During extremely cold weather or winter storms, staying warm and safe can be a challenge.

Winter storms can bring cold temperatures, strong winds, power failures, loss of communications, and icy roads.

Here's a list of groceries and emergency supplies you need in case of snow.

Items that don’t require refrigeration or heat to prepare

• Nut butters, jams and jellies
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Dried fruits and nuts
• Juices (particularly those that are not commonly found in the refrigerator section of the supermarket)
• Breads, muffins, bagels, tortillas
• Dry cereal or granola
• Canned milk or non-dairy milk in aseptic cartons
• Protein bars and protein shakes
• Jarred sauces such as salsa, ketchup, or mustard.
• Pickles or foods preserved in vinegar
• Hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Swiss, provolone and parmesan, processed cheeses, and Edam (just make sure the cheese is well wrapped and sealed)

Other items to add to your list if you don’t have them

• A non-electric can opener
• Charcoal or propane for the outdoor grill
• Pet food
• Kitty litter
• Paper towels, paper plates, and plastic utensils (useful if the power goes out and you can’t wash dishes)
• Toilet paper
• Water (1 gal per person per 3 days)

Other storm essentials

• Rock salt for melting ice on sidewalks and driveway
• An ice scraper for your car’s windshield
• A sturdy snow shovel
• Foam insulation covers for exterior faucets
• First-aid kit
• Flashlight, with batteries
• Extra batteries, just in case

Good to have on hand when you’re going to be cooped-up

• Favorite baking supplies for cookies and quickbread (flour, sugar, salt, eggs, butter)
• Cartons of chicken or vegetable broth for making soup (a good excuse to use up what’s already in your vegetable bin)
• Canned soup
• Comfort food (mac ‘n’ cheese, pasta, potatoes. yum)
• Favorite snacks (popcorn, chips, etc.)
• Apple cider
• Coffee and tea
• Wine and beer
• Liquor

Now that you're ready you can relax and enjoy a snow day!

Source: The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com

Experts Warn Cascadia Is Overdue For A 9.0 Earthquake

Be informed. Build a kit. Make a plan. Everyday you hear the warnings. Have you made a kit? Do you have a plan?

If you're like most of us - you're not ready.

If that's you, we've got some great tips and valuable resources below to help you be prepared for whenever a disaster strikes.

TICK. TOCK.
Think of Oregon geology as a clock, measuring time in earthquakes. Tick: a magnitude 8 quake. (Bigger than 1989 Bay Area quake that killed 63 people.) Tock: a magnitude 9 quake. (Same as the 2011 Japan quake that killed almost 16,000 people.) On average, a major quake happens in our area every 243 years, the last one was January 26, 1700 — 316 years ago. Yes. We are overdue.

When the next Big One does happen, a 700-mile long section of the tectonic plate known as the Juan de Fuca, stretching from British Columbia to Northern California, will slide beneath the North American plate, causing the entire Northwest coast-line to sink up to 6.6 feet. This won’t be a California-style short burst of energy quake in the earth’s upper crust. The Big One will be bigger, deeper, and last longer: 3–4 minutes, with dozens of after-shocks, some very powerful, for days, months, or later.

Cascadia Subduction Zone. Pacific Northwest. Click to Enlarge.

Hillsides will slide. Buildings will collapse. Roads will buckle. High-rises will sway. Bridges will crack. Some will fall. Pipes will snap. Within 20 minutes, the first of several 40-foot tsunami waves will wash away the Oregon Coast’s low-lying towns.

If our next “subduction zone” quake unleashes its full potential, it will be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

2019 Fall Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Fall 2019 Newsletter Inside This Issue: Albertina Kerr Workforce Housing WENA Board Elections Nov 11th Extreme Weather In Our Region Nadaka Happenings & Changes Update: A Playground For Kirk Park

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

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2019 Summer Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Summer 2019 Newsletter Inside This Issue: Columbia View Park improvements National Night Out, Tuesday Aug 6th Back to School, Movies in the Park Nadaka Happenings & Changes WENA Meeting Mon, Aug 12, 6:30PM

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

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The “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of summer

Dog Days of Summer?  Click to enlarge

The dictionary defines “dog days” as: 1:  the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere 2:  a period of stagnation or inactivity

But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?” Here's the answer!

In ancient times, when the night sky was free from artificial lights people in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. These star pictures are called constellations, and the constellations as we know them came from our European ancestors.

Ancient star gazer's saw images in the stars of bears (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins (Gemini), a bull (Taurus), and others objects, including dogs (Canis Major and Canis Minor). Click 'Read more' for the answer!

Click to enlarge

Love, Heartbreak, and Renewal Local history says un the summer of 1845 Payton & Anna Wilkes and their seven children left Independence Missouri in a two-yolk oxen-drawn covered wagon and headed west on the Oregon Trail for Oregon.

They arrived by late fall after crossing the Cascade Mountains during a particularly strong snow storm and settled into their new life style in Oregon City. More than 3,000 wagons arrived in Oregon that year.

In 1850 their son William Wilkes took a Donation Land Claim on Sandy Road east of Portland.

The Donation Land Claim Act (DLC) became law on September 27, 1850 as a means to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory (comprising the resent-day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and part of Wyoming).

The Act granted 320 acres of designated areas free-of-charge to every unmarried male citizen eighteen or older, and 640 acres to every married couple arriving in the Oregon Territory before December 1, 1850. A total of 7,437 land claims were issued under the Act which expired in late 1855.

Soon after receiving his land, William gave up his claim after his wife died and headed to California to mine gold.

Rich with cash, William Wilkes returned to east Portland and purchased the Milton Frazer DLC (see photo above), which was located immediately to the east of his original claim. And that's why there are two Wilkes neighborhoods.

Wilkes, the original land claim. And, Wilkes East, the purchased land to the east of William Wilkes original claim.

William C Wilkes Click to enlarge

William C Wilkes grave Click to enlarge

Sarah A Wilkes Click to enlarge

To learn more about local history, read "Gresham, Stories of our Past". Available from the Gresham Historical Society, area book stores, and Amazon.com

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Press Release:

Visit Rockwood Rising website
Email RockwoodRising@GreshamOregon.gov" or call 503-618-3208.

Vandalism, theft, broken windows, fights and stolen vehicles By Greg Hartung Gresham area businesses along a stretch of NE Sandy Blvd had recently experienced an alarming uptick in criminal activities.

From NE 162th to NE 181st, reports of vandalism, theft, breaking of glass windows and doors, fences cut, harassment of employees, fights and stolen vehicles now have businesses on high alert. Many of these activities are thought to be contributed by the increased population of campers within the Big Four Corners wetlands area.

Big Four Corners is an area of about 165 acres of fragile wetlands located north of Gresham that is owned and managed by Portland Parks and Recreation. Some sources say as many as 250 people are currently camping in this area. It is an important habitat for deer, coyote, river otter as well as a variety of birds and amphibians.

Gresham police can do very little as jurisdiction ends along Gresham’s northern border. The Union Pacific rail line divides Gresham from East Portland and the Big Four Corners wetlands. It is just beyond the reach of Gresham Police where many of these campers reside, however they are still within yards of the businesses on the south side of the border. While Union Pacific does conduct its own law enforcement patrols, they are limited to about 50 feet on each side of the tracks. Portland Parks and Recreation has park rangers who patrol the area.

On April 5th, 2019, a meeting at Gresham City Hall was conducted by the City of Gresham’s Economic Development, Gresham Police and Gresham’s Homeless Services departments and was well attended by many of those businesses affected by these recent activities. Representatives from SEKO Logistics, Cedar Source, Royal Bearing, Northwest Handling, Teeny Foods, Portland Bakery as well as Wilkes East and North Gresham neighborhood associations expressed very similar concerns to the City of Gresham. The crime has been costly to these businesses. Some businesses have gone to great expense to shore up security, such as replacing windows with reinforced glass, fences and hiring security patrol at night.

City of Gresham will be working more closely with the City of Portland and other agencies, but it is feared to get worse before it gets better. Word of mouth and sweeps of campers from other areas are bringing more campers to the Big Four Corners wetlands.

2019 Spring Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Inside This Issue:   Rockwood Rising, A New Urban Hub Migration Brewing Opens New Pub Earth Day Recycling Event, April 20 Nadaka Happenings & Changes WENA Spring Meeting March 11, 7PM

Download your copy here. (includes active web links)

Newsletters are a regular publication of the Wilkes East Neighborhood Association. They are hand-delivered to over 1,500 residences and businesses in our area 3 times per year, timed to correspond with our regular meetings.

View archive   |   Policy & Ad Rates

Monica McAllister, Nadaka. Click to enlarge

Nurturing Nature, Food, and Families By Grace Graham, Confluence AmeriCorps Member, Events & Outreach Specialist The turning of winter over to spring is one of our favorite seasons at Nadaka Nature Park..

The forest is cool and quiet, patiently holding its breath for the first signs of new life, and the garden lies resting, silently preparing rich soils that will nurture new seeds in the coming months. This is a time of year that gives Friends of Nadaka (FON) the opportunity to reflect on the old year’s accomplishments, and welcome in a new season of beginnings, opportunities, and goals.

This 2019 New Year came with the bittersweet news that our incredible Nadaka Coordinator of the last 5 years, Monica McAllister, has decided to begin a new journey as the Community Connections Liaison with East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District. As Nadaka’s first and only Coordinator to-date, Monica leaves behind an amazing legacy of community engagement and education programs, lasting partnerships, and deep ties with our neighbors in West Gresham. We join our partners, neighbors, and park users in thanking Monica for years of dedication, leadership, and initiative in helping bring a community vision to life.

Friends of Nadaka is taking this shift in leadership as an opportunity to review the successes, challenges, and accomplishments of Nadaka’s first five years, and develop a strategic plan for moving forward. This review and planning process will last through the spring, and no permanent hires will be made to replace Monica until the review is complete. In the interim period, Jamie Stamberger of Stamberger Outreach Consulting has stepped in as a part-time Interim Coordinator for Friends of Nadaka, and has begun working closely with Nadaka’s current AmeriCorps Member, Grace Graham, to keep events and programs running through the next several months. Jamie recently served as the Interim Executive Director for the Columbia Slough Watershed Council (FON’s fiscal agent), so she is already familiar with Nadaka’s programs, systems, and partners. Please direct all Nadaka inquiries to info@friendsofnadaka.org, and expect a short delay in response as Grace and Jamie are frequently outdoors, meeting with partners, and navigating a new wave of projects and responsibilities.

Despite all of these organizational changes, Friends of Nadaka hosted a wildly successful MLK Day of Service event on January 21st, in partnership with Friends of Trees, the Nature Conservancy, and several other community organizations. Over 100 volunteers showed up to help us get 750 native plants in the ground in under three hours, an amazing feat that demonstrates the passion and energy our neighbors and partners have for giving back to their community and honoring the legacy of a great community servant and leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The cold snap and snow that followed forced us to cancel February 9th’s Community Planting Event, but we have decided to combine it with the coming Nadaka & Rockwood Neighborhood Planting Event this April 13th from 9am-12pm with Friends of Trees, to form one giant restoration party! If you are interested in volunteering with us, please sign up through Friends of Tree’s website at https://friendsoftrees.org/event-calendar/.

This year’s English-led Seed to Supper gardening course with the Oregon Food Bank kicked off on Thursday, February 21st, and will take place as a 5-class series every Thursday evening from 6:30-8:30pm through March 21st. This class is free to attend, and is a wonderful opportunity for beginner gardeners to learn how to get started growing their own food on a budget. Due to some unexpected conflicts, the Spanish-led Seed to Supper class has been tentatively postponed for later in the spring. Friends of Nadaka is working with the Oregon Food Bank to reschedule the Spanish Seed to Supper, and we will post details on our website and Facebook page as soon as possible. Please email info@friendsofnadaka.org with questions or requests to be notified when more details are available.

Friends of Nadaka is excited to announce that for the fourth year in a row, we are once again hosting the Welcome Back Vulture Day festival on Saturday, March 16th from 12-3pm, in partnership with the Audubon Society of Portland.

This free, family-friendly event is filled with educational activities, live birds, food, games, and more! Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Ruby, Portland Audubon’s live Turkey Vulture, along with many of Audubon’s other education birds. Other activities will include comparing your wingspan to that of a California Condor, exploring the varied cultural significance of different birds, enjoying a scavenger hunt and bird walk in Nadaka Nature Park’s forest, and crafting your own unique bird mask! Learn more about this event at Audubon Society of Portland’s website: http://audubonportland.org/.

If you aren’t able to make it to our Seed to Supper series but are still interesting in buildling or freshening up your gardening skills, Outgrowing Hunger will be hosting a monthly hands-on Natural Gardening Class from 6-7:30pm in the Nadaka Community Garden, starting with April 16th, May 16th, June 20th, and continued once a month through the end of the growing season. Find more event dates at https://outgrowinghunger.org/calendar. We will also be hosting the Creating Edible Landscapes Workshop on May 18th from 9-11:30am with East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District. Registration is required for this event, and it will fill up fast, so don’t wait! Sign up here:
https://emswcd.org/workshops-and-events/upcoming-workshops/.

For more information about how to get involved in creating positive social and environmental change at Nadaka and the Wilkes East and Rockwood neighborhoods, sign up for Friends of Nadaka’s brand new e-newsletter! Newsletter subscribers will receive an email at the beginning of each month with event information, park news, and other community resources! Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/gb1A2r. You can also stay up-to-date by “liking” our page on Facebook @NadakaNaturePark, or following our new Instagram account, @nadakanaturepark_. If you have questions about any events, news, or programs at Nadaka Nature Park, please email info@friendsofnadaka.org. Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you at Nadaka soon!