Advocacy Articles

We’re excited to report our own board secretary, Robin Vesey, was recently recognized for her 22+ years of stewardship and dedication to Terwilliger Parkway and the city of Portland with the Sandy Diedrich Environmental Stewardship Award.

In our last newsletter, we announced receiving a Portland Parks Foundation grant to conduct a targeted social media campaign. The object of our campaign: to engage a new, younger, generation of volunteers to help preserve Terwilliger Parkway for the future. Looking to get the word out about Terwilliger Parkway, we hope to target audiences of younger adults.

One Saturday morning in July, Friends of Terwilliger(FOT) hosted a water/Gatorade table to engage with Parkway users. We wanted to know the who, what, and why stories behind people’s choice of Terwilliger Parkway as a place to exercise and enjoy day and night. We counted over 300 people exercising in the 4 hours we were there: half were runners and a third cyclists. Walkers, dogs with owners, strollers, and a skateboard were there too! Of the 300 active exercisers, we were able to engage with 200 asking them 3 questions:

Ask Larry McLaughlin why he volunteers in Terwilliger Parkway, and he’ll say he just likes to feel he’s accomplished something worthwhile.

Say Hello to Friends of Terwilliger’s dedicated president Anton Vetterlein. Anton has contributed hundreds of volunteer hours to benefit Terwilliger Parkway and Portland’s natural landscapes. A graduate of University of Oregon’s architectural school, he has an eye for design and the tenacity needed to keep the city adhering to the Terwilliger Parkway design guidelines.

For over 25 years, board member Susan Egnor and her husband have lived
with and enjoyed the natural beauty of Terwilliger Parkway; just outside their
front and back doors.

All who live near or use Terwilliger Boulevard appreciate its scenic nature and trails. But most streets don’t have an active “friends group” continuously advocating for them. What is this “Parkway” we’re so devoted to? We’ll start with a short definition– imprecise but closely aligned with how the term is commonly used.

Carol Henry, our new Board member and Treasurer, was talked into this volunteer job by former Treasurer, Cathy Turner, while they canvassed neighborhoods for Friends of Terwilliger (FOT) and pulled ivy together. A strong and positive bonding experience!