Connecting Green

Audubon Society of Portland, Metro, Trust for Public Land and the Urban Greenspaces Institute have created the Connecting Green Alliance

"When you size it up, we have a lot of natural heritage. But another way to put that is that we have a lot of unrealized potential. Unlike natural systems, sometimes our governance systems don't work in rational ways. And I am concerned that the way we are organized now, our fragmented non-system will not deliver on the rare promise that this region has for exceptional parks and natural areas."

— Metro Council President David Bragdon
Connecting Green Summit, June 2007

Connecting Green is an initiative to create the world's greatest systems of parks, trails, and natural areas. Our region has a unique natural inheritance. It is surrounded by hills and mountains, laced with rivers and streams, and gifted with stands of ancient trees, valleys and canyons, and forested buttes. Our natural inheritance provides clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and recreate in, and trails and parks to enjoy. Nature is always nearby. This wealth of nature gives us an opportunity to create one of the world's greatest park and natural area systems. This opportunity, however, will not be realized unless action is taken to capitalize on it. Connecting Green is that initiative.

Making the Connecting Green vision a reality is the work of the Connecting Green Alliance, a group of non-profits, state and local agencies, businesses and citizens from across the region working to plan, develop and promote Connecting Green – the region's system of parks, trails and natural areas. For additional information on the Connecting Green Alliance or to learn more about joining, send e-mail to info@connectinggreen.org.

Portland Audubon, a member of the Connecting Green Alliance, contributing resources to plan and build regional parks and trails, restore natural areas and habitat protect water quality and realize the Connecting Green vision

The Connecting Green vision

• develop a 1-2 year plan to increase funding for creating the regional system of parks, trails and natural areas in the Portland metropolitan area
• identify and target individuals, businesses, institutions and organizations that are most likely to support and partner with the Connecting Green Alliance in activities related to promoting, funding and maintaining the Connecting Green "regional system"
• develop strategic partnerships with non-profits, businesses, health organizations, academic institutions and public agencies to expand and leverage resources that will further develop Connecting Green on the ground – and in the hearts and minds of key leadership and citizens
• develop the tools for Connecting Green Alliance partners to embrace and use Connecting Green themes and messages to complement existing marketing programs and outreach

Why is connecting our green infrastructure important?

The region's natural areas are not fully serving wildlife or people. Some of our parks are being loved to death because access to nature and recreation is not evenly distributed around the region; imminent growth pressure will exacerbate this inequality unless we plan regionally and act strategically.

• More than half of our parkland (53 percent) is deforested. It is not providing good wildlife habitat, not cleaning the air, not cleaning the water and not helping with global warming. Due to non-native invasive species, that percentage will increase without our action. Even in
• Forest Park, the crown jewel of our urban natural areas, more than 90 percent of the park has weed species present; 10 percent of the park (500 acres) is either degraded or severely degraded with invasive species strangling the forest canopy.
• Four in ten of our region's residents do not have a neighborhood park within walking distance. Existing neighborhood parks often are deteriorating due to lack of local funds for operations and maintenance.
• We have built only 194 miles of trail in a trails network envisioned at more than 900 miles. The existing trails "system" is a disjointed array of trail segments with 25 key gaps that impede their usefulness.

Audubon Society of Portland at work as a member of the Connecting Green Alliance

• Co-hosting the 20 years of Regional Parks and Green Space Planning Celebration and launch of the Connecting Green Alliance on April 23, 2008 at the Bridgeport Brew Pub + Bakery.
• In April 2008, the Metro Council convened a Blue Ribbon Committee for Trails to identify funding strategies to complete the region's trail network. Learn more about the Blue Ribbon Committee for Trails
• In June 2007, Council President Bragdon invited speakers from various disciplines and different parts of the country to talk about their experiences and present innovative ideas for developing a connected parks system. Find out more about the Connecting Green 2007 event
• In 2004, the Metro Council convened a group of citizens, local elected officials, park directors and civic leaders to assess the state of the greater Portland region's park system and make recommendations to the Metro Council for action. This group, called the Greenspaces Policy Advisory Committee, created a vision and described some needed actions focusing on collaboration by individuals, institutions and business. Read more about the Greenspaces Policy Advisory Committee