Advocacy Articles

These words were overheard in historical Terwilliger Parkway recently. We often take for granted the places we visit often, and that seem so familiar to us.

Match your Friends of Terwilliger charitable donation with a donation to the Oregon Cultural Trust and Double your impact while earning a tax credit for 2020!

Fred Meyer Rewards and Year-end Donation on website:

Did you know that you can support Friends of Terwilliger just by shopping at Fred Meyer with your Rewards Card, clicking “Donate Now” on our website, or both?

On November 26, 2019, Commissioner Nick Fish and PP&R Director Adena Long presented “A Sustainable Future” to the Portland City Council for discussion and guidance. This is the first step to determine funding options for PP&R.

Friends of Terwilliger (FOT) Board Members met with the new Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) Director Adena Long and PP&R City Nature Manager, Rachel Felice recently. The goals for the meeting were to provide Director Long with information about FOT and its mission of protecting and advocating for Terwilliger Parkway, to describe the challenges FOT sees for the Parkway today, and to review the partnerships FOT has established with PP&R over the past 30 years.

Thanks go out to all of you hearty volunteers who made the most of our calm fall weather to rid Terwilliger Parkway of those nasty invasive plants.

Thanks to everyone who attended Friends of Terwilliger’s 2019 Harvest Moon Social September 14th. The moon made a spectacular appearance but so did this Barred Owl. Eagle Point offered a wonderful vantage point to view this event.

Be the first in your running club or neighborhood to wear Friends of Terwilliger socks!

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!