West Gresham

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!

Rockwood Boys & Girls Club ribbon cutting Oct 9, 2017, Gresham OR

Rockwood Boys & Girls Club to feature Johnson Teen Center, Nike Gymnasium and CJ McCollum Dream Center

Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro (BGCP) proudly opened its newest Boys & Girls Club in the Rockwood community on October 9, 2017. Answering the community’s call for safe places offering structured enrichment programs for youth, the Rockwood Boys & Girls Club is positioned to fill this significant void with safe, facility-based services for young people when school is not in session. The Club is located at the corner of SE 165th and Stark Street.

The new Rockwood Club features learning, innovation, and activity spaces for youth 6 to 12 years of age and is the first Club in the Metro Area to have a stand-alone center for teens ages 13 to 18. The Johnson Teen Center was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Johnson Charitable Trust.

Rockwood Boy & Girls Club, Gresham OR

The facility also features a full size gymnasium, providing the resources and inspiration to bring sports and fun into the lives of Club members and countless others – made possible thanks to Nike, Inc.

The Gym will be activated year-round with seasonal youth sports, fitness classes and community recreation events.

The Club features a commercial kitchen supported by the Windermere Foundation that will serve over 75,000 meals a year. The facility will soon be home to a CJ McCollum Dream Center, and learning and innovation spaces are populated with the latest technology thanks to gifts from Comcast and The Quest Foundation. In addition to traditional programming at the Rockwood Club, BGCP will deliver targeted workforce training and placement programs for teens and will provide a wide range of health and human services for members and their families.

The site of the new Rockwood Club will soon be a full campus of shared services as BGCP partners with other respected non-profit organizations serving the youth and their families in East County. BGCP will share its gym and industrial kitchen with campus partner, Open School East. New Avenues for Youth will lease space at the new Club to provide critical services to homeless youth in Rockwood. On Thursday, September 28th, the Timbers and Thorns, in partnership with Operation Pitch Invasion, unveiled two futsal courts on the campus that BGCP will share with partners and the broader community.

Membership to the Rockwood Boys & Girls Club is $250 per year for youth grades 1-6 and $5 per year for teens grades 7-12. Limited scholarships are available. The Club is open Monday through Friday after school from 2:30 to 6:30. For more information on membership, please visit bgcportland.org/rw

The Rockwood Boys & Girls Club was a $10m capital campaign with P&C Construction, founded in Gresham, Oregon, managing the project working alongside Holst Architecture.

BGCP has raised $7m to date and continues to actively fundraise to complete the campaign.  Thanks to the generous support of the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund (MCMF), all donations up to $5,000 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 through December 31, 2017. To contribute to the campaign, visit bgcportland.org/Rockwood.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro
Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metro (BGCP) empowers more than 4,000 youth each year to discover their full potential by providing safe facilities staffed with trained, caring youth development professionals who deliver horizon-broadening programs when school is not in session. Clubs are designed to support youth and teens as they develop the qualities they need to achieve academic success, become responsible leaders, and live healthy lives. Today, the Clubs operate six facilities located throughout the metropolitan area, along with school-based programs in the Reynolds and North Clackamas School District.

2017 Fall Newsletter "Diversity, Harmony, Community - Together 'WE' can make a difference!”

Read it now!

Inside This Issue:   Rockwood Boys & Girls Club Opens Zimmerman House Holiday Tours Rosewood/162 Max Stop Name Change Happenings at Nadaka Nature Park Reynolds Athletics Hall or Fame Neighborhood Meeting, Nov 13th 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

Neighborhood Assn Board Meeting When: Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:30PM-8PM Where: Simmons' Foster Care 17104 NE Oregon St Portland, OR Get Map!

Board meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Monday each month 6:30PM
For more information please contact: info@wilkeseastna.org

Upcoming Meetings

• Nov 13, 2017
• Dec 11, 2017
• Jan 08, 2018
• Feb 12, 2018

Wilkes East Neighborhood
PO Box 536
Fairview, OR 97024

Get involved, Make a difference When: Tue, Oct 17, 2017 4PM-6PM CANCELED Where: Gresham City Hall Council Chambers 1331 NW Eastman Pky Get Map!

The Gresham Redevelopment Commission (GRDC) meets as needed on the third Tuesday of the month immediately following adjournment of the 3 p.m. Gresham City Coucnil meeting.

Meeting start time varies.

GRDC meetings allow necessary Rockwood-West Gresham Urban Renewal business to be dealt with, such as budget adoption, grant awards, public hearings, resolutions, etc.

For more information, please contact Cecille Turley, Urban Renewal Program Technician, at 503-618-2545 or Cecille.Turley@GreshamOregon.gov.

1874 Zimmerman House. Click to Enlarge

Hello Fall! When: Sat Oct 21, 2017 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.

Free Family Event!

When: Sat, Sep 16, 2017 12PM-4PM
Where: Portland Water Bureau Launch
16650 NE Airport Way in Portland
Get Map!

Big and little pirates alike are welcome to join us for a free family festival all about groundwater.

This event is free and no registration is required. All activities (including 15-minute canoe rides) are free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Play fun games and go on a scavenger hunt in search of hidden treasure not gold, but groundwater, a precious resource that flows beneath your feet.

Come dressed in yer finest pirate togs, or else the Capn might make ye walk the plank!

Free kids T-shirts to the first 300 kids.

Contact

Columbia Slough Watershed Council 503-281-1132 or info@columbiaslough.org

1874 Zimmerman House. Click to Enlarge

Goodbye summer When: Sat Sep 16, 2017 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.

Neighborhood Assn Board Meeting When: Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:30PM-8PM RESCHEDULED Where: Simmons' Foster Care 17104 NE Oregon St Portland, OR Get Map!

Board meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Monday each month 6:30PM
For more information please contact: info@wilkeseastna.org

Upcoming Meetings

• Oct 09, 2017
• Nov 13, 2017
• Dec 11, 2017

Wilkes East Neighborhood
PO Box 536
Fairview, OR 97024

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