Friends of Trees plants in East Portland (Slideshow)

By Andrew Land

On Saturday, March 1st, Friends of Trees dipped into the Argay, Parkrose, Parkrose Heights, Russell, Sumner and Wilkes neighborhoods for our annual tree planting event. With the help of 70 adults and about 30 students from David Douglas High School’s ESL program, 80 trees were planted in no time flat! A strong partnership between Friends of Trees and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services has resulted in several thousand trees being planted east of I-205 in the past several years. Those trees will have a profound impact in coming years on the aesthetics, livability and state of public health for all Portlanders living on the east side of town.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz joined the fun on planting day and made a strong statement in opposition to the Portland Water District Initiative, a ballot measure this May that might be more aptly-named the Bull Run Takeover. According to Bob Sallinger, Conservation Director for the Audubon Society of Portland, the initiative “would transfer control of more than $15 billion in public assets including control of our precious Bull Run to a new unproven board with no water or sewer experience, and susceptible to corporate influence.”

Friends of Trees has joined 47 other local non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups and unions in opposing the Bull Run Takeover. We encourage a ‘No’ vote on the measure this May.