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Local park goes pesticide free
In October, Midland Park at Southeast 122nd Avenue and Morrison Street became the fourth park in the Portland Parks & Recreation system to become pesticide free. No pesticides of any kind will be used in the park. Instead, volunteer work parties will weed by hand, mulch shrub beds and control weeds in other ways. PP&R will also continue to use various kinds of integrated pest management methods, such as aeration and overseeding of the park turf.
This is all part of a partnership with the nonprofit organization Pesticide Free Parks that began in the fall of 2004 with a three-year trial of pesticide-free park management. This was done at three sites: Lair Hill Park in Southwest Portland, Sewallcrest Park in Southeast Portland and Arbor Lodge Park in North Portland. The trial ended in the fall of 2007.
Portland Parks Commissioner Dan Saltzman recently declared the three-year program a success and Portland City Council approved the expansion to two additional parks: Midland and Hillside parks in Northwest Portland.
To learn more about pesticide-free parks and PP&R’s integrated pest management program, visit www.portlandparks.org or call John Reed, the PP&R integrated pest management coordinator, at 503-823-1636.
Buy a living Christmas tree this year
This winter Friends of Trees is partnering with the Original Living Christmas Tree Company and the Oregon Department of Transportation to plant living Christmas trees on Jan. 31 along I-205 in the Montavilla neighborhood. If you would like to buy a living Christmas tree for your home and have it planted after the holidays, order your tree at www.livingchristmastrees.org and mention Friends of Trees.
If you want to order a tree to grow in your yard for years to come, go to the planting calendar at www.friendsoftrees.org to see when Friends of Trees is planting in your neighborhood. If you live in the Argay, Hazelwood, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell or Wilkes neighborhoods, contact Elizabeth Elbel at elizabethe@friendsoftrees.org to order a tree for Friends of Trees’ Feb. 28 planting. You may also place your order directly on the Friends of Trees site.
Please consider making a holiday donation at www.friendsoftrees.org to help cover the cost of planting living Christmas trees on Jan. 31. If Friends of Trees receives enough funds for the Living Christmas Trees planting project this year, they hope to continue planting live Christmas trees in tree-deficient parts of the Portland-Vancouver Metro area for years to come.
Youth ski race camps begin
Young skiers – ages 6 to 12 – intent on continuing to grow into the sport of skiing are welcome to register for any of three Learn to Race Ski Camps scheduled in December and January by the Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation.
Learn to Race sessions are designed to introduce young skiers and new racers to the sport of alpine racing. Prior racing experience is not required, however skiers should be able to ride the lifts, negotiate intermediate terrain and put on their own equipment.
Learn to Race Sessions 1 and 3 are scheduled on three consecutive Saturdays in December or January, beginning Dec. 6, 13 and 20. Session 2, the Holiday Camp, is held on three consecutive days over winter break: Dec. 27-29. Session 3 is set for Saturdays, Jan. 10, 17 and 24. To register, visit www.mthoodacademy.com. Cost per session is $105, which does not include lift tickets. An adult must accompany skiers ages 6 to 8 during their training sessions.
All Learn to Race sessions are conducted at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl. Coaches train with young skiers from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch. Young skiers who are excited to continue racing may apply the Learn to Race fee toward registration fees for the regular season of the Mt. Hood Race Team.
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| Last month, Shaver Elementary students, from left, Edwin Navarro, Bertha Veaila and Lidiana Carrillo received free dictionaries from Northeast Rotary Club President Stephen Wiley as part of the Rotary chapter’s annual program that delivers hundreds of free dictionaries to Parkrose School District students. |
| COURTESY OLLIE LUND |
The Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation in Government Camp is home to the Mt. Hood Race Team, Mt. Hood Academy and the Mt. Hood Academy Ski Team. For over 25 years, Mt. Hood Ski Education Foundation has been providing rewarding experiences in winter sports and recreation for youth and families. A year-round program, MHSEF supports participants with fitness education, winter training, racing, wintertime boarding school, summer camps and community outreach.
Dictionary giveaway defines Rotary
The Northeast Rotary Club recognizes the importance of developing a command for the English language. As a group, they believe writing, reading and comprehending English will help make youngsters better students and citizens, ultimately helping them to succeed in the business world. To that end, Northeast Rotary members make annual visits to Parkrose elementary schools to distribute free dictionaries to third-grade students; there were 323 of them distributed this year alone. Cindy Bartman, principal of Shaver Elementary, said, “They are personal, do not become outdated, and are received when students begin concentrating on their writing skills.”
Community policing, independent spirit recognized in mid-county
The Spirit of Portland Awards are presented annually to Portland neighbors and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the community. Winners are selected from nominations submitted by citizens. Once again mid-county is well represented.
Sgt. John Anderson and Officer Greg Baldwin of the Portland Police Bureau were recognized for their efforts in community policing. They created a community police center in Parkrose.
Linda Robinson, well know community organizer and Gateway Green project partner received recognition for her Independent Spirit.
All Spirit of Portland Awards recipients will be honored at a ceremony at City Hall, 1221 S.W. 4th Ave., at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11.
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