Letters of Intent deadline for neighborhood cleanup matching grants program approaches

Is your neighborhood planning a spring cleanup event? Let your local government know – and let Metro help cover the cost.

Imagine this… It was an early, chilly, rainy Saturday morning in November. Did I really want to get out of bed this early to join in a natural areas restoration effort in the rain? It took a little mental coaxing to leave the dry warmth of home but I’m sure glad I did!

Today Metro and three community partners launch Opt In, an online research panel that will gather public opinion among residents of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. Opt In is a new way to let decision-makers know what is important to you. The goal of the new panel is to create an easy, cost-effective way for you to provide input into decisions affecting you and your communities.

For the third year in a row, Metro is coordinating a regional effort to count the number of people biking and walking on the Portland metropolitan area's trails. The count is part of the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project's ongoing undertaking to gather accurate trail use data to help local governments and regional planners decide where and when to place new trails and respond to the needs of trail users region-wide.

Learn about native plants, find inspiration for your own yard and dig in to restore and preserve natural areas throughout the Portland metropolitan region. Metro's Native Plant Center is hosting the first of several volunteer workshops on Saturday, June 19 from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. Participants will help with seed collection, seed harvesting, maintaining grow-out beds and composting while learning about native plant reproduction. No prior gardening experience is necessary.