Whether you frequent Forest Park or Marquam Nature Park, you have probably noticed that spring is here! With good snow and rainfall this winter and the refreshing spring weather, our park is flourishing. If you haven’t yet, come out and see it! Smell it and touch it, go out and give your soul a forest bath!
It’s also that time of year when our stewardship team begins the preparation work for the summer season, the brushing season. During brushing season, our staff and volunteers work to manage excess plant growth and to preserve our trails. FPC staff and volunteers have coordinated with Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) to map out this season’s trail work courses, set dates for work party events, and project volunteer turnout requirements. With the addition of Marquam to our brushing plans this year, we’ll be addressing 50-plus miles of trails over the weeks from mid-May through mid-August.
Of course, we can’t do this without our volunteers. We need you! If you’d like to sign up for a Brushing Volunteer Work Party, events are posted on the Forest Park Conservancy Events Calendar starting on May 17th.
For those of you who are interested in doing more, FPC is seeking to engage our amazing Independent Volunteers and Volunteer Crew Leaders, as well as train new Volunteer Crew Leaders. Volunteer Crew Leaders (VCL) support FPC and PP&R staff in leading volunteer events. We are offering several brushing-related training sessions this May, which are outlined below.
- Monday, May 5th, from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm: We will be hosting an online training session which will cover a preview of brushing season, how veteran IVs and VCLs can support, and review how work will be assigned, tracked and reported. Please register for this event here– this online training will also be recorded for anyone who is unable to attend.
- Saturday, May 10th and Tuesday, May 13th (both from 10 am to 12:30 pm at FPC’s Office): If you are looking to become a Volunteer Crew Leader, we have two upcoming trainings where you can learn how to support our volunteer work parties. These are geared towards training new VCLs but would also be a good refresher for any current VCLs and will include a brushing season overview.
- Thursday, May 22nd from 10 am to 1 pm: We are also providing a field training event where FPC and PP&R will cover and demo brushing best practices. If you plan to be an IV during brushing season, please plan to be at this event!
Just as the parks flourish with rain and sunshine, this training is being offered to help our volunteers grow their skills and, in return, help care for our parks. If you have any questions or if you want to participate in brushing season but are unable to make these trainings, please reach out to volunteer@forestparkconservancy.org. We deeply appreciate our volunteers – we couldn’t care for our urban forests without you. See you on the trails!