Cyclists on the Equity Bike Ride pause to hear Friends of Trees' Logan Lauvray describe a three-year project to plant trees along the I-205 multi-use path. (ODOT)

By Elizabeth Craig, ODOT

Nearly 70 bicyclists from many different walks of life turned out for the Equity Bike Ride on Thursday, Aug. 26 in East Portland. The ride, which was co-sponsored by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Audubon Society of Portland, Bicyclists of Color, Community Cycling Center, East Portland Action Plan (EPAP), Friends of Trees, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), rolled along Portland streets and portions of the I-205 Multi-Use Path.

The ride originated and ended at the Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), with stops along the way that provided riders with an opportunity to learn about equity efforts by the ride’s co-sponsors.

“Equity populations are our fellow neighbors, friends and communities who tend to live in areas that lack the things many of us take for granted, such as sidewalks, good roads, bike lanes, and affordable access to healthy food,” said ODOT Region 1 Public Policy and Community Affairs Manager Shelli Romero as she addressed the crowd of bicyclists during opening remarks.

“Collectively, our [the ride’s co-sponsors] work traverses the common threads found in economic, racial, geographic and environmental equity.”

The Equity Bike Ride followed on the heels of Bikes for All – a forum sponsored by the Community Cycling Center that addressed why access to bicycling matters, especially for communities of color.

“Bikes for All was an open forum where about 50 people, program providers, and policymakers came together to have a conversation about ways of broadening access to bicycles and improving transportation health equity,” noted Alison Graves, Executive Director of the Community Cycling Center. “People made new connections during the highly engaging discussion.”

Meryl Redisch, Executive Director of the Audubon Society of Portland, said that the organization recently opened a satellite office in the Lents neighborhood with the “vision and hope of serving all East Portland residents and helping to achieve the goals of the East Portland Action Plan.” Redisch added that “East Portland has some excellent natural assets, but there still exists many neighborhoods that are park deficient.”

Before taking off from IRCO, PBOT Portland By Cycle Program Manager Timo Forsberg (who shared leading the ride with Logan Lauvray of Friends of Trees) said that the group would get to experience many different types of bicycle facilities along the ride, including local streets with and without bike lanes, unimproved streets, and parts of the I-205 Multi-Use Path.

“You will see what kind of challenges bicyclists in East Portland face, but also learn how to maneuver different types of bike facilities,” he said.

The first stop along the ride was on the I-205 Multi-Use Path at SE Hawthorne Street, where riders learned about improvements to the path, including a three-year greening project with Friends of Trees.

Standing next to freshly planted trees, Elizabeth Craig with ODOT, and Logan Lauvray with Friends of Trees, spoke to the crowd about a $410,000 Metro Nature in Neighborhoods grant that is funding the addition of trees and shrubs along the entire 16.5-mile path over a three-year period. The path runs through many neighborhoods and communities – some significantly less green than others – so the project is not just about improving the environment, but also about equity.

“During the first planting season, we worked with over 400 volunteers to plant more than 1,500 trees and shrubs along the path,” Lauvray said. The next planting season will start in October.

Craig added that ODOT is working on a number of additional improvements to the path to “make it more user-friendly and to increase the number of people who use it by foot, bike or transit.” Craig mentioned that ODOT recently worked with TriMet to secure federal stimulus funding to add overhead lighting on the path from Lents to Gladstone, and that ODOT is working to build a new under-crossing at SE Division Street.

Representatives from TriMet also weighed in on the equity conversation. Communications Specialist Thomas Ngo said that during construction of the MAX Green Line, $62 million in construction contracts went to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.

After traveling a few more miles, the group stopped at Portland Community College to hear final remarks from several speakers. East Portland Action Plan member Jim Chasse thanked the group for taking part in the ride and noted that, “small steps can lead to big changes.” EPAP works to develop strategies and actions to address multiple issues facing the East Portland community.

Before leading the group back to IRCO for some mingling and snacks, Forsberg spoke about PBOT’s Transportation Options program, which encourages people to explore all the alternatives to driving alone, including bicycling, carpooling and using TriMet. He joked that “it’s lonely sitting in traffic all by yourself” and encouraged people to get out of their cars. He added that a big part of equity is connecting schools, parks and access to businesses, which is one goal of PBOT’s Neighborhood Greenways program.

In wrapping up, ODOT’s Romero thanked the group for participating and said that she is “happy about the work we are all doing individually, collectively and collaboratively.”

Read more about the Equity Ride in The Portland Mercury.

In June, Pedalpalooza cyclists visited trees planted earlier this year along the I-205 multi-use path. (Jim Chasse)

If you missed our Pedalpalooza bike ride on the I-205 multi-use path in June, you’ll have another chance to see the new trees.

Next month Friends of Trees Green Space Manager Logan Lauvray will lead another bicycle tour, called the Equity Ride, that will include part of the path crossing through the Montavilla neighborhood.

Organizers of the Equity Ride include Friends of Trees, ODOT, Community Cycling Center, Bicyclists of Color, and East Portland Action Plan.

ODOT Region 1 Public and Community Affairs Manager Shelli Romero is spearheading the Equity Ride planning process. She also participated in the Pedalpalooza ride last month.

“It was great to take part in the ride with Friends of Trees highlighting our recent plantings along the path,” she said. “The weather was perfect, the trees looked nice, and there were lots of people outside taking advantage of the path. We’re looking forward to the next planting season, which will provide even more improvements to the path.”

Watch for the date, time and location of the Equity Ride here on Growth Rings and on the I-205 multi-use path Facebook page.

–Teri Ruch

Planting along the I-205 Multi-Use Path (FoT file)

Join Friends of Trees for our Pedalpalooza bike ride on Thursday, June 24. Green Space Manager Logan Lauvray will lead a guided tour of the tree plantings we organized in partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro and others along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. See nationally-progressive transportation policy action!

We’ll meet at SE 94th Ave. and SE Pardee St. (just south of Holgate) at 6 p.m. and bike our way to the northern end of the Multi-Use Path at Marine Dr. Learn about this year’s plantings and about plantings to come.

The ride will be about seven miles long, but you can join us at the halfway point at the Gateway Transit Center around 6:45 p.m.

Bring your bike, love for trees, and inner policy wonk!

I-205 Tree Tour
Thursday, June 24
6 p.m.
SE 94th Ave. and Pardee St.

For more information, contact Andy at AndyM@FriendsofTrees.org or 503-282-8846 ext. 24.

–Teri Ruch

(ODOT)

Since 2007 local and state transportation agencies have wrangled with the canopy complications surrounding planned improvements of Powell Blvd., also known as U.S. 26.

There are a little over $1M in improvements planned—including enhanced pedestrian and bike crossings at key intersections—but only about $400,000 worth have been approved and funded.

A collective uproar could be heard from the Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition (SEUL) after a meeting in April when local business owners proposed using the planned improvements as an opportunity to remove all of the median trees on the road from SE 50th to 82nd.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) said that median trees and sidewalks fall under the maintenance jurisdiction of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT).

“ODOT supports what the community and the city want to do with the median,” said Mike Mason, community affairs coordinator with ODOT.

“ODOT removed 12 trees to build ADA compliant curb ramps and new crosswalks,” said Mason, “These will be replaced with 47 new trees in the project area.”

The project area, where the new Americans with Disabilities Act compliant sidewalks will be installed, is between SE 51st and I-205.

There are dozens of substantial median trees along Powell Blvd., most of which are in large concrete planters that can grow long grass that is difficult for PBOT to cut back.

Regardless, the SEUL emphatically rejected the notion of removing all median trees as a part of any U.S. 26 improvement plant.

“There is clearly strong support from the community for keeping trees,” acknowledged Ginny Peckinpaugh, who works on transportation issues at the mayor’s office.

Unmaintained, tall grass is also an issue, but Peckinpaugh said any further plans will only be implemented after further community discourse and if additional stimulus funds become available.

Have you driven down Powell Blvd. lately—what do you think of this issue? Are the trees and grasses a hindrance or worth protecting?

Additional information on the Powell Blvd. Streetscape Plan from ODOT and PBOT.

–Toshio Suzuki

Green Space Initiative Manager Logan Lauvray instructs volunteers on planting protocol last month along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. Friends of Trees is partnering with Metro and ODOT on this exciting transportation initiative that will plant thousands of trees along the corridor. (Collier Arbor Care)

The Coalition for a Livable Future will host a regional sustainability summit Thursday, including breakout sessions that feature Friends of Trees planting partners.

The 2010 Regional Livability Summit runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the third floor of the Smith Center Ballroom at Portland State University.

Shelli Romero from ODOT will present on “Transportation Equity and Access for All,” no doubt highlighting the three-year initiative to plant trees with Friends of Trees and Metro along the I-205 Multi-Use Path.

This groundbreaking partnership is creating green jobs in the community and cleaning the environment in areas that need it the most.

In another breakout session, representatives from Metro, the Audubon Society of Portland and Portland Commissioner Nick Fish’s office will discuss providing access to Parks and Natural Areas.

Friends of Trees is proud to work with all of these local groups, receiving the largest capital grant in Metro’s history to plant along the I-205 Multi-Use Path, frequently planting on or near Audubon managed land, and continually working with Portland Urban Forestry, which is run by Commissioner Fish.

Tickets to the event are $40-70, including meals. Registration and a complete itinerary is available online.

–Toshio Suzuki

Metro Council President David Bragdon, right, planted with Friends of Trees at the I-205 Multi-Use Path planting on March 20, 2010. (FOT file)

Congratulations to Metro Council President David Bragdon, who received the 2010 Excellence in Urban Forest Leadership Award from The Arbor Day Foundation. Bragdon received the award for his role in preserving and restoring forest and park land in the Portland-metro region.

Metro is a key partner in two Friends of Trees projects initiated this year–a three-year project with the Oregon Department of Transportation to green the I-205 Multi-Use Path and a partnership with the Audubon Society of Portland to restore the Collins Sanctuary, 84-acres of natural area adjacent to Forest Park, which Metro purchased and designated for restoration.

Friends of Trees’ Gift Trees were planted in the Collins Sanctuary during the 2009-10 planting season and will be planted in the sanctuary in the coming years as well.

The project to green the I-205 Multi-Use Path is supported by a $410,000 Metro Nature in Neighborhoods capital grant made possible through voter-approved funding in 2006 to purchase and restore natural areas in the Portland metro area. As a result of the project, thousands of trees will be planted along the 16.5-mile path used by pedestrians, bicyclers, and transit users.

Read more about the award on OregonLive.

–Teri Ruch

An excerpt from the piece:

Friends of Trees partnered with Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services and J. Frank Schmidt & Son. Co. to plant nearly 200 street trees on March 6, 2010.

By recognizing trees as capital assets, the I-205 project secured funding through a Nature in Neighborhoods capital grant from Metro’s 2006 voter-approved natural areas bond measure. The result: Thousands of native trees and shrubs will serve the neighborhoods and cities along the path—and the entire region–for years to come. And if ODOT Region 1 succeeds in inspiring other ODOT regions to fund greening of transportation corridors, Oregon may become a model for other states.

Greening our cities and transportation corridors encourages active, healthy lifestyles, protects our drinking water and cleans our air — reducing pollutants that exacerbate asthma and other respiratory diseases.

It also secures jobs in Oregon’s number two agricultural industry, the nursery industry. That’s one reason Boring-based tree grower J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. has joined a budding list of local businesses supporting the I-205 greening project. Planting more trees in the “nursery state” provides jobs for arborists, city workers and others who maintain the trees’ health.

The piece concludes:

Considering trees as assets is a capital idea. It’s good for Oregon and our citizens. It’s time our state, known for its forestry industry as well as its green innovations, shows that its trees are appreciated.

Read the complete story here.

–Teri Ruch

Neighborhood Trees Manager Whitney Dorer and Conan Harmon-Walker at the Friends of Trees anniversary party Nov. 15. (FOT file)

By Shelli Romero

March 20 marked the fifth in a series of community tree plantings along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. It also marked another milestone: the 249th tree planting at which Conan Harmon-Walker volunteered.

Born and reared in Oregon, Harmon-Walker is a network administrator for Legacy Health Systems and a 14-year volunteer with Friends of Trees. He participates in an abundance of Friends of Trees’ Neighborhood Trees (NT) and Green Space Initiative (GSI) plantings, setting milestone goals as part of his personal commitment to contribute to the community.

Harmon-Walker crew leading at the Nov. 21 NT planting in Sellwood . (FOT file)

“I was an earth science major in the seventies and studied global warming,” he explained. “Planting trees is something I can do that’s local and meaningful.”

On this particular Saturday, beneath the warm rays of the sun at Southeast 95th and Hawthorne in the Montavilla neighborhood, Harmon-Walker helped sign in volunteers and assisted with tree plantings throughout the morning.

Harmon-Walker is a trained Friends of Trees crew leader who has guided hundreds of volunteers throughout the years. The March 20 planting was part of a three-year partnership among Friends of Trees, ODOT and Metro to plant thousands of trees and shrubs along the path, which is used extensively by bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users.

“Improvements to the Multi-Use Path are important; and adding trees and shrubs is a wonderful follow-on improvement as it will help shield the community from I-205 and thousands of cars that go by,” Harmon-Walker said.

In addition to enhancing the path for bordering neighborhoods, the plantings will reduce air pollution, minimize storm-water runoff into streams and rivers, and provide habitat for wildlife.

When complete, ODOT will showcase the project as a statewide model for considering the greening of other transportation corridors.

“This project will improve air quality and livability for this area at the very least, and I would like to encourage more people to get involved and let our policy makers know that this project is important to the community,” said Harmon-Walker.

The next weekend marked Harmon-Walker’s 250th planting with Friends of Trees, equating to about 14,000 trees and shrubs in the ground.

In recognition of his amazing achievement, Friends of Trees planted a grove of trees in his honor at their biannual Gift Trees planting on March 28.

“I planted trees with my father when I was a boy, and my teenage sons have planted with me since they were boys,” explained Harmon-Walker. “It’s the best way we know to leave a legacy.”

Romero is public policy and community affairs manager, ODOT-Region I

Lavette Lacy, 18, planting at an I-205 this season. (ODOT)

By Kimberly Dinwiddie

Beaming with enthusiasm, 18-year-old Lavette Lacy of Northeast Portland happily spent a sunny Saturday morning along the Interstate 205 Multi-Use-Path near Airport Way planting trees and shrubs.

Lacy has not planted many trees in her life; in fact, the first tree Lacy planted was along the path in December.

Lacy is a student at Rosemary Anderson High School, a program of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (Portland OIC)—an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth engage in school and training.

Portland OIC recently joined in a unique partnership with Friends of Trees, ODOT and Metro to green the I-205 Multi-Use Path with thousands of trees and shrubs over a three-year period.

Through Portland OIC, Lacy is studying natural resources, including streams and fish.

As part of the project, Portland OIC and other organizations—including Verde, Portland Development Commission, and Worksystems, Inc.—have created 16 green jobs and are expanding environmental education to under-served and minority communities.

When Lacy isn’t planting trees or studying natural resources she likes spending time with friends, reading, and writing. Lacy is currently writing a book. “It’s a work in progress,” she said.

Lacy believes it is important to take care of herself by eating organic foods. She also has the desire to take care of others. Lacy explained that she would like to become a doctor or a surgeon; she wouldn’t mind firefighting either. However, Lacy said her dream job would be to travel the world—spending time in Tokyo, Ethiopia or Asia—eating good food and seeing how people in other countries live.

In the meantime, Lacy is happy to plant trees along the I-205 Multi-Use-Path. “People are learning how to plant trees as they socially network with one another. You get to learn something new and see the work that you have done,” she commented.

Lacy will be at future tree plantings along the I-205 Multi-Use-Path and plans to bring her one-year-old niece to an upcoming planting. Lacy wants to start instilling the importance and rewards of volunteering to her niece at a young age.

The final Friends of Trees planting along the I-205 Multi-Use Path for this season is Saturday, April 3.

More information on the I-205 project is available, including this PGE video, this Friends of Trees video, and a comprehensive brochure.

<em>–Dinwiddie works for the Oregon Department of Transporation</em>

Young planters take a break Saturday on the slope where trees were planted along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. (FOT file)

By Teri Ruch

Volunteers at the March 20 Friends of Trees planting along the I-205 corridor in Southeast Portland ranged from toddlers to retirees. They came from diverse backgrounds and groups, including nonprofits, regional and statewide agencies, nearby neighborhoods, high schools, and local businesses.

But all agreed on two things: Planting trees is good; and planting trees on a sunny first day of spring is even better.

“The variety of people and organizations involved is tremendous,” said Metro Council President David Bragdon as he paused next to a tree that he was about to haul up the slope to plant. Surveying the bustling volunteers from Friends of Trees, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), East Portland Action Plan (EPAP) and elsewhere, he said, “When you put all those efforts together, you get a great result.”

Metro Council President David Bragdon, center with hat, spoke at Saturday's I-205 planting and stuck around to help. (FOT file)

The March 20 Green Space Initiative planting was part of a three-year project to green the 16.5-mile I-205 Multi-Use Path, which is funded by a $410,000 grant from Metro’s 2006 voter-approved Natural Areas bond measure. “What we look for is partnerships,” said Bragdon, “and projects that create lots of volunteer engagement and community ownership.”

The I-205 greening project, which involves a partnership between Friends of Trees and ODOT, is also funded by an $80,000 grant from the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (EMSWCD) and by Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) and local businesses, including Cantel Sweeping and Collier Arbor Care who sponsored the day’s event.

In addition to the diversity in volunteers and project partners, the benefits of the project are many and wide ranging. Planting trees along a path that crosses some of Portland’s most diverse neighborhoods and is used by pedestrians, bicyclers and transit users will encourage more people to use the path.

And given the path’s location next to a well-traveled freeway, Cantel Sweeping owner Michael Wagoner’s reason for planting was especially fitting. His company’s vehicles emit exhaust, and planting trees helps offset those emissions.

“Trees are also terrific stormwater management tools,” said EMSWCD Executive Director Jean Fike, referring to trees’ role in reducing stormwater runoff. “Planting trees helps keep our rivers, streams and watersheds healthy.”

Terrill Collier of Collier Arbor Care said the March 20 planting was especially meaningful to him because he grew up in the neighborhood. “So this is coming back to my roots and planting trees.”

“It’s building communities,” said EPAP member Vadim Riskin, equity coordinator for Portland Public Schools. “You meet people when you plant together, and you teach and learn from one another.”

Other planters on March 20 included ten high school students from Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (Portland OIC), a local nonprofit that assists minority and under-served youth. The students’ jobs guiding planters along the I-205 path were created through a partnership among Portland OIC, Portland Development Commission, and Worksystems, Inc.

“I like the fresh air and the freedom,” said Portland OIC’s Pablo Juan Tomas. “I like making changes in the community, too.”

(FOT file)

(FOT file)

(FOT file)

(FOT file)

–Ruch is the communications director for Friends of Trees: terir@FriendsofTrees.org; 503-282-8846 ext. 17

There are nine plantings remaining through April 10. (FOT file)

The tree tally records continue to climb for Friends of Trees and there are still four full weekends of planting opportunities.

A quick look at the numbers so far from the biggest planting season in 20 years:

Volunteers helped plant 141 trees last Saturday in East Portland. (Ryan Summers)

• 13,587 trees and shrubs planted
• 3,423 large trees injected into the local canopy
• Over a dozen natural area restoration sites established
• Thousands of volunteer hours, from digging holes to preparing chili
• Plantings spread across rivers and counties, in various cities and dozens of neighborhoods

The fun continues this weekend, March 20, with the last four-planting Saturday for Friends of Trees and its two programs, Neighborhood Trees (NT) and Green Space Initiative (GSI).

Ryan Summers, who planted a Greenspire Linden with his wife last weekend, said the best part was meeting and hanging out with his neighbors for the first time.

“We were excited to volunteer with FOT because it made it affordable to replace our tree and help add more trees to our area,” wrote Summers. “It really is a great way to meet and interact with your immediate community.”

The two NT plantings are in Vancouver and in the Cully, Madison South, Rose City Park and Roseway neighborhoods of Portland. The Portland planting is going for over 300 large street and yard trees, which will be a more than 100 percent increase in the same neighborhoods from last year.

Also, Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman is confirmed to attend his second planting of the season.

GSI concludes its last two-planting Saturday in Tualatin and again along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. While part of the GSI mission is to plant small trees and shrubs as natural area restoration, the greening I-205 project, where larger trees are planted, garners timely attention because of the new partnerships with Metro and ODOT.

Metro Council President David Bragdon will attend Saturday’s I-205 planting to help promote the three-year partnership that is bringing large trees to the corridor from the Columbia River to Gladstone.

As usual, plantings begin at 9 a.m. sharp, but arrive early for registration and refreshments. All are welcome—just remember to dress for the weather. Forecast right now is … sunshine!

–Toshio Suzuki

Lovie Sanders planting along the I-205 Multi-Use Path. (Kimberly Dinwiddie, ODOT)

By Kimberly Dinwiddie

When most teenagers get their first job, the feeling of freedom and independence is exciting and memorable, although often times the job itself is less exciting. For 16-year-old Lovie Sanders this is not the case.

“This is my first job and I am ecstatic about it,” shared Sanders, whose new job is to guide volunteers in planting trees along the Interstate 205 Multi-Use Path. “I get to meet new people, and work with friends and people from all ages and backgrounds.”

Sanders is a student at Rosemary Anderson High School, a program of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (Portland OIC)—an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth engage in school and training.

“I like the small community. It allows me to focus and stay on track with my grades,” said Sanders.

Portland OIC recently joined in a unique partnership with Friends of Trees, ODOT and Metro to green the I-205 Multi-Use Path with thousands of trees and shrubs over a three-year period.

As part of the project, Portland OIC and other organizations including Verde, Portland Development Commission, and Worksystems, Inc. have created 16 green jobs and are expanding environmental education to under-served and minority communities.

Sanders said she eventually wants to become a veterinarian assistant. She loves animals and has had many pets, including bunnies, dogs, pigeons and hamsters. She has also had over 52 cats in the course of her life—she takes them in, feeds them, and gets them neutered before giving the cats away to a good home.

In addition to planting trees and taking care of animals, Sanders said that she loves to sing and draw. One day she would like to take her artistic talents on the road along with her animals. For now, Sanders enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, reading, listening to music and writing poetry.

As for her current job through Portland OIC, Sanders said she never planted trees before. “I have done gardening with my Mom, but never planted trees,” she explained. “But I’m used to digging holes. When you have had as many pets as I have, you dig holes often.”

More information on the I-205 project is available, including this PGE video, this Friends of Trees video, and a comprehensive brochure.

–Dinwiddie works for the Oregon Department of Transporation

Schnitzer Steel employees pose for a planting group shot at the Feb. 20 I-205 planting. From left, the front row includes Kimberly Keller, Summer Ray, Krissy Larue, Jessica Mohler and Kathi Gibson; from left, the middle row includes Sue Drake, Melissa Halle and Monica Rodal; and in the back row is Jim Jakubiak. (Julia Kukar)

About 23 Schnitzer Steel employees enjoyed the fine weather last weekend and helped green the I-205 Multi-Use Path in Lents.

Friends of Trees and its Green Space Initiative program, in partnership with ODOT and Metro, are planting thousands of trees along the transportation corridor over the next three years.

Exactly 600 large trees have already been planted this season, 157 going into the ground Saturday. There are still two more I-205 plantings coming next month.

Some Schnitzer employee testimony:

“Our group really enjoyed the tree-planting experience,” said Julia Kukar, “…even those of us who had never volunteered before were able to jump right in and help.”

“It was also amazing to see how much of a difference the 157 trees that were planted over a four-hour period made to the appearance of the hillside, bike path and neighborhood.

Summer Ray and Kimberly Keller. (Julia Kukar)

“I would like to say how great and helpful the staff was,” said Krissy Larue. “They were very knowledgeable and passionate about what they do, and it really helped spread enthusiasm for the planting.”

For more information about group volunteering opportunities, visit our Volunteer Resources Web page.

–Toshio Suzuki

Antonio Askew at an I-205 planting. (Chijo Takeda)

By Elizabeth Craig

Planting trees and shrubs along the I-205 Multi-Use Path on a cold and windy Saturday morning, 19-year-old Antonio Askew thinks about the future.

“Like if I have kids, I can tell them, ‘Hey, I helped with that,’” said Askew as he pointed to freshly planted trees along the path.

Askew is a graduate of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (Portland OIC), an organization dedicated to helping at-risk youth engage in school and training. Portland OIC recently joined in a unique partnership with Friends of Trees, Oregon Department of Transportation and Metro to green the I-205 Multi-Use Path with thousands of trees and shrubs over a three-year period.

As part of the project, Portland OIC, the Portland Development Commission, and Worksystems, Inc. are creating 16 green jobs and expanding environmental education to under-served and minority communities.

Askew discovered his enjoyment of environmental education and training when he connected with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to repair a park trail, a previous opportunity through Portland OIC.

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “It was my first time reconstructing natural habitat.”

Askew’s experience with the BLM helped land him a job as a civil engineering aide out of its Salem office. He believes that networking is an important part of the work he’s doing through Portland OIC.

“It’s a way to meet people and make connections,” Askew explained. “That’s why I come out and do these functions.”

Having graduated from Portland OIC in June 2008, Askew stays engaged with the organization through a graduate support group. He credits Portland OIC with pushing him to finish high school and to go to college. While he is currently taking the term off for financial reasons, he plans to go back to school at Portland Community College in the spring.

In his free time, Askew said he likes to spend time with his girlfriend and family, go bowling, and golf. He plans to take advantage of the green jobs that are being created through the I-205 Multi-Use Path greening project by taking part in six plantings.

“I just love nature,” he said.

–Elizabeth Craig is a community affairs coordinator for ODOT.

–Whitney Dorer & Toshio Suzuki