Winter is a great time to get outside, see the last amber leaves of fall and walk neighborhoods decked in holiday lights. It’s easy to stay indoors during the wet months, but hibernation will keep you from seeing the winter splendor happening just literally a few steps from your front door.

Someday, the Tonquin Trail will wind its way through urban and rural landscapes in the southwestern part of the Portland metropolitan area, providing new ways for people to travel to work, shopping, schools, nature and more.

Tensions between cities, counties and Metro have been building for years, and many see MPAC as ineffective in its ability to advise the Metro Council. About 20 mayors gathered for the first meeting of the group.

Join Metro for events that celebrate the season of thoughtfulness. Join professor Lisa K. Bates in a discussion on equity in decision-making. And get a fun start to your holiday giving with a trip to Metro's Native Plant Center. Once there, help care for plants and seedlings that will help green the region for years to come.

Ciclovias – the model for Sunday Parkways – are a weekly occurance in many cities, including Mexico's capital, where car is king. But that doesn't mean bicycles are dominant the rest of the week.

Close your eyes and imagine entering the woods. Breathe in the scent of mushrooms on the forest floor, see birds swooping from tree limbs, and hear the coyotes howl. These activities aren't imaginary – they're all happening Thanksgiving weekend.

Sandwiches piled high with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted turkey slices. Sweet potato pies still game for another round of whipped cream. Spicy holiday greens that hold their own amid the biscuits, cornbread and candied yams. Nothing says "Thanksgiving" like the bounty of sweet and savory leftovers after the big day.

Portlander Ineke Deruyter enjoys having her opinion heard. She thought sharing her input with the Opt In online panel was rewarding enough – until she won a new bicycle.

Deruyter wasn't sure exactly what the Opt In online panel was when she signed up. She was one of more than 31,000 cyclists, skaters and walkers at the North Portland Sunday Parkways last June, and one of many to provide her email address for more information that day.

Metro naturalist James Davis appeared on KATU's "AM Northwest" to share Metro's unique and intensive volunteer naturalist training program - Nature University. Learn how to help children and adults discover nature by enrolling in this 12-session training course where students are introduced to time-honored techniques of nature observation and principles of discovery learning.