Letter from FPC’s Stewardship Manager: COVID-19 Safety Updates and September Stewardship Events

Zac PealUncategorized

Over the past few months, our volunteers and staff have worked to complete the brushing of 37.3 miles of trails. This is only our most recent success, coming after we successfully implemented an independent volunteering program to rake 15.8 miles of trail in the fall and winter, hosted 12 Discovery Hikes, and oversaw the successful outreach, training, and reporting of hundreds of Rapid Responders and Forest Park Ambassadors. We are extremely proud of the work we’ve accomplished and sincerely appreciate the volunteers and community that come together to make our stewardship program so successful, 

We understand that our community loves to engage in our work in Forest Park.  A successful stewardship program also requires a lot of planning. Taking the time to let our staff regroup, reflect on the past year and collaborate on how FPC can make our program even stronger is vital to the success and growth of our stewardship program. In September, FPC staff members will take a brief but well-deserved reprieve from public work parties between the brushing season and the raking season to strategically plan for the following year’s calendar and generate new ideas for inclusive engagement and advocacy for Forest Park.

We will still be hosting Discovery Hikes, planning future trainings, and working on specific projects in Forest Park.

Additionally, some of you may have noticed that we are implementing new health policies. With the level of uncertainty regarding the Delta variant of COVID-19, the best approach moving forward is one that protects our staff and volunteers and is easy to understand. The best way to accomplish this is that we will maintain three specific expectations of all participants at our stewardship events moving forward: (1) all participants must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, (2) all participants must wear a face covering while within 6ft of any other participant, and (3) all participants must register in advance with accurate contact information before participating in any stewardship event.

We understand that this adds a registration hurdle to participation in stewardship work, however, we know that this is the best way to ensure the safety of our community, and the extra effort is worth the peace of mind and thoughtfulness towards each other. 

Forest Park is a place for everyone, and if we don’t take these minimal steps to make it so, we are failing to live up to our values. We hope this news gives you the confidence to volunteer alongside us in the future. Thank you for joining us in our efforts to make Forest Park and Portland a place where everyone feels they belong.