Parks & Recreation

Kids explore the bronze otter statue at Nadaka Nature Park, Gresham OR

By Monica McAllister
Nadaka Nature Park Coordinator

Something For Everyone
This past summer and early fall at Nadaka Nature Park has been abuzz with celebrations under the picnic shelter, free events, new additions to the play area as well as gardeners tending their harvest, and nature lovers exploring our lovely 10-acre forest. Even as the winter days start settling in, we at Friends of Nadaka (FON) have already started planning for next year’s events at the park. From hosting free indoor gardening workshops to forest restoration with local schools and community members, we are excited to offer plenty of opportunities for you to spend time with friends and family at Nadaka. Before we jump straight into next year’s events, let’s take a cue from the fall season to slow down and reflect on the bustle of activity that has occurred over the past few months at our neighborhood park.

Community Festival
This year’s 7th Annual Nadaka Community Festival was one of our best festivals yet! We had over 400 participants, 3 performances, and 35 partnering organizations & businesses, 28 of which hosted a community booth. We were thrilled to have The Aztec Dancers, Ukrainian Folk Singer Natalia Hougan, and the NW Panmen Terry Baber and Brad Hirsch on the Steel Drums perform again at this year’s festival. A big thank you to our Festival Committee, volunteers, partners and everyone who made the festival a marvelous success! Our Festival sponsors and donors included: Metro, City of Gresham, Owens Corning, and St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church. Albertsons & Organically Grown Co., Starbucks, and Rockwood PUD donated hot dogs & chips, organic apples, coffee, and water respectively.

Rip Caswell, Joan Albertson, Chad Caswell		Art Donations Nadaka is especially grateful for the generous donation of the magnificent bronze otter and raven by Joan Albertson, the creators of the sculptures, artists Rip Caswell & son Chad Caswell.
as well as the work done by Lee Dayfield and Gresham Outdoor Public Art for making the installation and reveal of these beautiful art pieces possible.		Raven sculpture at Nadaka Nature Park
Giant Xylophone at Nadaka Nature Park		Another amazing addition to the park is a new Xylophone installed at the north portion of the nature based play area. Thank you to the anonymous donor who made this possible and to the City of Gresham for installing this amazing gift of music for the community.

Volunteer Programs
Friends of Nadaka would like to recognize the amazing work of our two Nadaka SummerWorks? Interns and seven STRYVE Interns (Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere) who helped lead and teach bilingual events for the Wilkes Elementary Books in the Park Program, HB Lee’s SUN Program, Home Forward Apartment complexes, and our summer Tadpole Tales event. In addition to these educational events, they were also instrumental in keeping the park in tip top shape by removing invasive plants, caring for two education garden plots, managing for the front 2 acres, helping with the Nadaka Community Festival and more. Four of these amazing interns have joined the ranks of the Nadaka Ambassadors to continue working at the park year round.

Cleanups & more
For the fall season, volunteers from the neighborhood showed their love for Nadaka at our SOLVE Beach and Riverside Cleanup in September and at the No Ivy Day event on October 28th alongside the “College Possible” High School youth to remove invasive plants and replace them with native plants. We also partnered with Audubon Society of Portland to host a September Bird Walk where we cataloged the number and variety of species passing through the park during fall migration. In the garden, we finished up our free hands on gardening workshop series with Outgrowing Hunger with a focus on “Harvesting Your Bounty” & “Shutting Down the Garden”. For those who are interested in gardening at the park, new garden registration for Nadaka begins February 1st. Contact Adam Kohl of Outgrowing Hunger (adam@outgrowinghunger.org) for more information and how to register for a garden plot.

Park Safety
At the end of August, we had over 40 people attend the Nadaka Community Safety meeting to voice their concerns, learn what is being done to keep the park safe, and give suggestions for improvements at the park. We wanted to thank NET (Neighborhood Enforcement Team), CVIP (Citizens Volunteering In Policing), Gresham Parks Department, St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, East Metro Mediation, and the Nadaka Ambassadors for sharing what is being done on the ground and behind the scenes to ensure that Nadaka stays safe and clean. One of the areas of concern was the heavily vegetated space between the St. Aidan’s parking lot and meadow. Since the meeting, we have worked with the City of Gresham Parks Department to lift the canopy and create a line of sight from the parking lot into the meadow. We are so grateful for the hard work that the Parks Department to help address this area of concern and have noticed a marked improvement in the activities happening in that area. By our community taking ownership of the park through volunteering, voicing concerns and potential solutions, in addition to simply being a positive presence in the park, we can continues to ensure that Nadaka Nature Park stays a safe and welcoming space to nurture nature, food, and families.

Fall & Winter Activities
As promised, here are a few great events coming up at the park in the next few months! Join us for a Free Beneficial Insect Workshop with EMSWCD on 11/4 from 9am to 11:30 AM, MLK Day of Service Monday, January 15th, and the Community Planting Event in February (date still to be determined). Other great events to keep your eye out for are our Annual Free Indoor Gardening Workshop Series with Oregon Food Bank, Spring Migration Nature Walk and Welcome Back Vulture Day with Audubon Society of Portland.

Connect With Us
These are just a few of the activities we have in store for the community at Nadaka. For more information and opportunities to get involved and help create a positive social and environmental change in the Wilkes East and Rockwood community visit www.friendsofnadaka.org, “Friends of Nadaka” on Facebook, or contact Monica at monica@friendsofnadaka.org or 503-956-8558. We look forward to seeing everyone at the park!

Beautiful views! When: Sat, Sep 23, 2017 11AM-1PM Where: Meet at Spring Water Trail High School 1440 SE Fleming Ave. Get Map!

Gresham's newest park, located atop Hogan Butte, features a pristine natural area, trails, picnic areas, and stunning views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Larch Mountain, Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson and the Columbia River Gorge.

Mayor Shane T. Bemis will welcome visitors to this wonderful new community asset. Take a self-guided tour after the dedication and enjoy free family-friendly fun activities.

To get there

No event parking is available on site. All event guests are asked to park at Springwater Trail High School, 1440 SE Fleming Ave. Free 5-minute shuttles to the park will depart every 15 minutes, starting at 10:30 a.m.

Contact

Tam Driscoll, 503-618-2623, or Tam.Driscoll@GreshamOregon.gov

Hogan Butte Nature Park information

Lend a hand, meet your neighbors! When: Sat, Sep 23, 2017 90AM-12PM Where: Nadaka Nature Park 17615 NE Glisan St Meet at the picnic structure Get Map!

JOIN US
Join Friends of Nadaka to restore a healthy habitat at Nadaka Nature Park Saturday, September 23rd from 9 AM to 12 PM! We will be removing invasive species such as English Ivy from the 10 acre forested portion of the park. The event will start with a brief lesson on native and invasive plant species.

Tools, gloves, and light refreshments will be provided. Dress to work in natural areas: long pants and closed-toe sturdy shoes. Please bring a water bottle and a friend! Activities include: Invasive Plant Removal, Litter Cleanup, Garden Weeding/Cleanup.

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

PARKING
There are two locations for parking.

• St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church parking lot next to Nadaka Nature Park located at 17405 NE Glisan Street Gresham, OR 97230
• Nadaka Nature Park’s north entrance is at NE Pacific Street and 176th. You may park in the neighborhood and follow the path through the forest to get to the picnic structure.

MORE INFO
Contact Monica McAllister, Nadaka Nature Park Coordinator email monica@friendsofnadaka.org, or call 503-956-8558

Get Your Green On! When: Sat, Apr 22, 2017 9AM-12PM Where: Nadaka Nature Park 17615 NE Glisan Street Get Map!

Looking for a way to give back this Earth Day? Join Friends of Nadaka to restore a healthy habitat at Nadaka Nature Park. We will be removing invasive species such as English Ivy from the 10-acre forested portion of the park. The event will start with a brief lesson on native and invasive plant species.

Tools, gloves and light refreshments will be provided. Dress to work in natural areas: long pants and closed-toe sturdy shoes. Please bring a water bottle and a friend.

Activities include:

• invasive plant removal
• litter cleanup
• garden weeding/cleanup

Register to volunteer.

For more information about this event, contact Monica McAllister at 503-956-8558 or monica@friendsofnadaka.org.

Free Hands-On Event When: Sat, Mar 18, 2017 10AM-2PM Where: Vance Park 1400 SE 182nd Avenue Get Map!

Join the work party and help us weed, plant flowers and create safe habitat for pollinators. The Water Resources Division is preparing a Pollinator Peace garden for spring education talks on pollinators.

Rain or shine

• Bring your gardening gloves.
• Bring a snack and water bottle.
• Refreshments and tools provided.

The garden is the fenced area, located near the futsal court.

If you are interested in volunteering our would like additional information, please contact Keri.Handaly@GreshamOregon.gov.

Complete with bird walks, play spaces, and a community garden—and soon Gresham’s first handicapped-accessible swing.

Source: Portland Monthly Magazine (November 2016)

One spring morning in 2007, Lee Dayfield took her dog for a walk. As she passed an empty field, she saw a sign that would forever change her life. It read “for sale.”

The desolate plot of grass sat next to 10 acres ringed by a chain-link fence and barbed wire. Where others may have seen a $900,000 meadow, Dayfield saw a two-acre opportunity: a nature-based play area for the Gresham neighborhood’s children, many of them Native American.

Could a full service community center be in Gresham's future? When: Tue Aug 16, 2016 3PM-5PM Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1333 NW Eastman Parkway Gresham, OR Get Map!

The Gresham City Council will vote at their 3 PM meeting on Tuesday, August 16th, on putting a bond measure on the November ballot to build a full service community center (like those in Portland or the Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District).

Here are links to the meeting agenda & the staff report on the community center construction bond. Per the staff report, if the measure passed, the city would issue up to $48 million in construction bonds and the estimated tax rate would be 35 cents per $1,000 assessed property. The citizen volunteer Finance Committee would monitor bond revenues and project expenditures.

The proposed ballot summary says, "Amenities expected to include pools for lap swimming, swimming lessons, aquatic exercise classes; recreational/leisure pool with large curvy waterslide, water features for family entertainment; senior center providing activities for older adult residents; classroom meeting space for community education courses and children’s programming; gymnasium, workout/exercise facilities and equipment; community meeting space for birthday parties, meetings, community groups, events and celebrations; community kitchen, other amenities. Facilities would be centrally located in Gresham."

1874 Zimmerman House. Click to Enlarge

Come See the Gardens When: Sat Aug 20, 2016 Noon-4PM Where: Zimmerman Park 17111 NE Sandy Blvd Gresham, OR Get Map!

A delightful 1874 Victorian farmhouse
Take a step back into history at the Zimmerman House, a Victorian era farmhouse, built in 1874 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This beautiful farmhouse is a perfect reflection of typical Columbia River dairy farm life in the late 1800s. The Zimmerman Heritage Farm is a unique cultural education and recreational resource that is being created for the benefit of the public on a 5.98-acre historic site in Gresham, Oregon.

1874 Zimmerman House. Click to Enlarge

Come See the Gardens When: Sat Jul 16, 2016 Noon-4PM Where: Zimmerman Park 17111 NE Sandy Blvd Gresham, OR Get Map!

A delightful 1874 Victorian farmhouse
Take a step back into history at the Zimmerman House, a Victorian era farmhouse, built in 1874 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This beautiful farmhouse is a perfect reflection of typical Columbia River dairy farm life in the late 1800s. The Zimmerman Heritage Farm is a unique cultural education and recreational resource that is being created for the benefit of the public on a 5.98-acre historic site in Gresham, Oregon.

Get Involved, Make A Difference When: Sat Apr 16, 2016 9AM-12PM Where: Nadaka Nature Park 17550 NE Pacific St. Gresham, OR Get Map!

The City's third annual Green and Clean Day of Service features the community joining together for a planting and spring cleaning project at Nadaka Park in the Wilkes East neighborhood.
• The event will take place on Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to noon.
• A celebration will follow at St. Aidan's church, next to Nadaka Park, from noon to about 2 p.m. Volunteers will get free pizza and soda.
• For more information, please call 503-618-2482.

• Volunteers from across the City will join City staff to help do some "spring cleaning" around the park - light landscaping, planting seedlings, ivy removal, and disposing of trash.
• Make sure to bring a good pair of gloves and your favorite garden tool (especially shovels, rakes, and loppers).
•All ages are invited, although younger children will need to be closely supervised.
More information about the Green and Clean Day of Service.