by Geon, Bryan
To the south, Willamette National Forest (541-225-6300, www.fs.usda.gov/willamette/) encompasses the central Oregon Cascades west of the Cascade Crest, including the Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Detroit Lake, and other popular recreational areas within a two-hour drive of Portland.
Siuslaw National Forest (541-750-7000, www.fs.usda.gov/siuslaw/) occupies a discontinuous stretch of the northern and central Coast Range, including some sites along the coast itself.
Gifford Pinchot National Forest (360-891-5000, www.fs.usda.gov/gpnf/), in the southern Washington Cascades, includes some remote, little-visited regions, as well as the blockbuster attraction of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (360-449-7800, www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens). The monument includes the volcanic crater itself, the blast zone that was devastated by the 1980 eruption, and much of the relatively untouched south side of the mountain. Two visitor centers provide interpretive context for this still-active volcano.
Most recreational activities in the national forests now require users to purchase a daily or annual Northwest Forest Pass. You must display this pass in your car when you park at a trailhead or other area where the pass is required. Passes are available from Forest Service offices and some retail stores; you can also order the pass online or by telephone from Nature of the Northwest (971-673-2331, www.naturennw.org). Daily passes are $5 and annual passes cost $30. Alternatively, the interagency America the Beautiful pass, which covers national forest fee areas (including trailheads for which the Northwest Forest Pass would otherwise be required), national parks, and other federal lands nationwide, costs $80 for one year (store.usgs.gov/pass/).
State Forests
The Oregon Department of Forestry manages nearly 800,000 acres of forestland around the state. The closest state forest to Portland is Tillamook State Forest (503-357-2191, www.oregon.gov/ODF/tillamookstateforest/) in the Coast Range about an hour west of the city. Beginning in 1933, this area was the site of a series of massive forest fires that ultimately devastated 355,000 acres of timberland. The forest today is almost entirely hand-planted second-growth; recreational opportunities include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, camping, and horseback riding. The Tillamook Forest Center (866-930-4646, 503-815-6800, www.tillamookforestcenter.org) provides interpretation of the forest and its history, and has a popular replica of a fire lookout tower. To the north, less-developed Clatsop State Forest (503-325-5451, www.oregon.gov/odf/field/astoria/state_forest_management/recreation_main.aspx) has a few hiking trails and campgrounds.
In Washington, the State Department of Natural Resources manages several state forests. The only state forest in Southwest Washington is Yacolt Burn State Forest (360-577-2025, www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/ManagedLands/Pages/amp_rec_yacolt_burn_state_forest.aspx), which, like Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest, was once consumed by a massive, devastating fire. Yacolt Burn State Forest has trails for hiking and mountain biking, but it is especially popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts.
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (541-308-1700, www.fs.usda.gov/crgnsa) is one of Portland’s favorite playgrounds, featuring outstanding scenery and unique geology. Recreational opportunities abound; as the National Scenic Area’s website declares in dry, bureaucratic prose: “Hiking, mountain biking, windsurfing, camping, fishing, boating, wildlife watching, birding, wildflower viewing, photography, picnicking, rock climbing. You can do all this and more in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.” While the description is accurate, please do not try to do all these activities simultaneously.
The National Scenic Area is a patchwork of federal, state, municipal, and private land; some 20 Oregon and Washington state parks within the NSA protect some of the Gorge’s most scenic and popular destinations. (See “State Parks” below for contact information.) A Northwest Forest Pass is required at many trailheads and parking areas in the Gorge.
State and National Parks
State Parks
Oregon
Oregon has 234 state parks and recreation areas, including several in the Portland area. A full list and map is available online from the Oregon State Parks website, www.oregonstateparks.org, or call the State Parks Information Center at 800-551-6949. The following are the most popular state parks near Portland:
Banks-Vernonia State Trail, in the Coast Range west of Portland, is a 21-mile “linear park” based on a former railroad line that has since been turned into a multi-use trail.
Government Island State Recreation Area, in the Columbia River near the Interstate 205 bridge, is accessible by boat only; the island’s small sandy beaches make tempting destinations on a hot summer day.
L.L. Stub Stewart State Park is Oregon’s newest full-service state park. Opened in 2007, the 1,800-acre park in the Coast Range foothills includes hiking and equestrian trails and two disc golf courses.
Mary S. Young State Recreation Area, on the west bank of the Willamette River in West Linn, is a pleasant park full of forests, fields, and riverside, linked by eight miles of trails.
Milo McIver State Park, on the Clackamas River near Estacada, offers excellent boating, hiking, fishing, and camping opportunities.
Molalla River State Park near Canby protects 566 acres of riparian wetlands where the Molalla River flows into the Willamette. The park is a popular site for boating, birdwatching, and other wildlife viewing, and hiking.
Tryon Creek State Natural Area (503-636-9886, SW Terwilliger Blvd, www.tryonfriends.org); this 650-acre, hilly, wooded park in Southwest Portland protects the watershed of Tryon Creek. Several miles of shady trail lace the park, and a nature center provides interpretive materials and trail maps.
Washington
Washington maintains nearly 140 state parks and recreation areas; visit www.parks.wa.gov or call 360-902-8844 for details. Apart from the parks in the Columbia River Gorge (see above), only three state parks are close to the Portland area:
Battle Ground Lake State Park, just east of Battle Ground, centers on a small lake of volcanic origin (a sort of miniature Crater Lake) that is a popular spot for swimming and camping.
Paradise Point State Park is a water-centered park on the Lewis River; the proximity of Interstate 5 makes the park less inviting than it might otherwise be.
Reed Island State Park, in the Columbia River east of Camas, is a 510-acre island that is accessible only by boat.
National Parks
Several national parks and monuments lie within a day’s drive of Portland, including Crater Lake National Park in the southern Oregon Cascades, Oregon Caves National Monument, and Cascade Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon, Mount Rainier National Park southeast of Seattle, Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle, and North Cascades National Park on the Canadian border. (See Quick Getaways for more information.)
Wildlife Refuges
Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, on the east shore of the Willamette River near Sellwood and Westmoreland, is a 141-acre urban wildlife refuge managed by the city of Portland. It is an excellent site for birdwatching—look for great blue herons, the official city bird. Less than a mile from downtown Hillsboro, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve (503-681-6206, www.jacksonbottom.org) encompasses some 635 acres of wildlife-rich wetlands with more than four miles of hiking trails.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge in Sherwood (503-625-5944, fws.gov/tualatinriver), which hosts almost 200 bird species, although it protects less than 1% of the river’s watershed. In Washington, the 5,300-acre Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Complex (360-887-4106, www.fws.gov/ridgefieldrefuges/) includes four refuges along the Columbia River in Southwest Washington. Significant portions of the refuge are closed to the public, and other areas are open only at certain times of year.
Other Greenspaces
The Audubon Society of Portland (503-292-6855, www.audubonportland.org) owns a 150-acre preserve along Balch Creek, below Co
rnell Road in Northwest Portland. Trails are free to use and are open daily from dawn to dusk. Audubon also manages the Ten Mile Creek Sanctuary on the Oregon Coast.
The federal Bureau of Land Management (Oregon state office: 503-808-6001, www.blm.gov/or/) manages about two million acres of land in Western Oregon. West of the Cascade crest, most BLM land is timberland, and in many areas it is interspersed with Forest Service parcels in a checkerboard pattern. The most popular BLM facility near Portland is Wildwood Recreation Site (503-622-3696) on the Salmon River near Welches on the western slopes of Mount Hood.
The Nature Conservancy owns or manages 46 sites in Oregon, including three in the Portland area; visit www.nature.org/Oregon/ for a complete list of preserves open to the public, including directions and access restrictions. Several schools and colleges maintain public open space; scholastic natural areas include Reed College’s small but surprisingly wild canyon and the wetlands on the Oregon Episcopal School campus.
Sauvie Island, while it is not a park but rather a working agricultural/residential landscape, is nonetheless a popular destination for biking, beachgoing, and wildlife viewing and has several small parks and wildlife reserves.
The region’s navigable rivers—the Willamette, the Columbia, the Tualatin, the Sandy, the Molalla, and the Clackamas—provide exciting water-based recreational opportunities, including canoeing and kayaking, powerboating and jetskiing, whitewater rafting, and sailing.
Getting Involved
You’ve found a place to live, unpacked, and gotten settled into your new home. Now it’s time to get involved in the community. This chapter lists a variety of options for community involvement, from volunteering, to social clubs, to places of worship.
Community Involvement
Volunteering for an organization that does work you care about is a satisfying way to make a difference in your new community while at the same time meeting people who share similar interests.
Volunteer Matching and Placement
The following organizations coordinate many volunteer activities in the Portland area. Contact them and they will help you find an organization in need of your time and talents.
Clackamas County Volunteer Connection, 503-650-5779, www.co.clackamas.or.us/socialservices/volunteer.html, matches volunteers with volunteer opportunities from more than 200 community partners in Clackamas County.
Earth Share of Oregon, a federation of environmental nonprofit organizations, lists current volunteer opportunities on its website; call 503-223-9015 or visit www.earthshare-oregon.org/get-involved/volunteer/ for more information.
Hands on Greater Portland, 503-200-3355, www.handsonportland.org, matches volunteers with 200 nonprofits and other community organizations in Multnomah and Clackamas counties.
Volunteer Connections, 360-694-6577, www.hsc-wa.org/volunteer-center, coordinates volunteer matching in Clark County.
Volunteer Match, www.volunteermatch.org, allows you to search for volunteer opportunities by distance from any ZIP code.
In addition, the “Community” section of the Oregonian’s online classified section (classifieds.oregonlive.com) lists organizations that need volunteers for specific projects.
Area Causes
Portland has hundreds, if not thousands, of nonprofit organizations that provide a range of services, and many of them are in constant need of volunteer help. The following list is just a sample of the organizations that use volunteers; some have structured volunteer programs with training sessions and schedules, while others are grateful when you walk in off the street and help sort donated clothing for an hour. In addition to the organizations listed in this chapter, keep in mind that many of the community institutions listed elsewhere in this book rely on volunteers.
Note that you may be greeted with caution when you offer your services to an agency that deals directly with children. Don’t take it personally; since you care enough about children to volunteer in an after-school program or summer camp, you understand the agency’s duty to check your references and perhaps run a criminal background check.
If you have special skills (legal or medical training; experience with web design, desktop publishing, writing and editing, or accounting; a license to drive large trucks and buses; or a background in catering and the know-how to prepare meals for 400 people), be sure to mention them. Don’t be shy. Any nonprofit organization will be happy to hear from you.
Aids and HIV
Cascade AIDS Project, 208 SW 5th Ave, #800, 503-223-5907, www.cascadeaids.org
Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon HIV Services, 2941 NE Ainsworth St, 503-460-3822, www.emoregon.org/HIV-day_center.php
Our House, 2727 SE Alder St, 503-234-0175, www.ourhouseofportland.org
Alcohol and Drug Dependency
Lines for Life, 5100 SW Macadam Ave, Suite 400, 503-244-5211, 800-282-7035, www.linesforlife.org
Animals
Audubon Society of Portland, 5151 NW Cornell Rd, 503-292-6855, www.audubonportland.org
Cat Adoption Team, 14175 SW Galbreath Dr, Sherwood, 503-925-8903, www.catadoptionteam.org
Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, 503-797-2606, www.feralcats.com
Oregon Humane Society, 1067 NE Columbia Blvd, 503-285-7722, www.oregonhumane.org
The Pixie Project, 510 NE Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd, 503-542-3432, www.pixieproject.org
Project Pooch, 503-697-0623, www.pooch.org
Children and Youth
Besides the organizations listed below (and other nonprofits focused on children and youth), almost any public school will have volunteer opportunities.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest, 1827 NE 44th Ave, Suite 100, 503-249-4859, www.bbbsnorthwest.org
Boys and Girls Aid Society, 018 SW Boundary Ct, 503-222-9661, boysandgirlsaid.org
Boys and Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area, 7119 SE Milwaukie Ave, 503-232-0077, bgcportland.org
Children’s Home Society of Washington, 206-695-3200, 800-456-3339, www.chs-wa.org
I Have a Dream Oregon, 2916 NE Alberta St, Suite D, 503-287-7203, www.dreamoregon.org
Janus Youth Programs, 707 NE Couch St, 503-233-6090, www.janusyouth.org
R.E.A.P. (Reaching and Empowering All People), 503-688-2784, www.reapusa.org
Schoolhouse Supplies, 2735 NE 82nd Ave, 503-249-9933, www.schoolhousesupplies.org
Culture and the Arts
Practically every institution listed in the “Cultural Life” chapter relies to some extent on volunteers. The Regional Arts and Culture Council (411 NW Park Ave, Suite 101, 503-823-5111, www.racc.org) lists volunteer opportunities on its website.
Disability
Disability Rights Oregon, 610 SW Broadway, Suite 200, 503-243-2081, www.droregon.org
Independent Living Resources, 1839 NE Couch St, 503-232-7411, www.ilr.org
Special Olympics Oregon, 5901 SW Macadam Ave, Suite 200, 503-248-0600, www.soor.org
Environment
The City Repair Project, 2800 SE Harrison St, 503-235-8946, www.cityrepair.org
Community Energy Project, 422 NE Alberta St, 503-284-6827, www.communityenergyproject.org
The Freshwater Trust, 65 SW Yamhill St, Suite 200, 503-222-9091, www.thefreshwatertrust.org
Friends of Trees, 3117 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, 503-282-8846, www.friendsoftrees.org
Northwest Environmental Advocates, 503-295-0490, www.northwestenvironmentaladvocates.org
Sierra Club (Oregon Chapter), 1821 SE Ankeny St, 503-238-0442, www.oregon.sierraclub.org
SOLVE, 2000 SW 1st Ave, Suite 400, 503-844-9571, 800-333-SOLV, www.solv.org
Tualatin Riverkeepers, 11675 SW Hazelbrook Rd, Tigard, 503-218-2580, www.tualatinriverkeepers.org
Gay and Lesbian
Basic Rights Oregon, 310 SW 4th Ave, Suite 300, 503-222-6151, www.basicrights.org
Q Center, 4115 N Mississippi Ave, 503-234-7837, www.pdxqcenter.org
Health and Hospitals
Most hospitals and community clinics welcome volunteers; jus
t give the nearest institution a call, or contact one of the following organizations:
African American Health Coalition, 2800 N Vancouver Ave, Suite 100, 503-413-1850, www.aahc-portland.org
American Red Cross, Oregon Chapters, 3131 N Vancouver Ave, 503-284-1234, www.oregonredcross.org
Hunger, Homelessness, and Poverty
Central City Concern, 503-294-1681, www.centralcityconcern.org
Community Warehouse, 3969 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, 503-235-8786, www.communitywarehouse.org
Food Not Bombs, www.foodnotbombs.net/oregon.html
Growing Gardens, 2003 NE 42nd Ave #3, 503-284-8420, www.growing-gardens.org
Habitat for Humanity, 1478 NE Killingsworth St, 503-287-9529, www.pdxhabitatportlandmetro.org
JOIN, 1435 NE 81st Ave, Suite 100, 503-232-2031, www.joinpdx.com
Meals-on-Wheels, 7710 SW 31st Ave, 503-736-6325, www.mealsonwheelspeople.org
Metropolitan Family Service, 1808 SE Belmont St, 503-232-0007, www.metfamily.org
Neighborhood House, 7780 SW Capitol Hwy, 503-246-1663, www.nhpdx.org
Northeast Emergency Food Program, 4800 NE 72nd Ave, 503-284-5470, www.emoregon.org/NE_food_program.php
Operation Nightwatch, 1432 SW 13th Ave, 503-220-0438, www.operationightwatch.org
Oregon Food Bank, 7900 NE 33rd Ave, 503-282-0555, www.oregonfoodbank.org
Outside In, 1132 SW 13th Ave, 503-535-3800, www.outsidein.org
p:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, 503-228-6677, www.pearmentor.org
Portland Homeless Family Solutions, 1838 SW Jefferson St, 503-915-8307, www.pdxhfs.org
Portland Rescue Mission, 111 W Burnside St, 503-647-7466, www.portlandrescuemission.org
