www.portlandobserver.com Committed to Cultural Diversity March 14, 20«! (Ehi' ^ o rtla n h (Dbseruer öl n m m n n i t n a I e n ù a r Developing a 2020 Plan for Portland Parks Health and Human Rights A ddressed P o rtlan d S tate U n iv e rsity has in ­ vited ex p ert p a n e lists that w ill ad dress issu es re la tin g to h e a lth and hum an rights. O n T h u rsd a y , M arch 15, from 1 2 - 1 p .m ., learn ab o u t c u rre n t le g is­ latio n th a t a ffe c ts the h e a lth and h u ­ m an rig h ts o f O re g o n ia n s. T he lectu re w ill be held at P S U ’s U rban C en ter, 2 nd floor g allery , SW . M ill b etw een F ifth and Sixth. Feng Shui in the Garden E xp lo re sim p le d e sig n so lu tio n s to y our g ard en in g d ilem m as u sin g co lo r, sh ape and p la c e m e n t to im p ro v e flow and h arm ony. T he class is th ro u g h the A lam ed a C o m m u n ity S ch o o l on T u e s­ day, Feb. 20 and 27, from 6 :3 0 p.m . - 8:30p.m . Call 503/823-PLA Y . Paintball Fund-R aiser Jo in in th e P a in tb a ll c o m p e titio n th a t’s o pen to a ll on S un d ay , A p ril 1 at the S p lat A ctio n P a in tb a ll Park. P ro ­ ceeds from the ev en t w ill go to w ard s the fig h t a g a in st illite ra c y . F or m ore inform ation and to reg ister, call Casi or B u d at 503/771-5752. W eekend Green Tour G uides P o rtla n d P arks & R ecreatio n n eeds d edicated p eople to lead w eekend plant w alks in city parks betw een A pril 1 and N o v em b er 1. T h ese g u id es w ill be tra in e d to talk ab o u t the vario u s p lan ts - from trees to sm all flow ers - in L a u re lh u rst, M t. T a b o r, S e llw o o d , D u n iw ay , G ra n t, P e n in su la , S o u th W aterfro n t, and F o rest Parks and at H oyt A rboretum . All tours w ill be held on S atu rd ay s at 10 a.m . - noon. T ra in ­ ing is offered. C all 503/823-3601. Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi has an open ear to the views o f kids as he develops a 2020 plan fo r the city's parks. (P hoto by J urceys E ddis ) The Portland Parks and Recreation Depart­ ment is asking for public comment on the proposed expansion o f the city’s park sys­ tem. A citizen and staff vision team has exam­ ined current parks and facilities; considered what the future demand for certain park ser­ vices and programs will be; and has come up with recommendations on how things can be done better in the future. Now they are ready to share what they have learned and get your reaction. Public meetings are scheduled Thursday, March 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Alameda School, 2732 N.E. Fremont and Thursday, March 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Columbia Cottage, North Lombard and Woolsey. A draft o f the Parks 2020 Vision Plan is available for review by visiting the Parks 2020 W eb S ite at w w w .p o rtla n d p a rk s.o rg / parks2020. or by calling for your own copy o f theplan at 503-823-5589. City officials say our world-class parks system is in jeopardy. Portland is projected to continue to expe­ rience significant growth in population, den­ sity, and diversity. Significant areas o f the city lack accessible parks and community centers. Other parks and natural areas are being loved to death as more and more people use the sport fields, playgrounds, and trails. Pre­ cious wildlife habitat is also being threatened. Bound fo r Greatness Turn Your Teen Around L earn the sev en h ab its o f h ig h ly effe c tiv e teens in a sev en -w eek co u rse held by John O da, Ph.D . Y our teen ag er w ill learn such th in g s as tu rn in g fear into m o tiv atio n and a ctio n ; take c o n ­ trol o f th e ir e m o tio n s; d e v e lo p a p lan o f actio n that su p p o rts th e ir o u tco m e, and m uch m ore. T he se ssio n s w ill be held at W ells Farge C en ter in P ortland, sta rtin g on T u esd ay , A p ril 10, from 6 p.m . to 9 p .m . Call 503/471-2954. W ild in the City P o rtla n d P ark s and R e c re a tio n ’s O u td o o r R ecreatio n P ro g ram , in c o l­ lab o ratio n w ith T he A u d o b o n S o ciety o f Portland, will visit Sum m er Lake Park, a 24-acre com m unity park d ed icated to the city as a c o n d itio n o f d ev elo p m en t o f the Sum m er Lake and Ari G reen sub­ divisions. Call 503/823-5132. K ayak/C anoe Tualatin River Tour P o rtla n d P ark s and R e c re a tio n ’s O u td o o r R ecreatio n P ro g ram , in c o l­ lab o ratio n w ith The A u d o b o n S o ciety o f Portland and T ualatin R iverkeepers, w ill host a le isu re ly k ay ak o r canoe p ad d le along the T u a la tin R iver. T his is a g reat trip for the n o v ice p a d d le r to ex p lo re the rip a ria n fo re sts along the riv e r, as the w ater is calm and the d is ­ tan ces are sh o rt. P a rtic ip a n ts p ro v id e th eir ow n boats. C all 503/823-5132 for m ore in fo rm atio n and to reg ister. Vehicle Law C lass for B icyclists The B icy cle T ra n sp o rta tio n A lli­ ance, located at 1117 SW W ash in g to n in dow ntow n P o rtla n d w ill be h av in g a free v ehicle law class for b ic y c lists on Thursday, M arch 15, from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. For more info., call 503/226-0676. Lady Bug Tour G uides Become a naturalist with Portland Parks & Recreation and prom ote nature to very young children and their parents. PP&R is starting a new program o f Lady Bug W alks in parks around the city. V olun­ teers are needed to lead these w alks and help youngsters and their parents dis­ cover the wonders o f anim als and plants in their neighborhood. Call 503/823-3601 for more information or to receive a train­ ing schedule. The nationally acclaimed Jefferson Dancers are headed to one o f the most prestigious performing arts centers in the world with the support o f Portland Public Schools, the Schnitzer CARE Foundation and individual contributors. Acclaimed Jefferson Dancers to celebrate 25th anniversary year with Washington, D.C. performance T he n a tio n a lly acclaim ed Jefferso n D ancers will add another star to their national reputation when they perform at the Kennedy Center in W ashington, D C. on April 11. “ We are very privileged to have this wonderful opportunity," said Artistic Di­ rector Steve Gonzales. The 20 dancers will perform an entirely new repertoire choreographed by interna­ tionally recognized and Portland-area cho­ reographers. The repertoire includes works by Sarah Slipper o f the Royal W innipeg Ballet C om ­ pany; Brian Sanders and Moses Pendleton o f the internationally acclaimed Momix I Dance Theatre known for its wit. beauty and sheer physical dancing; Jamey Hamp­ ton o f Portland’s Body Vox; and the artis­ tic director o f “Rhapsody in Taps." Linda Sohldonnel. O ther featured works have been choreographed by the Jefferson Dance D e p a rtm e n t facu lty , in c lu d in g S teve Gonzales, African dancer Ruby Bums and tap dancer Diane Priest. Dancer John Sorensen-Jolink said, “H av­ ing the opportunity to dance with Jefferson Dancers for me has truly been an ey e­ opening experience into the world o f pro­ fessional dance that m ost high school dance students only dream of. This winter we had the opportunity to perform with a dance group from Shanghai, w e’ve taken m aster classes w ith d an cers from the Alvin Ailey Company and the Sydney (A us­ tralia) Dance Com pany, and now w e’re going to dance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D C., one o f the most pres­ tigious perform ing arts centers in the world." “W e've w orked on our technique for hours and hours, and rehearsed dances over and over until they're second nature. It's great to be recognized and rewarded for all that hard w ork,” added dancer Traci Adair. The W ashington, D C., performance has been made possible by generous sup­ port from Portland Public Schools, the SchnitzcrCA RE Foundation and individual Oregonians. Under G onzales’s leadership, the Jefferson Dancers celebrate their 25lh anniversary this year. The dancers have enthralled audiences in the Pacific N orth­ w est and across the nation w ith th eir dancing excellence and high-energy p er­ formances. Dancers are selected through a rigorous audition process in which they must demonstrate proficiency in five dance forms: Jazz, Tap, M odem , African and Ballet Area residents will have the opportunity to see the Jefferson Dancers in their annual spring performances M ay 2 through 5 in the Newmark Theatre at the Portland C en­ ter for the Performing Arts. i