The Burns, Oregon, district of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) engaged Oregon Consensus to convene and facilitate the BLM Burns District Wildfire Collaborative. The group worked to increase fire resiliency in southeast Oregon by improving collaboration and communication related to fire prevention, response, and recovery.
The Sage-Grouse Conservation Partnership (SageCon) is an unprecedented collaborative effort among federal, state, and private stakeholders to address landscape-scale threats to greater sage-grouse while acknowledging rural economic and community interests across eastern Oregon’s sagebrush range. Resulting from the SageCon process, the 2015 Oregon Sage-Grouse Action Plan details voluntary and state-regulated conservation measures to preserve habitat … Read more
The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development asked OC to conduct an assessment to determine if there was an opportunity for a collaborative, mediated solution to a long running dispute over proposed expansion of the Woodburn, Oregon, urban growth boundary. OC interviewed interested parties and submitted a draft report to participants.
Bates Pond, located in Bates State Park on the Middle Fork of the John Day River, is the last remaining feature of the historic mill town of Bates, Oregon. For several years, area stakeholders have grappled with issues related to restoration of Bates Pond and fish passage for threatened steelhead and bull trout populations. The … Read more
The Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) Early Learning Division recently completed a second-round application process for prospective Early Learning Hubs (ELH). Five new ELHs were approved. Two additional applicants were not selected, but were recommended to merge with existing ELHs. The Early Learning Division asked Oregon Consensus to provide technical assistance to help these seven … Read more
Oregon Consensus and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center conducted a convening assessment for The Columbia River Gorge Commission. The assessment explored opportunities to engage regional stakeholders in a collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive regional urban area policy for the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The overall purpose of the project was to help … Read more
Oregon Consensus and the William D. Ruckelshaus Center assisted the Columbia River Gorge Commission in designing and convening a stakeholder engagement process to develop legal descriptions for the thirteen urban area boundaries established in the gorge by the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act of 1986. As part of the Act, Congress provided a … Read more
OC facilitated a working group that explored collaborative approaches to public land management and ecological preservation on the 500,000 acre Beatys Butte Common Allotment located between Hart Mountain and Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Lake County, Oregon. Stakeholders involved in the process included Beatys Butte Grazing Association, the Oregon Natural Desert Association, cattle grazers, conservation … Read more
In 2014, Oregon Consensus convened the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Region 1 Transportation Coordination Task Force. The goal of the task force was to make recommendations to the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) regarding formation of an Area Commission on Transportation (ACT) or similar public body in ODOT’s Region 1. (At that time, only Region … Read more
Oregon Consensus provided facilitation services to the Oregon Governor’s Task Force on Genetically-Engineered Agriculture. The task force identified and framed the major issues between growers of genetically-engineered (GE) agricultural products and other producers, including organic growers. The task force also identified areas of alignment and disagreement related to GE and non-GE food products, including information … Read more
Since 2012, Oregon Consensus has been providing the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) with a wide range of collaborative support to advance health care transformation in Oregon. Oregon Consensus services have included facilitation, conflict resolution, collaborative learning summits and public engagement meetings, as well as organizational consultation to support OHA’s ongoing work with Coordinated Care Organizations … Read more
The Swan Island-North Portland Air Quality Forum, convened by Oregon Representative Tina Kotek and Metro Councilor Sam Chase, brought together residents and businesses in a collaborative effort to address air quality in the Swan Island and north Portland area. Oregon Consensus facilitated the forum, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality provided technical assistance. The … Read more
Oregon law requires each county to prepare and update coordinated population forecasts for cities within the county. The population forecasts provide critical data for land use planning across the state, allowing communities to manage the demand for new land and evaluate development capacity. Historically, only half of Oregon counties were able to meet state requirements … Read more
Oregon Consensus provided technical assistance to the Early Learning Division (ELD) to support the Division’s efforts to prepare applicants seeking approval to serve as Early Learning Hubs. The Early Learning Hubs are a new approach to community-based leadership that brings together schools, education providers, health care, social services and the private sector to build on … Read more
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Metro, and Clackamas County engaged Oregon Consensus to conduct an assessment of transportation decision making processes in ODOT’s Region 1. The assessment also explored possibilities for a collaborative effort among stakeholders to increase public input into transportation policy, particularly input from under-represented areas of the region. The effort came … Read more
Issues related to submerged lands date back to Oregon’s inception when the Equal Footing Doctrine granted the state ownership of submerged and submersible lands on tidally-influenced and navigable waterways. Since then, some of these lands have been filled, developed and inhabited by occupants who may be unaware of the state’s entitlement to these lands. The … Read more
Achieving Oregon’s educational goals requires engaging communities beyond the classroom. The Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) has launched the Regional Achievement Collaborative Initiative (RAC) to forge connections that improve educational outcomes. Each Oregon school district, community college and university has an individual achievement compact with the OEIB. The compacts set goals for improving key outcomes, … Read more
OC facilitated a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperating agency advisory group (CAAG) that is leading a public engagement process to develop a Resource Management Plan for Western Oregon. The cooperating agency role derives from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which calls on federal, state, and local governments to cooperate with the goal … Read more
OC facilitated the Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Local Stakeholder Advisory Committee and several technical working groups. The committee and working groups worked to develop an implementation-ready TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) for bacteria and sediment impairment in water bodies in the mid-coast basin. OC also facilitated a Statewide TMDL Policy Committee to gather input … Read more
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) asked Oregon Consensus, in partnership with the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a joint program of Washington State University and the University of Washington, to conduct a situation assessment of regional views about salmon and steelhead recovery planning in the Columbia River Basin over … Read more