2021 Friend of the Year: Bing Wong
(Published March 2022)
It's hard to overstate Bing's contributions to Mt. Tabor Park, and we're so excited to name him Friend of the Year! Read on to learn how Bing got involved with Friends of Mt. Tabor Park, and some kind words from friends.
Bing Wong
"The history of my connection to FMTP goes back to the time when a few founding members were on the neighborhood association board and their interest was park-focused, Dave Hillman. I joined, but wasn’t a volunteer until Weed Warriors, years before becoming a Crew Leader and later a board member recruited by Mary Kinnick. My love for the park is for the birds before the off-leash dog areas, and my first MTNA meeting was a heated proposal for a dog off-leash area in 1996. The original location literally made the whole park off leash as it was up the hill in the park far from parking. I suggested the current off-leash location for the lowest impact on birds and the relatively flat area." Thanks, Bing, for protecting the birds!
Lise Gervais
Bing devotes his time to Friends of Mt Tabor Park as a Board Member, a Weed Warrior Crew Leader, and is involved in the historic preservation of the reservoirs. As a member of the Mt Tabor Neighborhood Association, Bing acts a liaison between the two organizations. Bing is also a valued member of the Weed Warriors team. Bing is usually the first crew leader to RSVP and it’s usually a “Yes.” He was there for the heat dome event in June and worked in the rain at a small event last Sunday. Bing has also devoted many hours to independent projects in the park, including a grove of staghorn sumac near the Lincoln Street entrance, that was once completely hidden by Himalayan blackberry.
At stewardship events, Bing is our go-to guy for questions about birds. A native Oregonian and a world traveler, Bing always has good stories about birds he’s seen and amazing photographs. He also leads Audubon’s Christmas Bird Counts and is very generous about passing on his knowledge to the amateur birders who brave the cold to count bird species in SE Portland. We are all very lucky to have Bing on our teams. A giant thank you for all that you do for Mt Tabor Park!
Mary Kinnick
Bing has served year after year as a steadfast contributor in significant ways on the Board of Friends of Mt Tabor Park (FMTP). He strengthened ties with the Mt Tabor Neighborhood Association. He was an enthusiast for and a major contributor to the 2018 successful effort to create an endowment fund to support the Weed Warrior Stewardship Coordinator position. He well represented FMTP in several endeavors involving Portland Parks and the Portland Water Bureau. And, no matter what the issue faced by the Board, Bing has weighed in with thoughtful, well-reasoned ideas. His focus has always been on finding ways he can serve the well-being of Mt Tabor Park and its visitors and not on himself. His steadfast stewardship has been remarkable."