Colewort Creek restoration honored with award 

April 12 — Citing environmental, community and tourism benefits, the State Land Board honored the Colewort Creek Restoration Project Tuesday with the 2012 Wetland Project Award. The project, managed by the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), improved wetland functions within a 45-acre wetland complex in the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. In presenting the award, State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, a member of the Land Board, praised CREST, the National Park Service and their many partners for their work to lower the marsh plain and create more than 4,000 linear feet of new tidal channels. Additional enhancements included: placement of more than 200 logs in wood habitat structures throughout the site; removal of invasive reed canary grass from 21⁄2 acres; and revegetation with native species. Wheeler commended the award winners on their community outreach, which involved recruiting Warrenton High School students and the Northwest Youth Corps as volunteers. In addition, the Astoria High School fisheries program will use the restored site for educational activities. "Visitors to the park will enjoy a more historically accurate landscape, and the park's environmental education activities will be significantly enhanced" by the restoration, he said.   Read more... 

Northern Rockies see sharp decline in gray wolves

April 12 — Aggressive gray wolf hunting took a toll in much of the Northern Rockies last year as the predator's population saw its most significant decline since being reintroduced in the region. Numbers released by state wildlife agencies show Wyoming's wolf population down 16 percent from 2011, Montana's down 4 percent and Idaho's down 8 percent. That was partially offset by population gains in eastern portions of Washington and Oregon. Federal wildlife officials are expected weigh in Friday on whether the population remains sustainable two years after wolves lost their endangered species protections in most of the region.  Read more...

Soccer City USA, Thorns match has right pitch 

April 12 — Is a third time the charm for women’s professional soccer? Twice, women’s professional soccer leagues have started. Twice, they have folded. Despite the success of the U.S. women’s national team and the growing popularity of soccer in America, women’s professional soccer never has been able to sustain a league. University of Portland junior striker Amanda Frisbie has a theory about that. “The two times they started the professional league, they should’ve started here in Portland,” Frisbie says. “This is a soccer city. For them to have a professional team here in the city of Portland, it’s going to be a huge success and it’s going to be great for the community.” Portland has a rich history of women’s soccer. University of Portland is an historic soccer school with two women’s national championships. When Portland hosted the Women’s World Cup matches in 1999 and 2003, they were a wild success. Youth leagues for girls around the city are abundant. So, when the National Women’s Soccer League was founded, Portland was finally awarded its first professional women’s soccer side, the Portland Thorns FC. Thorns striker Alex Morgan says that for women’s soccer to sustain itself this time, it will take a commitment from everyone who wants to see it succeed.  Read more...

Gun stories:  How gun violence has shaped three lives 

April 12 — Andrea Bannister lives in Vancouver, Washington. But in 1999 she was a junior at Columbine High School in Colorado. On the day that two fellow students entered the school armed with assault weapons, Bannister was in class. She remembers hearing bombs and gunfire in the halls. Her teacher ordered her to flee through a back door and climb over a chain link fence. “My best friend and my boyfriend were in the library at the time. And so as everyone was exiting the building I decided I was going to run back into the building. I remember seeing some people with blood on them. Again that same teacher grabbed me and pretty much threw me over the fence and basically said, ‘You need to run.'” She fled to her house and hugged her mom. And then, Bannister waited, frantic to hear from her best friend and boyfriend.  Read more...

Southwest Portland's Janice Levenhagen-Seeley starts Chick Tech to spark young girls' interest in technology

April 11 — When she was growing up, Janice Levenhagen-Seeley earned top grades in her math classes, but no one ever suggested she consider a career in engineering or computer programming. It wasn't until she started college that she discovered how much she loved working on computers, and how good she is at it. Now Levenhagen-Seeley has started Chick Tech, an organization that aims to spark girls' interest in technology at a much younger age. "These girls may never find out about computer science without a program like this," said Levenhagen-Seeley, 29, who lives in Southwest Portland and is owner and principal of Embla Consulting. Under the fiscal sponsorship of the TechStart Education Foundation, Chick Tech's overall mission is to create an intergenerational community of women to support each other in using and building technology. Its first signature event, Chick Tech: High School, was held in January, and the group is currently planning its next large event, Chick Tech: Careers, for women of all ages. Chick Tech: High School drew almost 100 girls for two days of workshops, ranging from working with microcontrollers to computer construction and app creation. The event was made possible by a $15,000 grant from the IEEE Foundation, a supporter of technological innovation.  Read more... 

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