The introduction to the Vision for Oregon’s Forests states: “Forests are an integral part of the social, economic and environmental fabric of our state, and as such, their vulnerability is ours as well. Clean air and water, sustainable forest products, biodiversity, public health and safety, and many more critical benefits Oregonians rely upon require a … Read more
In 2021, a Tribal Water Task Force was formed in response to a joint letter sent to the Governor from 9 Tribes requesting a more direct engagement with the State on matters related to water management and policy. Oregon Consensus and the Institute for Tribal Government facilitated the process. The Task Force focused on shared … Read more
In the Fall of 2023, in conjunction with Oregon Consensus’ overall process support for implementation of Oregon Landscape Resiliency Strategy (OLRS), OC staff helped federal and state partner agencies (Oregon Department of Forestry; Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife; Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board; Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board; U.S. Forest Service; Natural Resource Conservation Services; and … Read more
Oregon Consensus was asked by a state senator to assess whether the timing was right for Oregon Consensus to facilitate a stakeholder collaboration specifically to craft guidelines around a community benefit agreement tied to possible offshore wind development off of Oregon’s south coast. Oregon Consensus found that the conditions and timing were not right for … Read more
Oregon Consensus was asked by the City of Beaverton, Oregon, to assist with the convening and facilitation of the Beaverton Climate Action Task Force. The purpose of the task force is to enhance city council awareness of community perspectives related to climate change issues, help the city communicate its climate message to the community, and … Read more
The Recreation, Education, and Innovation (REI) program, housed within the State Forests Division of the Oregon Department of Forestry, is embarking on a strategic visioning process to develop internal agency agreement on a vision and common set of values for the REI program, as well as a process for future strategic planning that explores how … Read more
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) asked Oregon Consensus to conduct an assessment and follow-up facilitated sessions involving staff from OWEB and members of the Oregon Coalition of Land Trusts (COLT), as well as individuals intimately familiar with drafting Measure 76, which permanently allocated a percentage of lottery proceeds to OWEB and guides the use … Read more
Oregon Consensus assisted policy and executive leadership, and two technical work groups of the Bonneville Power Administration, US Bureau of Reclamation, and US Army Corps of Engineers and their cooperating agencies to develop an environmental impact statement for Columbia River System Operations. It was due for completion in 2020. Photo: Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons
This collaborative is discussing opportunities for increased collaboration and improved communication to improve fire prevention, suppression, and restoration. Agreements have been reached on suppression, and the team is implementing wildfire prevention and restoration strategies in several high-risk locations. These pilot projects will provide valuable information for partners in understanding and managing fire risk across Eastern … Read more
The Oregon Board of Forestry directed the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to move forward with development of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for timber harvest and overall management of state forest lands in western Oregon. The effort aimed at ensuring programmatic compliance with the Endangered Species Act, related ODF planning and management efficiencies and … Read more
Starting in October 2017, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) hosted meetings with local governments, recycling collectors, recycling processors, and industry representatives to address short-term responses to China’s 2018 ban on the import of certain recyclables from the United States. In May 2018, DEQ launched a longer-term planning process with a convening of these representative … Read more
In December 2018, the State Land Board directed the Department of State Lands (DSL) to work collaboratively with Oregon State University to develop a proposed plan for transforming the Elliott State Forest into a research forest, while meeting the Land Board’s vision and direction for the forest. In response, DSL established the Elliott State Research … Read more
Oregon’s natural resource agency leadership began a process to engage communities, experts, and interest groups to examine the Governor’s 100-Year Water Vision. The water vision was drafted as a starting place and an invitation to stakeholders, agencies, and tribes to help shape a long-term vision and plan for strategic investments in Oregon’s water and water … Read more
On behalf of its Columbia Gorge Service Advisory Council, Providence Health & Services awarded funds to the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District in support of the Transportation Innovations through Collective Impact project. This project proposed to identify appropriate innovative transportation solutions for rural places that would allow advancement of new models for delivery of transportation for … Read more
OC provided facilitation support to a Department of State Lands rules advisory committee designed to provide input on new rules related to easements for crossing of trust and non-trust lands. Beginning in spring 2018, OC began providing facilitation support to a second rules advisory committee that designed to provide input to the Department of State … Read more
In response to a request from the Water Environment Services of Clackamas County, Oregon conducted an assessment of the potential opportunity for a collaborative agreement-seeking process to address issues related to governance of wastewater infrastructure in Clackamas County. Oregon Consensus then facilitated the process.
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is developing a master plan for Pilot Butte State Viewpoint in Bend, Oregon. Pilot Butte is a 500-foot extinct volcano with panoramic views of the Cascades Mountains and the city of Bend. Tens of thousands of people visit the park each year. Oregon Consensus worked with OPRD’s internal team … Read more
The 93,000-acre Elliott State Forest, just northeast of Coos Bay, Oregon, is made up primarily of state-owned lands dedicated to Oregon’s Common School Fund under the authority of the State Land Board. Since the forest was established in 1930, timber harvest has served as the primary source of revenue. In 2017, due to declining timber … Read more
An estuarine research project was conducted by PSU faculty from the Environmental Science and Management Department and others with funding from Oregon Sea Grant. The project, captioned “Linkages between forestry practices and Oregon’s estuarine shellfish,”clarified connections between forest management regimes and contaminants in estuarine shellfish to inform future forestry policy discussion. Oregon Consensus facilitated an … Read more
OC was asked by the Polk County Soil and Water Conservation District, on behalf of the steering committee for the Salt Creek Watershed Collaborative, to conduct an assessment to see whether and how a collaborative process might help resolve issues related to flooding in the Lower Salt Creek watershed and floodplain. Over the last couple … Read more