April 29, 2019

This afternoon, Nick was honored to be a panelist for a discussion hosted by The Intertwine Alliance called “Investing in Nature.” The panelists discussed how to increase equity and investments in parks, trails, and natural areas in the Portland region.

Executive Director Warren Jimenez served as moderator. The other panelists were Metro Council President Lynn Peterson; Milwaukie Mayor Mark Gamba, and Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District Board Director Felicita Monteblanco.

The Intertwine Alliance is a regional coalition of public, non-profit, and private organizations in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region.

Nick highlighted the work of our two bureaus, Portland Parks & Recreation and the Bureau of Environmental Services, including:

   • Increasing our urban tree canopy

   • Creating salmon sanctuaries

   • Investing in green infrastructure like bioswales

   • Generating renewable natural gas from the sewage treatment process (we call it "poop-to-power")

   • Working to convert brownfields into productive use

   • Building new parks in East Portland like Cully Park and Gateway Discovery Park

Nick also highlighted some challenges – including how to generate more money in the region for parks and nature, especially operations and maintenance dollars, and the continued need to invest in underserved parts of our community.