By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

Richard Roberts sure loves his brother Jerry. Sadly, Jerry passed away in summer 2016. The only thing Richard loves more than the memory of his brother is the legacy Jerry left behind: a 38-foot-tall lighthouse in Richard’s backyard at 4334 N.E. Holman St.

Jerry, who suffered from alcoholism most of his life, moved in with Richard five years ago. Richard wanted his kitchen remodeled, and Jerry offered to construct it. Richard agreed – but only if Jerry stopped drinking. Jerry did.

The job included rebuilding the cabinets and installing new tile. Jerry shared his basement apartment with his collection of about 100 mini lighthouses.

He mused to Richard he would like to build one. A big one. A life-size one. Richard knew he could not say “no” to his brother. “If you want to build one, build one,” Richard told him.

Jerry set about to build himself a lighthouse.

There was an existing concrete slab in the backyard in the middle of tall waves of grass. That formed the perfect base. Jerry nailed together large 2-by-4-inch pieces of pressed wood, and painted them twice. It had to be perfect. He bought the best fitting windows from Goodwill.

Once he completed construction, he added a turntable from a record player and placed large light bulbs on it facing outward. He nailed metal plates inside the top of the lighthouse so it would shine and lights would revolve out into the night.

There are a series of ladders inside, along with a number of empty chairs. It resembles the bottom interior of a Disneyland space ship, large enough to throw a small cocktail party of five to six guests.

“If it floods again, we’re the only ones going to have a lighthouse,” Richard recalled Jerry telling him.

“We need a ship,” Richard responded.

“Well,” Jerry said, “We’ve got a lighthouse.”

Richard acknowledged that people think he is crazy. He has a lighthouse that is 100 miles from the ocean.

Tamara is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a softer, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors – Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D – are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.com or contact her at Tamara@editkitten. com.

By Karen Wells | CNA Media Team

The 1984 Malcolm X mural, “Black Pride,” features the iconic face of the influential civil and human rights activist of the 1960s.

His original family name was Little, and he was a charismatic and outspoken leader in the Nation of Islam, the Black Muslim faith tradition.

Malcolm’s face and extended pointing index finger dominate the mural on 17th Avenue at Alberta Street. The use of a dynamic two-tone color palette suggests to the viewer a sense of urgency of purpose.

It is the second oldest surviving mural in Portland, and was installed during the Albina Mural Project, with funding provided by the Metropolitan Arts Commission.

“Black Pride” was one of several murals installed throughout the African American community of the 1970s. Originally it was one of two panels painted by artist Lewis Harris and students of the Black Educational Center, which was housed at the same location. The companion mural no longer exists.

The remaining mural, “Black Pride,” was allowed to remain and be re-incorporated into the surrounding visual landscape but, across the years, it was vandalized. In 2016, a team of five artists – assembled by the collaborative efforts of Lifeworks NW, Project UMOJA and Alberta Art Works – repaired and partially restored the mural.

Little background or historical information is available on the artist, Lewis Harris, or the students of the Black Educational Center who assisted with the mural. If you have information on the mural – or the artist – contact CNewsEditor@ConcordiaPDX.org.

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

The problem is concrete. Paved surfaces contribute to storm-water pollution, whereby rainwater carries toxic urban pollutants to local streams and rivers, greatly degrading water quality and riparian habitats. Pavement also disconnects us from our natural world.

The solution is clear. The removal of impervious pavements will reduce storm-water pollution and increase the amount of land available for habitat restoration, urban farming, trees, native vegetation, and beauty, thus providing us with greater connections to the natural world. – Depave.org

Eric Rosewall grew up in southwest Michigan and moved to Oregon in 2003 after visiting Seattle and falling in love with the lush botanic wonders of the Pacific Northwest. He earned a University of Oregon degree in landscape architecture.

In 2009, Eric got involved as a volunteer at the outset of the now internationally recognized nonprofit organization Depave.

He deployed a tool he had always used: a camera. He would take shots of the community coming together and smashing pavement. Eric would chronicle these events. His love turned into a paid career.

During Eric’s stint at Depave, more than 151,000 square feet of asphalt was depaved – almost exclusively by hand – to create 52 new community greenspaces in Portland.

At Depave, Eric could be seen steering the ship and wearing many hats: organizational development, partnership building, fundraising, project and volunteer management, financial oversight, landscape construction and graphic design.

Last September, he left as executive director to lead Portland Parks & Recreation’s (PP&R’s) new Ecologically Sustainable Landscapes program. But he’s still active with Depave, and you’ll find him at the April 12 fundraiser.

“Similarly to my work with Depave, my role with PP& R requires being a jack of many trades to build a program to create urban greenspaces through community collaboration,” Eric reported.

Now he reaches out to relevant organizations in the name of how much people value parks. This program is geared toward involving the community. He brings people together to take ownership.

He attends neighborhood association meetings – including his own here in Concordia – to build awareness and get people involved. For example, the Alberta Park stream bed was built by a local Boy Scout troop.

The city partners on Alberta Park development with the Columbia Slough Watershed Council and is planning a ribbon cutting ceremony there May 5.

“Hopefully people will see plants and think they are cool,” Eric noted. “Maybe they’ll seek them out and create their own little nature patch.

By Tamara Anne Fowler | CNA Media Team

The small crew of two year olds and five year olds embarked on their journey around Whitaker Ponds. Part of Ladybug Nature Walks, they set out to discover what moss feels like, what a beaver chew is, how to touch thistle so it won’t poke you.

Rain or no rain. Wind or no wind. They strapped on their tiny, borrowed ladybug backpacks, and off they went.

Each backpack contained the tools needed for this all-important mission: plastic magnifying glass, thick paintbrush, plastic cup and beaded multi-colored bracelet to be used as a color wheel.

These four ecologists and their parents and grandparents left the Whitaker Ponds gazebo at 10 a.m. on a Thursday. Their red ladybug backpacks bobbing in the wind, they were not to be distracted.

Whitaker Ponds Nature Park was originally the site of a landfill. After Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) acquired it in 1998, hundreds of tires and toaster ovens were removed.

PP&R collaborates with Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and works with the schools and with Verde, a local nonprofit, to conduct year-round restoration and education events at the natural area.

Whitaker Ponds Nature Park is undergoing significant restoration. To monitor local wildlife, turtle trapping takes place every May and September. The turtles are tagged to provide generational data. PP&R is making note of any turtle injuries as well as tracking growth rates across time.

The southern trail is newly regraveled. PP&R repaves every couple of years. “There is an old baseball field here,” noted Laura Guderyahn, PP&R natural resource ecologist. “We want to clear away the field and fencing, and convert the land to a native forest area.

“We will likely have a community process to see what the neighborhood would like to see replace it. I would like to see a few big trees with a native garden demo area for folks to get ideas to take back to their own yards,” she added. “I’d also like to turn part of it into healthy nesting area for the turtles.”

Then there’s the invasive Yellow Flag Iris to be removed and replaced with native rushes, sedges, grasses and cattails to help pull pollutants from water. This will have benefits to native wild life – for native geese, ducks, beavers, frogs and turtles.

“We will be engaged in restoration until the end of time,” Laura said with a smile. Those ladybug walkers and community volunteers have no objections.

Editor’s note: For a list of ladybug walks throughout Portland and/or to volunteer at Whitaker Ponds, contact Yoko.Silk@ PortlandOregon.gov.

Tamara is Edit Kitten, a writer with 20-plus years of experience offering a softer, gentler approach to editing and coaching. Her personal editors – Armani, Max Factor and Spicey’D – are also her cats. Visit her at EditKitten.com or contact her here.

By Thomas Buell Jr. | CNA Media Team

It’s just after lunchtime on a recent Friday afternoon as a line of about 25 fifth graders on bicycles rolls cautiously onto the streets of Concordia from Faubion School.

Under the watchful eye of teachers and volunteers, the young cyclists ride along Holman Street, across 33rd Avenue in the crosswalk by McMenamins Kennedy School, and on to Fernhill Park. All the way they demonstrate proper hand signals and observe the rules of the road, with plenty of encouragement from the adults riding along with them.

This community ride caps off the two-week Safe Routes to School Bike Safety Education Program offered by The Street Trust to all fourth and fifth graders at Faubion. The Street Trust is a nonprofit member organization founded in 1990 as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

“It’s a great program because it’s so important to provide safety training and help make them real Portland bikers,” said Faubion teacher Jamie Makara. “Some of these students don’t have that much opportunity to ride a bike and, if they do, they may not get proper safety training.”

Earlier in the week, the students prepared for the ride with classroom sessions focusing on the basics of safe riding, proper helmet fit and the importance of following traffic laws. Bikes and helmets for the classes are provided for all the students as part of the Safe Routes to School program.

Similar classes are presented throughout Portland Public Schools and neighboring districts, thanks to support and funding from the Portland Bureau of Transportation and the state of Oregon.

The Street Trust partners with community groups, schools, businesses, government agencies and elected officials to promote walking, biking and riding transit.

The Street Trust describes its vision of a strong community as one “where everyone from all racial backgrounds has access to safe, healthy and affordable transportation options in the neighborhoods where they live, work, learn, pray and play. We want all residents to equally share in the prosperity created by investments in active transportation regardless of race, income and socioeconomic status.”

Back at Fernhill Park, the Faubion students have a choice of riding down a hill and up the other side, or walking their bikes down a gentler slope before making their way back along Ainsworth Street.

At the intersection on 33rd, they wait for a green light before crossing in smaller groups and returning to school safe and sound.

Thomas Buell Jr. is an award-winning writer, editor and content strategist living in Concordia.

Editor’s note: If off-road bicycling is to your liking, see Dan Werle’s story here.

By Dan Werle | CNA Media Team

For decades, off- road cycling enthusiasts in Portland have been at loggerheads with city officials and residents who don’t ride mountain bikes about what many see as a lack of safe, fun, easily-accessible nonpaved riding areas within Portland.

In response to these concerns, and to better understand the many variables associated with off-road cycling, in 2015 several city agencies began working together with a project advisory committee and input from the community to draft the Portland Off-Road Cycling Master Plan.

Development of the plan took a year longer than expected, according to Jocelyn Gaudi Quarrell, a committee member and certified mountain bike instructor.

Although it was a fun process to be a part of, she said, “There was no way we could have accomplished this in a year’s time. The committee made a vested effort to teach people what mountain biking is, and how resources such as bikes and helmets for kids could be obtained.”

For two years, the discussion draft creators worked to learn more about the interests of off-road cyclists, potential environmental and community impacts, and how more off-road cycling options could be introduced and maintained within the city.

Their draft identified potential sites for new or expanded bike parks, offroad trails, and connectivity options. A 125-page discussion draft was released in October and identified 30 sites throughout the city as places where off-road options exist and need improvement, or where options are recommended for potential development.

With support from the Concordia Neighborhood Association (CNA), Fernhill Park was identified as one of the recommended locations for future development of a bike park and/or loop trail for cycling, walking and running.

Daniel Greenstadt, former CNA Board of Directors member, pointed out, “For Concordia residents who might develop skills and further interest in off-road cycling, the next opportunity is six miles away – 30 minutes by bicycle – at Gateway Green. That’s where larger scale facilities and more bicycle-specific opportunities are currently available and are undergoing further development.

“Any significant bicycle trail opportunities in Portland would have to focus on Forest Park,” he added. “However, there is significant controversy there as some members of the community wish to continue the 30-year exclusion of cyclists from any narrow trails in the 5,000-acre park.”

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is reviewing the draft plan, and seeks public input before developing a recommendation for city council. Your next opportunity to make your voice heard is Tuesday, April 3, at the PP&R meeting. Contact Tanya Holmes for the time and place.

Dan Werle lives in Concordia with his wife, Anna, and their dogs.