Attend PSU’s Geography Colloquium titled: The Intertwine: Integrating the Built and Natural Landscapes in the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Region on April 19 at 4 pm in PSU Geography Dept 4th Floor, Cramer Hall. The Executive Director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute, Mike Houck, will talk about the evolution of The Intertwine, the Portland-Vancouver regional system of parks, trails, and natural areas and Intertwine Alliance—a coalition of nonprofit organizations, watershed councils, state and federal agencies, cities and counties, local park providers, and local natural resource agencies all of whom are working collaboratively to implementing The Intertwine Vision. The Alliance engages in Conservation Education; Acquisition of Natural Areas and Trail Corridors; Active Transportation; Conservation (restoration and creation of a bi-state regional conservation strategy); and defining the Regional System with local, state and regional park providers.
The Alliance works to protect biodiversity and watershed health, inside and outside the region’s urban growth boundaries, across the urban and rural landscapes. The Intertwine region extends from the north fork of the Lewis River in Clark County, Washington south to the Molalla and Pudding River watersheds and from the foothills of the coast range to the Cascade Mountains.
Houck’s talk will also feature the recently released science-based Regional Conservation Strategy and Biodiversity Guide for the Greater Portland-Vancouver Region, a collaborative effort between the Alliance and the Institute for Natural Resources. Houck will describe the upcoming The Nature of Cities Summit titled: “Exploring Paths to Collaboration on Green Cities” happening on April 26.