Category: Volunteer

  • New – 1st Fridays Stewardship 10 AM – 1 PM

    New – 1st Fridays Stewardship 10 AM – 1 PM

    Pier Park Stewardship Days

    When: 1st Friday of each month through November
    Time: 10 AM – 1 PM
    Where: Pier Park maintenance building near the park entry off of N Bruce and N James.

    What will be happening

    • Weeding and mulching the new beds of native plants to help give them a good start
    • Removing invasive plants like ivy and blackberry
    • Dragging fallen limbs into piles.

    These events are being led by Portland Parks staff, including Dave Blado. Events are limited to 25 volunteers. Everyone is welcome.

    Register Here
    Established native plant bed
    One of the native plant beds that may need weeding and mulching to get a good start

    Pier Park Forest

    Over the past several years Friends of Pier Park has partnered with Portland Parks to plant beds of native plants. The native plants improve habitat for birds and other forest animals while enhancing the park’s beauty. As the plants grow in, Pier Park will begin to look more like a forest, at least around the new beds. Many of the native plants are small and still need weeding to give them a good start.

    Invasives Removal

    Every park in Portland has problems with invasive ivy and blackberry, some much more than others. Because Friends of Pier Park organizes annual volunteer events to remove these invasives, Pier Park is in a relatively good place. Join us to help keep it that way.

    Removing fallen limbs

    When limbs fall on the turf or near paths they create a hazard for park visitors and the equipment used to keep the turf areas mowed. Help pulling these limbs into piles near paths, especially after wind events, makes Pier Park safer and enhances her beauty.

    Register Here
    Volunteers with a pile of invasive blackberries they dug up.
    Volunteers removing invasive plants at Pier Park, April 2025

    Thank you

    Join us on the 1st Friday of the month through November. We will be working between 10 AM and 1 PM. If you cannot stay the entire time, that is OK. Come out and help as long as you can. We appreciate you!

  • No Ivy Day October 28th

    No Ivy Day October 28th

    We are hosting No Ivy Day at Pier Park on Saturday, October 28th from 9 AM to Noon.

    Join Friends of Pier Park and Hands On Portland in a regional effort to remove this invasive tree killer.  

    Use this link to register for No Ivy Day at Pier Park!

    Register first. You will see this message:
    “In order to sign up or express interest in any of our volunteer opportunities and activities, you’ll need to create an account so you can log in. Please complete the information below to get started!”

    After you have registered an account at Hands On Portland, signing up for this event is easy. Just click the Sign-Up button on this page:

    Register and Sign-Up

    If you are bringing a team, then select the Sign Up With a Team button.

    Join Us. All Are Welcome!

    Autumn Tree in Pier Park
  • Summer Concert Volunteers Needed

    Summer Concert Volunteers Needed

    Friends of Pier Park is a small group working hard to host summer concerts. We could use help setting up and taking down the stage before and after the shows and staffing our information table during the concerts. If you can help on either of the remaining two concert days, contact us here by email at connect@friendsofpierpark.org or by calling us at 781-424-8417 and letting us know what day(s) and time(s) you can help.

    We’ll follow up with you to coordinate. We do stage set up from 6:30 to 9 AM, take down after the show from 6 to 8 PM, and staff our information table during the concerts between 3 and 6 PM.

    Friends of Pier Park hosts these concerts to bring St. Johns and North Portland neighbors into the park to experience its features and beauty.  We measure our success by the audience size and their community spirit.

    Pier Park Summer Concerts sponsored by St. Johns Flower Shop and Madison Automotive

    Takohachi and Glitter Fox

    There are two more FREE “Last Saturday” concerts this summer. On July 29th, Takohachi will be entertaining us with their Japanese drum and dance ensemble, followed by Audrey Moon, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. 

    On August 26th, Dina Sage & The Wildflowers will open with a bluegrass & country swing repertoire, followed by Glitter Fox, one of Portland’s “Best New Bands” as reported by Willamette Week  2022, with their indie folk rock music. 

    June Concert recap

    There was a good audience turnout for the first of our Pier Park “Last Saturday” Summer Concerts on June 29th. Everyone enjoyed outstanding performances by 10 members of the 2023 Roosevelt High School Jazz Band, who played three sets. Various combinations of players covered swing, bebop, modern jazz, pop, and blues tunes. It was perfect weather to spread out on the Pier Park playground meadow grass and under the trees beyond to enjoy the music. Many audience members brought and enjoyed a picnic as well. We thank the performers, our event sponsors, the volunteers who helped with logistics, and Portland Park and Recreation for providing the lovely outdoor amphitheater.

  • Thank You Pamplin School of Business

    Thank You Pamplin School of Business

    On Saturday, March 12th over 60 University of Portland, Pamplin School of Business students did a tremendous job helping to keep Pier Park a special place. Thank you!

    The amount of work they accomplished; spreading mulch and gravel, pulling Ivy and other invasive species, and collecting trash throughout the park, was impressive. 

    U of P students coming off the bus and picking up litter at Pier Park
    University of Portland students coming off the bus (top) and picking up litter (bottom)

    Now that they’ve done so much good for the park and seen what a jewel Pier Park is, we hope to see many of the student volunteers coming back just to enjoy this great place near their campus.

    Special thanks go to:

    • Gwynn Klobes, Director P4 Pamplin School of Business, who has sent her students to us several times over the years
    • Alex Kim, the U. P. Student Project Manager, who coordinated the  event and organized the volunteers into teams by task so they  were ready for immediate action when they arrived
    • Mike Malone, Director of the local chapter of Rebuilding Together, who lent us tools for the students use.

    This was not the first time University of Portland students have volunteered at Pier Park. See this post from 2018! We hope that the University of Portland comes back to volunteer in Pier Park for years to come. Scroll below to see more pictures!

    U of P Students spreading mulch at Pier Park
    Enlarging a disc golf hole
    U of P students rebuilding paths at Pier Park
    U of P students working at the disc golf course at Pier Park
    U of P students working at the disc golf course at Pier Park
    U of P students and large mounds of cleared ivy
    U of P students clearing invasive ivy at Pier Park
  • Volunteer Opportunity 4/20

    Volunteer Opportunity 4/20

    Mark your calendars, we have a volunteer opportunity coming up on SATURDAY, APRIL 20th, 2019

    FROM 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM in honor of Earth Day.

    Since 2007 Friends of Pier Park has hosted the annual Pier Park Pick-Up to help with litter cleanup and invasive plant removal at Pier Park. Some years Stumptown Disc Golf also turns out and, together, we help build new paths or make other repairs on the popular disc golf course.

    To get us started in the morning, Starbucks is donating coffee and tea. We will also have pastries and healthy treats from New Seasons. At noon we will host a barbecue for all volunteers.

    Wear your work boots as the ground can be slippery and muddy. Dress for cool weather and remember it can be colder under the Pier Park tree canopy than you might expect. Bring gardening gloves. Be prepared to work, socialize with neighbors, and leave knowing you have done your part to improve Pier Park. Kids welcome!

    Sign up using the link or just stop by!

  • Plants Found at Pier Park

    Plants Found at Pier Park

    Do you ever wonder what type of plants you can find at Pier Park? Well, here is a list of the plants you may see around!

    All of these specimens were planted on October 27th, 2018 thanks to our generous No Ivy Day volunteers. 

    Plant NameQtyType
    Acer circinatum ‘Monroe’9 Maple Native 
    Vaccinium ovatum9 Flowering Shrub 
    Vaccinium parvifolium9 Red Huckleberry 
    Oemleria cerasiformis5 Indian Plum 
    Philadelphis lewisii3 Lewis’ Mock Orange 
    Mahonia nervosa21 Cascase Barberry 
    Gaultheria shallon15 Leathery-leaved Shrub 
    Garrya elliptica3 Silk Tassel Bush 
    Blechnum spicant15 Deer Fern 
    Polystichum munitum50 Western Sword Fern 
    Ribes sanguinem ‘King Edward vii7 Pinkish-Red Shurb 

    Can you guess what plant this is?

    What plants would you like to see at Pier Park?

     

  • Thank You – No Ivy Day Volunteers

    Thank You – No Ivy Day Volunteers

    Saturday October 27th, Friends of Pier Park hosted a volunteer opportunity in support of Portland Parks and Recreation’s No Ivy Day. Thank you for all of those who came out and volunteered to help beautify the park. Volunteers participated in several different activities including ivy removal, planting, spreading gravel, rebuilding stairs, and picking up limbs. Volunteers and community members also had access to coffee and treats provided by both Starbucks and Heavenly Donuts. When the event was over, Friends of Pier Park also provided a free lunch that consisted of hot dogs and chips.

    Friends of Pier Park along with various community members are grateful for all the hard work these volunteers. It is through the efforts of volunteers that the park can maintain it’s presence in the community. Thank you again to all of our volunteers! We look forward to more events in the future.

  • No Ivy Day on October 27th

    No Ivy Day on October 27th

    This year Friends of Pier Park is participating in No Ivy Day on October 27th, hosted by Portland Parks & Recreation. The legacy of invasive English ivy removal in Portland is celebrating their 15th year!

    Join Portland Parks & Recreation and Friends of Pier Park in removing invasive non-native species as well as beautification projects around the park and the disc golf course. This event is family friendly, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Please dress for the weather, wear sturdy closed-toed shoes, and bring a water bottle. Instructions, tools, gloves, water, coffee/tea and snacks provided.

    To volunteer, please register using the link provided below.

     

  • Thank you, University of Portland

    Thank you, University of Portland

    University of Portland students removing blackberry vines.

    For the 4th year the University of Portland School of Business has turned out with 100+ students to work at improving Pier Park. Thank you!

    This year the work included digging mounds of blackberry vines from around Douglas Fir trees, removing graffiti and trash, mulching under new plantings, and improving the disc golf course.

    The student volunteers arrived in two busloads. Photos are below.

    1st busload of volunteers
    2nd busload of volunteers