This week Portland Parks & Recreation learned that it won the National Gold Medal Award, the highest honor a park system can attain. By coincidence, this week also sees the release of Wild in the City, a new edition of the definitive guide to the Portland-Vancouver region’s gold medal parks, trails, and greenspaces.
In an editorial marking the two accomplishments, The Oregonian notes that the original edition of Wild in the City, published in 2000, was “groundbreaking in its chronicle of wildlife in the region.
There’s no doubt that a ‘Wild in the City’ state of mind has strongly influenced the shaping of Portland’s park system, both before the book came out and ever since.”
The revised and updated edition of Wild in the City features over 90 sites guides, natural history essays, and nature “rambles” by foot, bike, and boat. More than 100 writers and artists donated their time and expertise to the volume, ranging from local naturalists to nationally renowned authors such as Richard Louv, Ursula Le Guin, and Robert Michael Pyle. The creative team behind the book, co-published by OSU Press and the Audubon Society of Portland, included Bob Sallinger, Martha Gannett, Rafael Gutierrez, Bob Wilson, and editors Mike Houck and MJ Cody.
This new edition of Wild in the City was made necessary in part by the rapid expansion of natural areas in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region—places like Cooper Mountain and Graham Oaks were not open to the public when the book was first published. The new subtitle, Exploring the Intertwine, reflects the name that has been bestowed upon the interconnected system of parks, trails, and natural areas that span the region.
The official launch of Wild in the City takes place at the Wild Arts Festival, November 19 and 20 at Montgomery Park in Portland. The editors, members of the creative team, and several of the contributing authors will be on hand to discuss the book and sign copies.
- Wild in the City on Facebook
- Of related interest: One City’s Wilderness: Portland’s Forest Park
Related Titles
Wild in the City
"The new edition is a book that anyone interested in the outdoors should have on the bookshelf and in their day pack. It provides a...