website this summer. The Friends will celebrate completion of a year of intensive and rewarding work with a gathering in late June. We will invite our government and neighborhood partners to join FoBW members on the bank of the Willamette. We hope you can join us to celebrate the work we all do together, a large multi-faceted team of people devoted to habitat restoration and the enhancement of North Portland. Look for invitations in the coming weeks. In July, FoBW will begin implementation of work plan and a new organizational structure.

Earth Day Work Party Helps Baltimore Woods By Caroline Skinner

Tough, strong and tenacious…those words describe the invasive plants we battled on April 18th, but they also describe our great volunteers. The Earth Day work party experienced good weather, sunny and mild. We had perfect conditions at the old oak tree site for yanking, hacking, and generally messing with Spanish bluebell, clematis, blackberry, and, of course, English

ivy. Located adjacent to Cathedral Park, it’s a different ecosystem from the other Baltimore Woods sites.

volunteers clearing the ‘Old oak’ site of invasives

This part of Baltimore Woods is a former creek draw. It’s shadier, and has excellent, soft soil, so at least the weeds come out easily. The natives here will be different when re-established, with more riparian understory such as trillium, wild ginger, and sorrel. This is proving to be a very ambitious project, not because of the size of the site, but because of its current poor condition. It is, for now, heavily infested with the wrong kind of plants. It will be a total reclaim job, and we are up for it! For Earth Day, Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) and FoBW gave some love to our big, old, beautiful oak tree, which is probably over 200 years old. A group of 26 volunteers helped remove invasive plants from around its base and the adjacent area. PP&R staff have recently been working hard to remove larger invasive plants there, such as black locust trees, holly trees, and English laurel. We followed up their work by removing some of the smaller plants, such as bindweed, that form a dense mat at ground level, including those encroaching on our small camas patch. Many of the camas bulbs we planted this winter came up, and a few of them bloomed with light blue flowers. Once we have enough invasive weeds successfully removed, we’ll be able to start serious re-planting with native plants, possibly later this fall. We are making progress, but it’s going to be a long haul. Thanks to Marissa Dorais, PP&R’s Willamette River Stewardship Coordinator,

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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for providing tools, training, and leadership. Tulip Bakery generously donated pastries for the event. We also thank our local St. Johns’ Starbucks for the coffee they provided and KIND for the snack bars.

starring performance on Oregon Field Guide. Baltimore Woods is ready for her close-up on the drone camera, Mr. DeMille!

The Intertwine’s Big Impact

By Steven McClure

The Intertwine Alliance is a collection of more than 130 public, private, and nonprofit organizations working together for more than 5,000 acres of trails, parks and natural areas in the Portland and Vancouver region. Intertwine went BIG at its 2015 Spring Summit, entitled “Building Regional Impact.” At the Summit’s April 15 fete, held at the Oregon Zoo, Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, announced that the region’s National Wildlife Refuges have been awarded $1 million a year to engage urban communities and youth in conservation and outdoor recreation. Intertwine was selected through a Service-wide competition to work with this region’s four refuges at Tualatin River, Ridgefield, Steigerwald Lake, and Wapato Lake. Refuges for urban refugees! A major project selected for this year’s funding is the Intertwine’s new Daycation app, which will help residents explore parks and trails in their neighborhoods. Other efforts will support Alliance partners, such as FoBW, to become more inclusive and culturally responsive. Several breakout sessions were held concurrently in the large underground lair at the zoo, including the one I attended, “Creating Large Landscape Projects.” I kept my ears open for pointers to help Baltimore Woods organize joint efforts with our neighboring partners along the bluffs. The two other breakout groups discussed building a Connecting to Nature Continuum and the Daycation app. The afternoon session was a rapidfire presentation of updates from numerous Alliance partners, ending with a great presentation by fellow oak savanna restorer, Roberta Schwarz of Neighbors for Livable West Linn, who showed a clip from her recent

How to Live in the City if You’re Not Human By Steven McClure

On February 9, the 13th annual Ecology and Conservation Symposium of the Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium (UERC) met at Portland State University. A couple of humans from FoBW attended to find out what the critters are up to. Many of the usual suspects from the Intertwine were there, plotting to overthrow the concrete and asphalt jungle regime under which Thank You we all suffer. My personal favorite among the speakers was Marissa the inimitable Scott Burns, Geology professor Dorais at PSU. His very energetic presentation woke everybody up. I had the opportunity to speak with him later about how the Ice Age floods shifted the mouth of the Willamette up against the hills of Forest Park, which is relevant to my research of Lewis and Clark’s visits to the area, including the river by Baltimore Woods. The morning keynote speaker was Dr. Marina Alberti of the University of Washington, discussing “Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics on We have appreciated an Urban Planet.” The afternoon keynote was all the hands-on help, Matthew Sheppard of the Xerces Society for support and enthusiam Invertebrate Conservation, speaking on you have shared with “Attracting Native Pollinators,” a timely topic. Friends of Baltimore There was a profusion of other presentations, Woods! lunchtime discussions, and poster presentations You will be missed. on subjects including turtles, frogs, hydrology, We wish you safe and forest pests, iMapInvasives, wetlands, oaks, happy travels! trails in Forest Park, and Fanno Creek. If you like living things you should consider attending the 14th Annual Symposium next year! For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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The Friends next general meetings: June 16, July 21, August 18, 3rd Tuesdays at 6:30pm BES Water Lab at 6543 N. Burlington ALL ARE WELCOME!

KOIN / SOLVE Work Party at Baltimore Woods

volunteers spot a bald eagle overhead

Quintin Bauer of SOLVE finds an old tire

Eastbank Esplanade to the Columbia River

NoPo Greenway Update

By Kelly Rodgers

The dedicated board members and volunteers of npGreenway have been working toward the realization of the North Portland Greenway Trail for almost ten years. While there have been successes, such as a City Council-adopted alignment, there is more to be done to get the Trail funded, designed, and built. Those advocating for the Trail understand its substantial benefits to the community, but those benefits are not necessarily apparent to the diverse stakeholders along the trail’s alignment. npGreenway’s challenge is this: how do you communicate the vision and benefits of the Trail in way that resonates with community members? Enter the Willamette Planning Studio, a team of six students in the Masters in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program at Portland State University. Each year, the MURP program solicits urban planning project ideas from the community for consideration for the students’ final project. I submitted a proposal to create a trail advocacy plan on behalf of npGreenway. Students responded favorably to the proposal, and the Willamette Planning Studio team was formed. You couldn’t dream up a better team to develop an advocacy plan for the Trail. Of the six students, three are focusing their studies in transportation: Lewis Kelley, who serves as the team’s project manager, Nick Stoll, the team’s transportation modeler, and Gena Gastaldi, who also has an architecture degree and graphic design experience. Joining Gena with graphic design skills is Lisa Harrison, who will also explore the economic development benefits of the Trail. Together they will produce visualizations to illustrate the Trail’s potential. James DuBois will provide technical support, particularly

in the development of analytical maps. Team member Savannah Ernzen is taking the lead on the Trail survey and other community engagement strategies. The Willamette Planning Studio will evaluate the opportunities and challenges facing the trail and make recommendations to npGreenway on how best to advance their planning efforts. They will develop a case study report that features examples of urban trails from across the country and how they were built. They will produce a brochure that explains the status of the North Portland Greenway Trail. The students will develop maps and visualizations of the trail, using input generated from a community workshop. They will perform some technical analysis on how many new bicycle and pedestrian trips could be generated as a result of the completed trail; from that information, they will then be able to estimate a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, they will perform a health impact assessment on the trail to estimate the health benefits to the community. Follow the Willamette Planning Studio’s work on their website, www.growwillamettegreenway.org, and on Facebook.

A Note from Megan and Ethan

By Ethan Novikoff and Megan Lucic

Hi everyone. Some of you may have heard already, but I wanted to let you know that Megan (Lucic) and I will be leaving St. Johns and heading for the New Mexican desert at the end of March. We are sad to be leaving the neighborhood, but excited for this new chapter in our lives.

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]

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Newsletter Contributors Summer 2015 Howard Harrington Mark Hitchcox Steven McClure Ethan Novikoff Barbara Quinn Kelly Rodgers Caroline Skinner Betsy Valle Editing Sylvia Allen Caroline Skinner Betsy Valle Graphic Design Barbara Quinn Photography Betsy Valle

It has been a great pleasure for both of us to participate in FoBW, and the grassroots efforts of this group will continue to inspire us in years to come. It was wonderful to get to know all of you and to work alongside you. We are proud to have worked to conserve and restore these woods, and our involvement with this group has strengthened our sense of place and helped us more fully understand what it means to be a part of a successful community. I don’t think either one of us has ever lived in a more vibrant neighborhood. We wish FoBW lots of success with the rest of the capacity building process. It has been great to see all the excitement and commitment in recent weeks. I look forward to the day when Megan and I can return to visit St. Johns and see a healthy Baltimore Woods with a greenway trail running through it. Hopefully we’ll see you guys there as well!

Early Summer in Baltimore Woods Meadow

photos courtesy of Betsy Valle

Summer Event Information June 11, Thursday, 9am-12noon

Intertwine workshop: Nature & Health Forum. Free. 2100 SW River Parkway, Portland.

De La Salle High School volunteer work party

June 27, Saturday, 9am-2pm

FoBW tables at the St. Johns Farmer’s Market in the St. Johns Plaza. Come visit the Friends’ table to say hello.

July 1, Year Two of Capacity Building Project begins. Implementation time! July 16, Thursday, 9am-4:30pm Intertwine one-day workshop: Antiracism. 2100 SW River Parkway, Portland.

July 25, Saturday, 10am-11am North Portland Capacity Building Showcase. There will be visual displays from recipients. Central Hotel, 8608 N. Lombard. August 2, Sunday, 12noon-6pm The Willamette River Revival. A celebraton of the river & environment. FoBW will be tabling and will offer a walking tour of Baltimore Woods.

August 15, Saturday, starting at 10am Seaport Celebration at T4. FoBW will be tabling.

For more information please see friendsofbaltimorewoods.org • Contact us at [email protected]