Portland, OR. Vaux’s Swift are swirling around Chapman Elementary again according to the Audubon Society of Portland. It’s the phenomenon is described as, “One of Portland’s most spectacular natural events.” Thousands of Vaux’s Swifts gather in the city as they prepare to migrate to Central America and Venezuela. (Photo Credit, KOV Photography)
Every September, bird lovers gather to watch Vaux’s Swifts prepare to roost for the night at Chapman Elementary School (1445 NW 26th Ave., Portland.) 2,000-15,000 swifts are spotted on a given evening.
Hundreds watch Vaux’s Swifts prepare to roost for the night. It happens one hour before sunset, each night in September
Vaux’s Swifts are using the Chapman chimney as an evening roost during their fall migration, and there’s still time to see them. Grab a seat on the school lawn and in neighboring Wallace Park to observe the birds gathering. On most evenings, Audubon volunteers will be on hand to share information.
Migrating swifts often use chimneys as roosts (places to sleep), and they are likely to return to the same roost year after year. One swift population has been returning to the Chapman chimney since the 1980s, and it is one of the largest known roosting sites of migrating Vaux’s Swifts.
Here’s a video from a Swift Watch:
From the Audubon Society of Portland:
Parking
Free Swift Watch parking is available at Montgomery Park and SELCO Community Credit Union. Do not expect to find on-street parking near the event – please park at Montgomery and SELCO if at all possible.
Montgomery Park is located six blocks from Chapman at 2701 NW Vaughn St. Note: from the Chapman area, NW Vaughn cannot be accessed from NW 27th, 28th or 29th Ave.
SELCO Community Credit Union is located at NW 25th and Thurman. Note: The SELCO lot will be available each night any time after 6:00 p.m.
We Need Your Help!
Please be a good neighbor to Chapman-area residents: 1) Do not expect to find on-street parking, so park for free at Montgomery Park and SELCO Community Credit Union or use other transit options. 2) During the event, leash and pick up after dogs. 3) After the event, pick up your trash and do not loiter on school grounds. 4) It is illegal to consume alcoholic beverages or smoke on public school grounds.
Here’s more information about the work of the Audubon Society of Portland, which promotes the understanding, enjoyment, and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats.
Conservation: We protect and advocate for birds and other wildlife in our city and across the region. We also work to ensure all Portland-area residents have easy access to nature.
Education: Our expert educators offer environmental camps, classes and trips for all ages.
Wildlife rehabilitation: Our Wildlife Care Center provides specialty care for native wild animals that are injured or orphaned. The center also answers inquiries about living with urban wildlife.
Sanctuaries: We run nature sanctuaries in the mountains, city and coast. They protect habitat, showcase healthy ecosystems, and provide places for people to connect with nature.
Birding: We help people of all ages and backgrounds get involved in birding by organizing a variety of birding and natural history activities.
Cannon Beach, OR. SOLVE is organizing beach clean-ups over the holiday weekend. In past years, volunteers collected 850 pounds of debris after the 4th of July. Oregon Parks and Recreation has established 32 drop-offs locations for debris collected on the beach. Debris dropped off at the collection locations must be in official SOLVE bags, which can be picked up at any state park or transfer station in an Oregon coastal county. Here’s a list where you can help out.
Visitors flock to the tide-pools near Haystack Rock during low tide.
Fish, birds, and other aquatic life can mistake small bits of trash for food. This trash travels through the digestive system often resulting in malnutrition, entanglement, and strangulation.
Due to the increased use of plastic and other synthetic materials, marine debris is causing increasing damage to ocean ecosystems and wildlife. Scientists estimate that more than 5 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean is covered with trash, and most of it is believed to be made up of plastic remnants from the world’s shorelines.
SOLVE helps keep Oregon Beaches beautiful.
SOLVE is working with the Oregon Tsunami Debris Task Force which includes representatives of State Police, Parks, Environmental Quality, Fish and Wildlife, Public Health, Transportation and the Marine Board, as well as local and tribal governments, state legislators, community organizations, and federal agencies.
For more information on how to handle beach debris, here’s a website:
SOLVE is a non-profit organization that brings together proud Oregonians (native and newly-transplanted) to improve the environment and to build a legacy of stewardship. By making connections between individuals, business groups, and service and conservation groups through volunteering and education, we are building a stronger tomorrow for this place we all love. This place that, let’s face it, is pretty much the biggest reason why we came (or stayed) here in the first place. We’ll take care of it, together.
The organization originally called S.O.L.V. (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) was created by Governor Tom McCall and other community leaders in 1969 to address the need for community action in the ever-growing state. Today SOLVE is building on their vision with a strategic plan that will guide us as we work to improve the environment of Oregon and build a legacy of stewardship.
In response to what is becoming an unprecedented amount of marine debris in Oregon, SOLVE has taken a leading role with partners Surfrider Foundation, Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, Oregon Sea Grant and Washed Ashore, in forming a plan for a coordinated response. Our group, collectively operating as the Oregon Marine Debris Team, is working in an effort to engage volunteers in cooperation with local, state and federal agencies in marine debris removal projects. A network of 32 drop-off sites on the Oregon coast are now ready to receive beach debris washing ashore from the tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011. The drop-off sites are free and are a combination of state parks and independent recycling and transfer stations located in every county. Visitors and residents can call 211 (or 1-800-SAFENET) to report tsunami debris they see on the beach. The drop-off sites will accept debris in official beach cleanup bags produced by SOLVE. Beach cleanup bags are available at state park campgrounds.There will also be an increased number of beach cleanups scheduled on the Oregon Coast. Join the Marine Debris Team volunteer list if you are interested in helping with this effort.
Pickup trash along the beach the next time you visit the beach. Bags are available at every state park and transfer station along the Oregon coast. Full bags can be left at beach debris drop-off points.
Organize a beach cleanup with SOLVE through the Project Oregon program.
Sign up to volunteer for ongoing beach cleanup efforts.
Portland, April 25th, 2013 . 251 supporters joined forces to raise $49,017 for the continued success of the “Think to the Future Initiative” education program. Through it The Black United Fund of Oregon provides much-needed guidance and support to under-served students on the path to higher education and career success. (Photo credit, Andie Petkus Photography)
“The Oregon Lottery team was a master sponsor at the Black United Fund of Oregon’s 16th Annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon. They presented a $1500 scholarship later that afternoon to a deserving African American high school student.“
The funding assists in the social and economic development of Oregon’s low-income communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups. The Black United Fund of Oregon’s 16th Annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon was held at the Governor Hotel and chaired by Michele Cruse.
From the Black United Fund:
Mission
To assist in the social and economic development of Oregon’s low-income communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups.
How do we do it?
We partner with organizations right here in our community, who believe as we do that every person matters and every dollar counts. We support organizations with a proven track record of improving social and economic conditions by increasing opportunities in underserved neighborhoods. Because we know this is the only way to have a truly healthy community.
History
We are committed to providing financial support and life-changing programs for Oregon’s low-income communities, and have been for 27 years and counting. In 1983, leaders in North and Northeast Portland noticed that many philanthropic organizations were not giving as much support to communities of color. To combat this inequity, they started the Black United Fund of Oregon to channel charitable funds to low-income areas and since that time, big changes have occurred. We have raised over $4 million to help thousands of our most vulnerable citizens. Last year alone, we served 75,000 Oregonians with grants to more than 30 organizations.
Portland, Ore- Portland Children’s Museum is delighted to announce that a recent gift from Target Corporation will continue the popular Free First Friday, a program that keeps the Museum open for free to visitors from 4 to 8 pm on the first Friday of each month. These evenings are part of the Community Partners program, which focuses on connecting with families facing barriers to accessing the Museum.
“Target Free First Friday makes a huge impact at the Museum,” said Carrie Hoops, Interim Executive Director. “We see record-breaking attendance numbers as a result of this program. The demand for low cost access to the museum is high and growing, and we are able to meet these frequent requests thanks to generous supporters like Target.”
Target First Free Fridays draw an average of 1,000 monthly visitors that otherwise would not have access to the Museum. This year the Museum expects more than 12,000 visitors for Target First Free Fridays alone.
To extend free access and reduced-cost memberships to qualified families, the Community Partners Program collaborates with over 200 organizations including Title I schools, libraries, government agencies, and non-profits to develop strategies that connect underserved communities to the arts. With Target’s help, the Museum’s Community Partners program will reach over 35,000 children and their families this year alone.
“At Target, we are committed to serving local communities where we do business,” said Laysha Ward, President, Community Relations, Target. “That’s why we are proud to partner with the Portland Children’s Museum as we work to strengthen communities and enrich the lives of our guests and team members.”
ABOUT TARGET
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,778 stores across the United States and at Target.com. The company plans to open its first stores in Canada in 2013. In addition, the company operates a credit card segment that offers branded proprietary credit card products. Since 1946, Target has given 5 percent of its profit through community grants and programs; today, that giving equals more than $4 million a week. For more information about Target’s commitment to corporate responsibility, visit Target.com/hereforgood.
ABOUT PORTLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Portland Children’s Museum is the museum that doesn’t act like a museum. You won’t find any velvet ropes inside, and playing with and touching our exhibits is strongly encouraged. Our main exhibit is the imagination of the children who play here. Every activity from permanent to travelling exhibits is designed to encourage children to play and wonder while they learn about themselves and the world around them.
Portland, OR. April 29th, 2013. Glen Gilbert has been named the new Executive Director of Cascade AIDS Project (CAP). He will officially begin his role on May 1, 2013. Gilbert brings 18 years of experience in nonprofit management to his new position. Gilbert said, “I am thrilled to be joining CAP. There has never been a more optimistic and hopeful time to be part of the HIV/AIDS movement. This war is not over but it is winnable.
After 30 years, we can finally envision a reality in which HIV and AIDS are no longer part of our daily lives, but only part of our history.”
Prior to joining CAP, Gilbert served as Executive Director of the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation. In that role, he helped double revenues in three years, led a successful capital campaign, increased the agency’s endowment to $5 million, and successfully lobbied for legislation enabling used eyeglass distribution in Oregon. Gilbert has also served as a nonprofit management and executive transitions consultant to the Museum of Contemporary Craft and METRO; President and CEO of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council; President and CEO of the World Forestry Center and Museum; and Executive Director of the Berkeley Public Library Foundation. Gilbert lives in Portland with his wife Tori and children Marina and Matthew. He has been profiled in The Oregonian and The Seattle Times, and his writing has been published in The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Examiner.
About Cascade AIDS Project Incorporated in 1985, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is the oldest and largest AIDS Service Organization in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Our mission is to prevent HIV infections, support and empower people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, and eliminate HIV/AIDS-related stigma. With a staff of 61, and a volunteer corps including nearly 800 individuals providing more than 29,000 hours of service each year, CAP manages a diverse array of programs and an annual budget of $6.1 million. Fifteen percent of CAP’s staff live with HIV, 25% identify from communities of color, and 30% are bilingual. Our programs serve the broad and diverse set of communities impacted by HIV, from community-specific
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