Press Release
Portland-Vancouver National Wildlife Refuges to Receive $1 Million in Additional Funding to Increase Community Engagement
PORTLAND, Oregon – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe announced today that Portland-Vancouver National Wildlife Refuges will receive $1 million in funding to engage urban communities and youth in conservation and outdoor recreation. The Portland-Vancouver National Wildlife Refuges received this award through a Service-wide competition.
“Children across our nation are increasingly disconnected from nature, yet playing outside and learning about the natural world is fun, healthy and builds confidence in kids.” said Ashe. “The Portland-Vancouver area is blessed with spectacular outdoor spaces, and a strong network of public and nonprofit leaders committed to getting kids and families outdoors, active and connected to nature. Congratulations to the Refuge and its amazing partners for nurturing a movement to foster the next generation of leaders and outdoor stewards while helping people connect to nature in their community – particularly in urban areas.”
The four refuges that span the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington conurbation are the Tualatin River, Ridgefield, Steigerwald Lake, and Wapato Lake national wildlife refuges. These refuges have joined forces to form the Portland-Vancouver Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, and teamed up with the regional Intertwine Alliance, a coalition of private firms, public agencies and nonprofit organizations. Together they will offer new outdoor opportunities for area residents.
Innovative projects that will be funded through the program include a trailer with fishing gear to bring fishing opportunities to at-risk youth; an outdoor skills-building workshop in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife; and construction of a 40,000-square-foot Inter-Tribal Gathering Garden at Cully Park, Portland’s most diverse, park-deprived neighborhood, to provide a place that will honor and educate about indigenous cultural values and ethics.
“The Intertwine Alliance is demonstrating that a collective approach to public and youth engagement, community health, and equity and inclusion yields a much deeper and more sustained impact, said Executive Director Michael Wetter. “In making this investment, the Service is both challenging us to take this work to the next level, and supporting us in doing so. Our job now is to partner with our national wildlife refuges to demonstrate to the nation the power of collaboration and collective action. We are up to this challenge.”
The Service’s Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, launched in 2013, provides new opportunities for residents of America’s cities to learn about and take part in wildlife habitat conservation. The Service is committed to serving a growing diverse and urban audience, and has risen to that challenge by creating the urban challenge. This funding demonstrates the Service’s strong commitment to better serving people in cities across the country and the need to engage them more in efforts to conserve the nation’s wildlife heritage.
“Children across our nation are increasingly disconnected from nature, yet playing outside and learning about the natural world is fun, healthy and builds confidence in kids.” said Ashe. “The Portland-Vancouver area is blessed with spectacular outdoor spaces, and a strong network of public and nonprofit leaders committed to getting kids and families outdoors, active and connected to nature. Congratulations to the Refuge and its amazing partners for nurturing a movement to foster the next generation of leaders and outdoor stewards while helping people connect to nature in their community – particularly in urban areas.”
The four refuges that span the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington conurbation are the Tualatin River, Ridgefield, Steigerwald Lake, and Wapato Lake national wildlife refuges. These refuges have joined forces to form the Portland-Vancouver Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, and teamed up with the regional Intertwine Alliance, a coalition of private firms, public agencies and nonprofit organizations. Together they will offer new outdoor opportunities for area residents.
Innovative projects that will be funded through the program include a trailer with fishing gear to bring fishing opportunities to at-risk youth; an outdoor skills-building workshop in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife; and construction of a 40,000-square-foot Inter-Tribal Gathering Garden at Cully Park, Portland’s most diverse, park-deprived neighborhood, to provide a place that will honor and educate about indigenous cultural values and ethics.
“The Intertwine Alliance is demonstrating that a collective approach to public and youth engagement, community health, and equity and inclusion yields a much deeper and more sustained impact, said Executive Director Michael Wetter. “In making this investment, the Service is both challenging us to take this work to the next level, and supporting us in doing so. Our job now is to partner with our national wildlife refuges to demonstrate to the nation the power of collaboration and collective action. We are up to this challenge.”
The Service’s Urban Wildlife Conservation Program, launched in 2013, provides new opportunities for residents of America’s cities to learn about and take part in wildlife habitat conservation. The Service is committed to serving a growing diverse and urban audience, and has risen to that challenge by creating the urban challenge. This funding demonstrates the Service’s strong commitment to better serving people in cities across the country and the need to engage them more in efforts to conserve the nation’s wildlife heritage.
