Dear Forest Park’s friends, stewards, and supporters,
Through the whirlwind of sudden changes lately, I am trying to embrace a new way of life and to find the silver lining in each day. Trying to work a full-time job from home, ensuring my three children are healthy, active and completing their distance learning assignments can seem like an uphill battle some days. Each day I have to remind myself that the physical distance we now have from friends, family, co-workers and our beloved parks and natural areas, is to help ensure our community is safe and healthy.
I know that being outside in nature and having access to the parks and natural areas that maintain and improve our physical and emotional health is essential. I also know how much you all miss it, especially in a time when stress levels are heightened. Forest Park, for many of you, as it is to me, is one of those special places.
Forest Park and many other Portland parks are still open to the public. Forest Park, however, is experiencing a significant increase in the number of people wanting to access it as a result of so many of the region’s amazing places to recreate being closed. This is having a negative impact on our beloved Forest Park, and potentially putting community members at risk because the narrow width of many of the trails does not support the minimum of six feet of physical distance as recommended by public health officials.
Maintaining and improving Forest Park’s trail system has been and will always be core to the Forest Park Conservancy’s mission.
But in these unprecedented times, our staff has limited ability to complete regular maintenance work in a safe manner, and all volunteer work parties, a huge part of how we get so much work done in the park, have been canceled for the foreseeable future. This means that the hundreds of hours from volunteers and staff that are needed to ensure the park’s trails are safe and well maintained are not being logged, while the user impact on the park continues to increase. With our Trails and Stewardship Programs on hold, FPC is unable to keep up with the number of people wanting to use the park’s trails
Forest Park is magical and so is the community that helps us ensure that this magical place is around for generations to come.
I would like to share with you that many of FPC’s staff have made an intentional choice not to recreate in Forest Park at this time and we have chosen to “Stay Home, Save Lives” and explore what our local neighborhoods, cul de sacs, and backyards have to offer. We miss it every day and we know you do too.
My request to all of you who love Forest Park is to please be mindful of your use, understand that regular maintenance is not occurring at this time and that the physical distancing that is helping to protect our communities is very difficult on many of the trails. Join us and the many other Forest Park lovers who have chosen to stay home and save lives.
Thank you! We can’t wait to see you again on the trails again soon.
Renée Myers, Executive Director
P.S. We want to hear from you! Please share all the creative ways in which you are finding solace and fun outside while you “Stay Home, Save Lives” by emailing thegreatindoors@forestparkconservancy.org.