Forest Park is for everyone.

Forest Park Conservancy, as a steward of public lands, will be more successful and Forest Park and Marquam Nature Park will be better protected if the FPC organizational culture, including leadership, staff, and volunteers, comes from “all walks of life”. FPC has a responsibility to deepen its understanding of inclusiveness in all its forms. We recognize the impacts of discrimination based on race, class, gender, disability, sexual orientation, culture, religion, and ethnicity (this is not a complete list). Ultimately, we aim to create an organization where individuals can bring their whole selves to their interactions with FPC, whether in leadership, partnership, volunteering, as a donor, or as a park user. This emphasis on authentic relationships will build trust and increase the diversity of the community dedicated to ensuring a resilient Forest Park.

We aim to create an organization where individuals can bring their whole selves to their interactions with FPC, including in positions of leadership, as partners, volunteers, donors, and park users. We believe wholeheartedly that this endeavor will benefit not only the resiliency of our organization but also the well-being of our community.

As a steward of public land, we know:

We are on the journey of taking a closer look at our work through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and have joined a thriving movement of land stewards recognizing our place in co-creating a more just and equitable world.

Land Acknowledgment

The Portland Metro area, including Forest Park, rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River, creating communities and summer encampments to harvest and use the plentiful natural resources of the area.

We acknowledge that Portland, OR, has the 9th largest Urban Native American population in the U.S., with over 380 federally recognized Tribes represented in the Portland Metropolitan area (Cascade Diversity Council). We also acknowledge the systemic policies of genocide, relocation, and assimilation that still impact many Indigenous/Native American families.

We are inspired by the collective work of many Native Nations, leaders, and families who are demonstrating resilience, resistance, revitalization, healing, and creativity. We thank the descendants of these Tribes for being the original stewards and protectors of these lands since time immemorial.

Below are some of the specific ways we are interweaving diversity, equity, and inclusion work throughout our programs.

Green Jobs Program

Along with other partner organizations, we saw a need to provide alternative access points for young people to careers in the environmental field. To address this while also meeting the goals outlined in the Greater Forest Park Conservation Initiative, FPC leads the Green Jobs Training and Internship Program in partnership with The Blueprint Foundation, Wisdom of the Elders, Ecotrust, Columbia Land Trust, and West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District.

Interns are placed with FPC and other partners and work on multiple projects and with many professionals in the natural resources field. We support the interns by doing our best to match projects with their interests, with the goal that they finish out their year with us with a strong professional network and experience that will support their future success. Read more about the program here.

Love is King

Forest Park Conservancy is committed to supporting and incorporating Love is King's mission to activate, inspire and empower a humanitarian movement that will mobilize citizens of all colors to carry out our humanitarian obligation that will raise our collective consciousness, educate and help facilitate conflict resolution through love, empathy, respect and a real sense of personal responsibility without discrimination.

Love is King is a movement that is much bigger and broader reaching than Forest Park. Through this partnership, FPC will create a model that can be used as a tool for other organizations like FPC to partner with Love is King and create a space for and implement this movement throughout all levels of their organization. Forest Park Conservancy will become an Ambassador and Guardian of the Love is King movement, committed to inspiring and empowering our community to help make Forest Park a place where everyone has equitable access to the physical, mental and spiritual health benefits it provides. A place where all people have the freedom to roam, feel safe, and are welcome.

Mandatory Antiracism Training for Volunteer Leaders

FPC partners with Trailkeepers of Oregon (TKO) to develop a workshop series focused on antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. These sessions are mandatory for volunteer leadership positions to remain in good standing. Leadership positions include FPC’s Volunteer Crew Leaders (VCLs), Forest Park Ambassadors, and Discovery Hike Leaders. We believe that inspiring and empowering our leaders to recognize and interrupt racist, harmful behavior with respect, empathy, and love, is critical to ensuring a culture in Forest park where all people feel safe, welcome, and have equitable access to all the benefits Forest Park provides.

Discovery Hikes

Discovery Hikes provide a variety of enriching, family-friendly, and free interactive experiences in Forest Park.

One facet of this program is our partnership with Post 58 to launch our Youth Discovery Hikes Program. Through training covering Leave No Trace principles with Forest Park rangers, Youth Discovery Hikes empower youth leadership while creating culturally specific programming and tapping into FPC’s existing Discovery Hikes Program. This is a unique opportunity to provide multiple paths of engagement while developing future stewards and creating space for communities not traditionally included in the outdoors.

Our Discovery Hikes Program has always been a fun outlet for families, friends, and individuals looking to explore and learn more about Forest Park. In addition to volunteer work parties, Discovery Hikes are our way of inviting people to experience Forest Park with as few barriers as possible. We prioritize trailheads with access to public transit; we offer some bilingual hikes, and no matter the topic, people with any level of knowledge are welcome to attend. Learn more about our Discovery Hikes program here, and check out our Events Calendar to find one that fits your schedule.

Elevate Oregon

In collaboration with Vive NW and within Elevate Oregon’s existing education and mentorship framework, FPC’s Green Jobs Interns and staff teach middle school students, primarily students of color, about the natural world. In the classroom, students are introduced to key concepts such as Leave No Trace, stream health, climate change, and recreating safely and responsibly in the outdoors. Each month, staff and students head into Forest Park together to get out of the classroom and apply those concepts to the real world.

Through this unique program, we are helping the school district achieve STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) goals and inspiring future leaders and stewards of our public lands.

Portland United Against Hate (PUAH)

Portland United Against Hate is a community-initiated partnership of community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, concerned communities, and Portland. The Forest Park Conservancy is a member of PUAH.

Together, PUAH is building a rapid response system that combines reporting and tracking hateful acts and providing the support and protection our communities need in this uncertain era. They seek to combine resources, assets, and relationships to create an inclusive city that protects, embraces, and celebrates its diverse communities.

If you have witnessed or experienced a hate incident in Forest Park and want to report it safely, click here to make a report. For more information about PUAH's work, click here.

Get Involved

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee meet monthly to advise FPC leadership in programming and strategy through a DEI lens and serves as our voice on relevant subjects.

We value creative, community-oriented leadership. If serving on one of our committees sounds right to you, you can visit this page for more information. For any questions or comments, please email FPC's Interim Executive Director Marianne Wilburn.

As always, your generous philanthropic contributions support all this work and more and are welcome in any amount. Thank you for your support.