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About The Southwest Portland Post. (Portland, Oregon) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2009)
December 2009 The Southwest Portland Post • 3 NEWS Himalayan Blackberry and English Ivy lead list of Portland’s invasive species By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post The Portland Planning Commission last month approved the draft Invasive Plant Policy Review and Regulatory Im- provement Project. This is an updating of the City’s listing, and policy toward, “invasive” plant species. As Jennifer Goodrich of the Bureau of Environmental Services explained, these are plants that “grow so rapidly they crowd out other species. They take down trees, harm storm water absorp- tion, and spread the risk of wildfire. They create monocultures and change soil chemistry so that trees can never grow. Some are toxic to livestock.” The strategy to remove them is “early de- tection and rapid response,” Goodrich said. The current policy adds 43 plants, and removes 24, from a list begun in 1991, Trisha Sears of the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability said. The policy dis- courages the use of such plants, requires them to be removed from required land- scaping, and encourages all property owners to do such removal. There are 15 Type A plants that by law must be removed immediately when found, and the City will offer assistance when possible. “We want all city policies to be consistent,” Sears said. “What we’ve found is that some plants on the nuisance list are on the mitigation list (plants recommended when landscaping is required),” such as the Norway Maple. Commission members Howard Sha- piro and Michelle Rudd pointed out that some invasive plants are also at- tractive. “If I have one in a little garden box and it’s not hurting anyone?” Rudd asked. “If it’s on the A list it’s illegal,” Sears replied. Dixie Johnston of the Collins View Neighborhood Association called the policy “dear to my heart, and I whole- heartedly endorse it.” June Heartline of the West Multnomah Conservation District said, “My idea of a good time on weekends is to go out and murder invasive plants. They cost us thousands of dollars in damage ev- ery week. You can manage your own property, but unless your neighbors are on board they’ll come right back.” According to Heartline, the proposed policy “gives people a carrot and a bit of a stick to take care of this. Some of these plants are still being sold at nurseries – that horrifies me.” Regarding Norway Maples she conceded, “Removing trees is a touchy subject.” Editor’s Note: Here is a list of invasive trees, plants and shrubs, according to “GardenSmart Oregon: a guide to non- invasive plants.” Invasive trees and shrubs include Brooms and Gorge, Butterfly Bush, English Holly, European Hawthorn, Hi- malayan Blackberry, Knotweeds, Russian Olive, Saltcedar, Spurge Laurel and Tree of Heaven. Invasive herbaceous plants include Bachelor’s Button and Knapweeds, Fennel, Hawkweeds, Herb Robert and Shiningstar Geranium, Jubata Grass, Myrtle and Leafy Spurges, Policeman’s Helmet, and Toadflaxes. Invasive aquatic and wetland plants include Parrotfeather and Brazilian Elodea, Purple Loosestrife, Ribbongrass, and Yellow Flag Iris. Bicycle Master Plan approved by planning commission By Lee Perlman The Southwest Portland Post The Portland Planning Commission last month approved a draft update of the City’s Bicycle Master Plan, with some modifications suggested by the public. Project manager Ellen Vanderslice told the Commission that in the last month the Bureau of Transportation has received more than 150 e-mails about the draft. Only 17 actually opposed the draft, but 75 called for changes. “We came away with confidence in the proposed system buildout, but we heard we may not have struck the mark with our implementation strategy,” Vanderslice said. In the initial draft Tier One projects, for earliest implementation, leaned heavily on the installation of Bike Boulevards, the signing of low-traffic streets as bike routes where bikes and cars share the road without special facilities. Critics called for more emphasis on off-road trails and on separated in-road paths that are reserved exclusively for bicyclists. “We always knew these things were important; the question was how we get there,” Vanderslice said. Planners now propose to move some items forward in priority, including creation of “a signature trail network,” and to add Southwest Capitol Highway to the list of major bike routes. Commission member Chris Smith proposed a series of amendments. These included a goal of having 40 percent of all trips of three miles or less done by bike (the plan had called for 25 percent), to devote $25 to $40 per capita per year to bike improvements, and to provide “equity” in bike facili- ties around Portland by emphasizing facilities in east Portland and southwest Portland. “We could have a full buildout of this plan for $500 million,” Smith said. “That sounds like a lot of money, but it’s the cost of 7.5 miles of streetcar, 40 percent of the cost of our light rail lines, and one-eighth the cost of the Columbia River Crossing.” Commission members Howard Sha- piro, Michelle Rudd and Irma Valdez resisted these amendments. “Does this mean we would fund bike trails before we funded sidewalks?” Rudd said. Sha- piro said, “We’re not in the implementa- tion business. Don’t tie us up in details.” The plan was ultimately adopted minus most of Smith’s amendments. IT’S TIME PORTLAND HAD A NEW PLAN. AFTER ALL, IT’S BEEN 30 YEARS SINCE OUR LAST ONE. A CITY IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS LAST PLAN. And our last one brought to life some of the very things we admire most about our city. It laid the groundwork for one of the best transportation infrastructures in the country and enabled us to develop a vibrant central city. That was 1980. And almost 50% of us weren’t even here then. TIME FOR A NEW PLAN. Today we face many new challenges. Only 61% of our students graduate on time. 45% of our electricity comes from coal. Our unemployment rate tops 11%.And there’s the human toll – a growing gap between the haves and have- nots. We want to share opportunities equitably among our city’s increasingly diverse population. But rather than just present a plan for all to follow, we’d rather have a lively discussion with you about it. GET INVOLVED. GREAT THINGS RARELY HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. In the coming months, you will have many opportunities to weigh in. Join us at a workshop session or go online to help us define priorities, guide investments and set the course for our city for the next 25 years. Whichever you choose, we want you to participate in the discussion. Because more voices means better choices. 12.01.2009 12.03.2009 12.05.2009 12.07.2009 12.15.2009 6:30–9:00pm 8:00–9:30am 10:00am–12:30pm 6:30–9:00pm 6:30–9:00pm St. Johns Community Center, 8427 N Central Street* World Trade Center, 121 SW Salmon Street Mt. Scott Community Center, 5530 SE 72nd Avenue* Wilson High School, 1151 SW Vermont Street University of Oregon – Old Town, 70 NW Couch Street www.PDXPlan.com | Twitter: @PDXPlan, #PDXPlan | Facebook: www.facebook.com/PDXPlan City of Portland | Metro | Multnomah County | Portland State University | Portland Public Schools | Parkrose School District | Centennial School District | David Douglas School District Reynolds School District | Oregon Health & Science University | Portland Community College | TriMet | Portland Development Commission | Housing Authority of Portland | Worksystems, Inc. Oregon Department of Transportation | East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District | West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District | Multnomah County Drainage District The City of Portland will make reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. Please notify us no fewer than five (5) business days prior to the event by phone 503-823-7700, by the City’s TTY at 503-823-6868, or by the Oregon Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900. Childcare available at the Mt. Scott (12/5) workshop: RSVP by 12/2 at 503-823-2041. *Interpretación simultánea en español disponible.
