Some natural areas make a splash with hiking trails or high-profile locations. Others – including a growing swath of land in western Multnomah County –  quietly go about the business of protecting water quality and wildlife habitat, fulfilling two objectives of Metro’s voter-approved Natural Areas Program. Metro recently purchased 37 acres along North Abbey Creek, creating a natural area of nearly 120 acres combined with three previously protected, side-by-side properties.

The Metro Council wants the public to comment on three options for redrawing the boundaries of Council districts. Every ten years, following the completion of the U.S. Census, the Metro Council is required to evaluate whether each of its six districts are of relatively equal population and adjust the district boundaries as necessary to provide for equal representation.

You can learn more about the activities of your local city and Metro at an upcoming quarterly exchange with Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington and your local city council. Exchanges are scheduled in Hillsboro May 3, Forest Grove May 9, and Beaverton May 17. Come listen in person, see the broadcast on TVCTV public access television, or watch the stream video on the web.

Join Metro, the Oregon Public Health Institute and the Hillsboro Farmers Market for a presentation to learn about barriers preventing low-income families from accessing healthy foods from their neighborhood farmers markets. The presentation will take place Tuesday, April 26 at Metro Regional Center, 600 NE Grand Avenue in Portland, in rooms 370A and B, from noon to 1 p.m.

The recently completed strategic plan for Metro's Transit-Oriented Development Program will help guide the program's investments in the region by evaluating station areas and corridors for market readiness and existing urban form. Learn how Metro's partner in creating the plan, the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, helped identify and maximize Metro's investment opportunities in key development projects located near transit.

The Metro Council voted 6-1 Thursday to adopt the last piece of an historic 50-year plan for protecting farm and forest land while allowing for additional housing and jobs in limited areas outside the current urban growth boundary and focusing additional investment and redevelopment in existing communities. The ordinance establishes the urban and rural reserves map for Washington County in Metro’s code, along with the findings that support those reserves. This is the last product of nearly four years’ effort on the part of Metro and Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties, plus citizens, land owners, business leaders, city and county officials, farmers and others, to allow for sufficient land needed to support future growth while protecting farms and forests that contribute to the local economy and define the character of the region.

Convening about 250 elected officials, business and community leaders from across the region, Metro held a Climate Leadership Summit on Friday that explored ways the Portland area can build vibrant neighborhoods and spread economic growth while reducing emissions that are linked to climate change.

The Metro Council today received a staff-proposed budget that is $40 million smaller than last year’s, reduces seven full-time positions, freezes the pay of senior managers for the second time in three years, increases contributions of non-union employees for health insurance premiums, and requires all non-union employees hired on or after July 1 to contribute six percent of their salaries to PERS.

On April 1, Metro convened a Climate Leadership Summit for local governments, businesses and community leaders to identify ways to create sustainable communities and reduce the region's greenhouse gas emissions. At the center of the dialogue was how to reach targets for greenhouse gas reduction from cars and light trucks, which were proposed recently by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. By combining local aspirations and public opinion with international best practices, leaders across the region can determine land use and transportation strategies that best address local policies to create climate smart communities.