Glenn, thanks for your report of Himalayan blackberry.Unfortunately, this plant is a widespread problem in western Oregon and we are working to prevent it from spreading even further. Many volunteers in the Portland area are helping by removing it, ivy, and other invasives from special places like forest park. If you are interested, I would encourage you to contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District (www.emswcd.org or http://westmultconserv.org/swcd/), or The Nature Conservancy (www.nature.org/oregon) to find out more about actions people are taking (and possibly join forces) to reclaim our parks from the ivy and other invasive species.. Thanks again for your submission. Keep on reporting!

Lisa DeBruyckere
July 21, 2008, 7:23 a.m.