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Suggestions for those who would like to volunteer time/finances to nurture local parks and green-spaces:Get out in your neighborhood and make a difference! Only the local residents of any given area will precipitate change in making their green-space an excellent place to visit. All it takes is a little time to educate yourself and you can be participating hands-on in the process of improving your neighborhood. Here are some links for you to get started helping, or at least possibly donate a little cash for the cause.
Nationwide - http://www.evergreen.ca This is an organization devoted to teaching about and improving on nature in urban settings. They are based in the Lake Superior area around Michigan , so much of their local projects deal with that neck of the woods, but they have much useful information which can be applied to promoting growth in any area. They also have a great page for getting in contact with your local municipality to bring up green-space issues (see below).
Statewide - http://www.friendsoftrees.org/home/index.php & http://www.earthshare-oregon.org/ Luckily, we here in Oregon have many parks and forests, but they can't be taken for granted. Thank goodness for all the various organizations we have to rectify this problem, including those listed above. Friends of Trees is located on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd just east of downtown, and is committed to "bringing people together to plant, care for, and learn about trees". They have a great tree database and make it easy to get involved. Earth Share of Oregon is a federation of many of the countries' leading non-profit environmental organizations. They focus on conservation education through workplace charity campaigns, and make it possible for conscious employees to get their companies involved in making contributions.
Getting young people involved - Oregon 's young men and women are capable and excited about improving their statewide resources! The Oregon Youth Conservation Corps was established by Oregon legislature in order to promote education, work skills, and future employment in environmental or outdoor fields for our newer members of the community. They participate in a number of services and outreach programs such as; building new trails and picnic areas, preservation of wetlands, water testing and watershed work, and removal of non-native species. Contact them at: http://www.oycc.state.or.us/
Other good sources for learning about, or helping out, your area:
www.zooregon.org/ConservationResearch/whatyou.htm |