Winter 2015

As the year comes to a close, Portland Trails is leaping forward with new projects for 2016. The GORP party last summer celebrated all things PT, including an exciting new development, which is bearing fruit in Bayside and East Bayside right now. With a $75,000 grant from Jane's Trust, Portland Trails is kick-starting community-driven placemaking projects in the two neighborhoods. These projects are an exciting reaffirmation of the new Portland Trails mission to transform Greater Portland into a healthier community for people-powered transportation, conservation, and recreation by creating and maintaining a network of trails and green spaces that connects people with places.

So what will the grant-funded projects look like? They will focus on active transportation to afford a safe walk for elementary school children; on spaces shared by lots of different users, such as along Anderson and Gould streets; on neighborhood activation that engages volunteers from the East Bayside Neighborhood Organization (EBNO); and on trail-building to benefit neighborhood businesses and residents alike. Says Heather Sanborn of Rising Tide Brewing, "We have witnessed a dramatic transformation of this neighborhood. These Portland Trails projects will further enhance our unique neighborhood."

Portland Trails will keep up its robust tradition and work collaboratively and at the grassroots level with the City of Portland, residents, and community groups in the neighborhood. Work has already begun and there are lots of fun events on the horizon. Join us on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 5:30pm for Bright Night: A Solstice Ride of Bikes & Lights on the Bayside Trail. Come celebrate the beauty of crisp, winter nights with friends, neighbors, a cup of cocoa, and your favorite nonprofit urban land trust!