In a March survey of frequent voters by DHM Research, 56 percent of respondents said they’d support an operating levy to maintain natural areas if it cost $20 a year for the owner of a home with an assessed value of $200,000. Preservation of natural areas polled better than opening up access to those areas, research firm says.

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.

A proposal in Congress would undermine the Portland area's ability to build a balanced transportation system that provides travel options and protects air quality, Metro Council President Tom Hughes said today.

The Metro Council has approved spending $70 million in federal transportation money, applauding a two-year effort by the agency to collaborate with cities and counties and give a more thorough consideration of low income and minority communities.

Bit by bit, local officials have been piecing together a mystery at Lone Fir Cemetery. Now, their challenge is to piece together resources for a proper memorial.

Cities and counties across the region have nominated 11 biking, walking and freight projects for Metro to fund – and now through Oct. 13, the public gets a chance to help refine and improve those projects.

The Metro Council today voted unanimously to approve early-phase designs for new animal exhibits, educational facilities and sustainability measures funded by the $125 million bond measure passed by local voters in 2008.

Across the Portland metropolitan area this month, efforts to protect nature in neighborhoods are taking root

Salmon habitat is being restored along Johnson Creek. A park will be dedicated in Cedar Mill. The new Cornelius Wellness Center, which will transform a concrete alley into a green parkway, is breaking ground. A dinner concert will raise money to expand and restore West Linn's White Oak Savanna. The Equity Bike Ride will highlight a partnership to green the Interstate 205 path for cyclists and pedestrians. And West Linn will celebrate new nature trails, playgrounds and more.

The common denominator: support from Metro’s voter-approved Natural Areas Program.

Events starting Monday, July 11 will let residents provide input on a variety of bike, pedestrian and freight projects.

The Metro Council voted 7-0 today to adopt a $385 million budget for the regional agency for its 2011-12 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The budget is 10 percent smaller than the current year’s budget, and is focused on initiatives aimed at spurring private investments that will create good jobs, make neighborhoods safer and more livable, and protect the region’s farms, forests and natural areas.