Category Archives: Concordia News

Posts such as this are frequent on Concordia neighborhood social media groups, when animals (mostly dogs and sometimes cats) are found in parks and neighbor- hoods. These animals pull at our heart strings and elicit a slurry of responses from concerned neighbors.

What steps should be taken when finding a lost animal? Multnomah County Animal Shelter (MCAS) employee Jay LeVitre helps answer this and other questions: if you find a dog without an owner, you have a few options. You can carry a leash and try to capture the dog yourself. If that doesn’t feel safe, you can call Troutdale- based MCAS at (503) 988-7387 and an officer will come to help capture the dog. If you want to care for the captured dog at home (instead of bringing it to MCAS), follow the steps explained on the MCAS website at multcopets.org/found-pet.

If the dog does not have a tag, you can take the dog to a vet to have it scanned for a microchip; a free service that all vets provide. MCAS also recommends filling out a found report on their website and sharing information on local social media groups, such as Next Door, Buy Nothing, Being Neighborly, PawBoost, and Petco Love Lost. If you want to keep the dog you find, there is a 180-day waiting period to allow time to find its owner.

According to Levitre, MCAS takes in 12-16 animals every day. More animals tend to get lost in summer, versus winter months because in summer, people spend more time outside with their animals, leave animals in the yard or have windows open in the house where animals can escape.

Since the decline of the pandemic, shelters have experienced a “10-year high” in numbers of animals both locally and nationally and, Levitre thinks this is due to “a direct correlation between economics and high numbers, particu- larly due to housing instability.”

When an animal comes to MCAS, it is first checked for a license and then goes through a brief intake process to collect information used for a found report. An animal with a license is held for six business days during which every effort is made to contact and find the owner. After six days (or three days without a license), shelter staff evaluate the animal. It is then either readied for adoption, put in foster care, or transferred to another shelter, such as the Oregon Humane Society. Of the 300 or so total animals MCAS currently has in its care (dogs, cats, rabbits and other species), about 150 of them are in foster care.

For dogs and puppies that were found between July 2022-June 2023, 33% were adopted, 45% were returned to their owners, 13% were transferred to other agencies or rescues and 9% were either euthanized or died in care, LeVitre says.

On a recent tour of MCAS, led by long-time volunteer and now employee Bud Garrison, the compact shelter was bustling with activity. Volunteers were carefully folding recently-washed blankets and walking dogs on nearby tree-lined trails, animal care staff were conducting wellness checks with new arrivals, and an MCAS officer was preparing to go on patrol. Bright, colorful dog toys lay neatly stacked in piles and a refrigerator was packed with care- fully prepared Kong toys stuffed with cottage cheese, peanut butter or pureed pumpkin.

“Volunteers are the heart and soul of the MCAS operation and we could not function well without them,“ says LeVitre.

If you are interested in helping dogs in Multnomah County, consider volun- teering at MCAS. More information can be found at multcopets.org on the “Volunteer at the Shelter”page.

Jordana Leeb is a longtime Concordia resident who i s passionate about the neighborhood, its residents and trees. She lives with her partner and rescue dog (found as a stray) on a street she calls home. You can see a film about her street and Concordia at TinyURL.com/Diaryofastreet

On August 6th, 1945, the U.S. dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, hoping to end World War II. The city was destroyed, all the trees were blackened and scorched, and locals were told that nothing could grow there for 75 years.

But the next spring, about 170 trees started leafing out. They came to be known as hibakujumoku; “survivor trees,” and the city of Hiroshima appointed arborist Chikara Horiguchi to care for them.

“About 15 years ago, a group of Hiroshima residents began to collect seeds from these aging trees,” Jim Gersbach, Public Affairs Specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, tells the story. “The seeds were sorted, cleaned and packaged at the Hiroshima Botanical Garden by volunteers and then distributed to some 40 countries.” Gersbach lives in Concordia and helped facilitate the Hiroshima Peace Trees project with Green Legacy Hiroshima, the nonprofit that was created for the cause.

Gersbach also serves as a board member for Oregon Community Trees (OCT), a non-profit aimed at promoting healthy urban forests. OCT took on the project of distributing the Hiroshima Peace Trees and Gersbach suggested offering the trees to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The trees were first offered to official Tree City USA communities, cities that met stringent criteria to be considered tree-friendly. There are about 70 in Oregon, and close to half of them wanted a peace tree. Today the state of Oregon has the densest concentration of Hiroshima Peace Trees outside of Japan.

53 gingko and persimmon saplings were successfully germinated by fellow OCT board member Mike Oxendine. The saplings were given at no cost but recipients were required to plant the trees in public places and hold public ceremonies. Most ceremonies were postponed during the pandemic and when they could finally take place, took on many different forms. Sometimes city mayors or school superintendents gave speeches, poets read works, taiko drummers drummed or traditional koto musicians played, or local school children gave presentations.

By last year, Gersbach, some of his fellow OCT board members, and Kristin Ramstad at the Oregon Dept. of Forestry had found homes for all of the trees. To date, 49 entities in more than 3 dozen Oregon communities have planted peace trees. They are located at city parks, schools, botanical gardens, arboretums, cemeteries, and churches. Portland has three; two at Hoyt Arboretum, and one at Portland State University.

And the trees mean different things to different communities. Umpqua Community College in Roseburg planted one on the site of the 2015 school shooting there. The city of Talent held its tree ceremony shortly after the September 2020 Almeda fire. Many Japanese-American families in Oregon trace their ancestry to emigrants from Hiroshima, so there were also plantings by Japanese-Americans in Hood River, Ontario and Klamath Falls.

“These trees are venerated because they are resilient survivors,” says Gersbach. “Each of these trees is an ambassador of peace. No one in the wake of the war and tragedy of Hiroshima expected Japan and the U.S. to become friends. But even bitter enemies can work to become friends.”

In November, Gersbach visited Hiroshima to thank Green Legacy Hiroshima staff for sending their seeds to Oregon and to visit the two survivor trees that were parents of the ones now growing in Oregon. A filmmaker named David Hedberg joined Gersbach on the trip and is hoping to create a documentary about this project called “Seeds of Peace”. It should be completed in time for the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing in 2025. Stay posted for information on a viewing in Concordia.

Dina Sage is the Managing Editor for CNews and enjoys engaging in the arts and outdoor activities. She lives with her husband, daughter and their pets.

By Kathy Crabtree | Contributing Writer

At a house and raised patio on NE Ainsworth Boulevard, the side yard attracts a flock of crows. On further investigation, they seem to be enjoying pecking at food set out near a water basin where a few of the birds are drinking and splashing. Kathy Donohoe, standing on the porch, explains that she feeds them every morning. She is aware that a lot of people dislike crows. “Mostly because of their loud screeching, especially when [they’re] together as a flock in trees near the homes of sleeping residents,” she explains.

After her dog died, Donohoe found herself caring for an injured crow. “He had a hurt leg and hung out around the patio, waiting for scraps; I called him Hopper and started feeding him, and his friends joined him. It wasn’t long before I got into a routine of feeding them all every morning. But he hung around after the other crows went about their business. My mailman at the time, Ron, would watch for him, too. He said the other crows seemed to know I was taking care of the injured one.”

She and a few of her neighbors would gather on her patio to visit while enjoying the crows in the yard. “We started calling the patio The Crow’s Nest, and eventually, we acquired a collection of crow memorabilia, so we called our group The Old Crows.” When questioned about her continued fondness, Donohoe admitted to having a special place in her heart for the birds.

“After Ron found Hopper lifeless on the boulevard, the other crows still expected to be fed, but they left me a gift.” One morning, Donohoe found a rusted heart-shaped ornament on the Crow’s Nest table. The ornament now sits on the porch in a place of honor. “It’s a gift from the crows not only in gratitude for the food, but in honor of Hopper and my care for him.”

A few of The Old Crows group met over the holidays: Rosemary, Toni, and Theresa were invited by Donohoe to share their Valentine’s stories. When the discussion turned to love, Rosemary and Kathy shared their affinity for “bad boys,” back in the day. Toni talked about the importance of family and a mother’s celebration making Valentine’s Day special. Theresa shared that her definition of love is being a team, having each other’s back and being there for each other.

The Old Crows agreed, “It’s about finding a best friend.”

Kathy is a 65-yearold Nancy Drew wannabe, retired lawyer, and judge.

“Neighbors, coyote sighting, NE 33rd at Going at 7:42am today, October 24. Heading confidently south on 33rd…absolutely unphased by passing traffic. Please keep your pets inside!” Being Neighborly – Concordia Facebook post, October 24th

Reactions to social media posts like this one range from enthusiasm, to fear, to curiosity. Some people share a link to portlandcoyote.com, the website for Portland Urban Coyote Project.

Portland Urban Coyote Project

Portland Urban Coyote Project (PUCP) is a citizen-science initiative started in reaction to an “eruption of coyote sightings in the NE Alameda neighborhood in 2010,” according to one of the project’s founders and current Project Advisor, Barbara Brower. PUCP, currently led by Zuriel Van Belle, is made up of researchers affiliated with Portland State University and Oregon State University who work in cooperation with the Portland Audubon and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The three major goals of PUCP are to provide up-to-date information about living with coyotes, collect and map coyote sightings in the Portland metropolitan area, and conduct in-depth analyses of coyote sighting data and report on its findings. More specifically, the project aims to “help people be better informed, less afraid, and more appreciative,” says Brower.

Brower has lived in the Alameda neighborhood since 1994 and was a Portland State University geography professor for 25 years before retiring recently. She said that although “people have been trying to kill off coyotes for 200 years, they are here, were here, and will stay here” living amongst us and that we need to “figure out how to coexist.”

What does co-existing with coyotes mean in an urban environment, such as the Concordia neighborhood, where sightings are frequent?

How to Identify a Coyote

First, it’s important to accurately identify a coyote. According to the interactive tutorial on the PUCP website, a coyote (versus a fox or dog) can be identified by:

• A tail that doesn’t touch the ground and that looks like a paintbrush with a tip dipped in black ink
• Ears that are large and triangular
• A weight of 25–40 pounds

Coyotes mate for life and typically have one litter every year or every other year. They often travel in packs in a family unit with their growing offspring. Although urban coyotes can kill backyard chickens and unsupervised small pets, there have been only two known fatalities of humans ever reported in North America.

Tips for Coyote Safety

A few key points to remember if you see a coyote:

• Never feed a coyote, even by accident; make sure to secure garbage and compost.
• Don’t approach coyotes, instead haze them (make loud noises) if they come too close.
• Supervise your pets when they are outside.

Due to budget constraints, PUCP has yet to conduct research on whether the Portland coyote population is increasing (most likely; yes), their lifespan (most likely; about 10 years), or their main food source (most likely; rats). These projects may be done in the future if PUCP is able to secure additional funding.

If you are interested in learning more, reporting a coyote sighting, sharing a coyote photo or donating to Portland Urban Coyote Project, please visit PortlandCoyote.com.

Jordana Leeb is a longtime Concordia resident who i s passionate about the neighborhood, its residents and trees. She lives with her partner and dog on a street she calls home. You can see a film about her street and Concordia at Tinyurl.com/Diaryofastreet.

By Kepper Petzig | Contributing Writer

It started with a string of lights. Jack and Georgene Wallis had no idea of the Christmas obsession that would descend upon them. They were high school sweethearts from Puyallup, Washington. After they got married, Jack joined the army and Georgene followed him to Germany. As Jack was finishing his 15-year military service in 1990, Georgene and their new baby Jordann moved into their Concordia house off of Ainsworth. There were no decorations that first Christmas.

Jack joined Georgene and Jordann the next year. That Christmas they did a simple outline of their house in lights. Over the years they added second daughter Justene–and a whole lot of Christmas decorations. They hunt through Goodwill and look for sales. A new piece or two each year for 32 years really adds up.

Today their Christmas decorations draw onlookers from across the city. They get lots of outdoor visitors, including at times a tour bus and a limousine. Sometimes they get thank you cards and once, a little girl brought them cookies. One family hosts their annual family Christmas picture in front of the display.

“I think you can see it from the air when the planes come to land at PDX,” jokes Jack. Neighbors call it Peacock Lane (Portland’s festive “Christmas street” between SE Stark and Belmont) in one house.

The Wallis’ have a strict rule – Christmas decorations are turned on December 1st and have their last night December 31st. Jack admits that the motivation to begin set-up gets harder each year. His bones are aging. But, once he starts, the joy kicks in. Jack is the master artist, rearranging things each year to keep it fresh. Jordann and Justene critique the final display. Last year his kids banned Jack from the highly sloped roof. It hurts his heart because “that is where Santa and Rudolph truly belong.”

The inside is not neglected. They always have a big Christmas tree, visible through the window, and every room is decorated. Over the years they added an audiovisual display. To be respectful of the surrounding houses, Jack keeps the sound low and turns everything off at 10 pm.

It’s not just an artistic puzzle to fit everything in, but a practical one as well. To keep the breakers from tripping, each display is on a timer because the system can’t handle all of them at once. Georgene handles the invisible parts, such as changing the light bulbs. It takes about 24 hours, spread over several days, to set it up and 8 hours or less to take it down and store it away for next year. How big is the electric bill? “We don’t look.”

Like proud parents, Jack and Georgene decline picking a favorite decoration. All are loved. Jack says they just want to spread the joy and help to create memories. Stop by and see Concordia’s Christmas house at 5840 NE 32nd Avenue (not Place) this holiday season.

Kepper Petzing has lived in Concordia for 40 years, where, with their partner Lowen, they raised two children. They are nonbinary. They love community and are grateful for Concordia News.