It takes hearts, hands and minds to build The Intertwine’s 3,000 square miles of parks, trails and natural areas, and to make them healthy and equitable for all of our communities. This is the work of The Intertwine Alliance—a unique coalition of 150+ public, private and nonprofit organizations in the Portland/Vancouver region.
Alliance partners work on a wide array of projects that, taken collectively, advance the vision for The Intertwine. Projects loosely fall into one or more of 12 categories. In many cases, a community of professionals is associated with each focus area. The Alliance fosters conversations within these focus areas, as well as nurtures cross-sector dialogue to find synergies, connections and shared agendas and the potential for collaborative efforts.
Investing in nature has many benefits. Some are ecological, such as improved biodiversity. Others are social or economic. All investments in The Intertwine are working to make our community a healthier and better place to live. We have defined these benefits as community outcomes, with one per focus area. The community outcomes are expressions of what we would like our region to achieve in 20, 50 or even 100 years. They are what we are working toward, not what we expect to achieve in the near-term.
Active Transportation
Our region’s communities are connected with a complete network of trails, greenways, transit and other facilities involving walking and biking.
Climate Action
Info to come
Conservation
Wildlife habitat is abundant and healthy.
Conservation Education
Residents engage in lifelong learning about and stewardship of nature.
Economic Development
Our region’s economy and tourist trades are strong.
Ecosystem Services
The region benefits from clean and healthy air, water, food and many other valuable services.
Equity & Inclusion
All of our residents and communities benefit equitably from The Intertwine and from the work of Alliance partners.
Health & Nature
Residents are healthy, fit and have a high level of well-being.
Public Engagement
Residents use and value The Intertwine.
Regional System
We have a complete, well-maintained, multi-jurisdictional, interconnected system of neighborhood, community and regional parks, natural areas, trails, waterways, and working landscapes.
Urban Forestry
The region’s tree canopy is robust and healthy.
Youth Engagement
Youth from all racial and geographic communities are engaged in structured and unstructured play in nature and are accessing green jobs.