Burns District Wildfire Collaborative

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.  

Sage-Grouse Conservation Partnership

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

Bates Pond Collaborative Assessment

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

Columbia Gorge Commission Urban Area Policy Group

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

Beatys Butte Working Group

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

Governor’s Task Force on Genetically-Engineered Agriculture

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

Swan Island – North Portland Air Quality Forum

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

BLM Cooperating Agency Advisory Group

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

Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative

OC is working with local landowners, non-governmental organizations, and federal and state agencies to design and implement a collaborative effort to combat invasive carp and preserve important bird habitats throughout the Harney Basin in southeast Oregon. Initial goals of the project are to improve the health of wetlands under the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge’s comprehensive … Read more

Mid-Coast TMDL

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

Columbia River Basin Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Assessment

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

State and County Parks Collaborative Efforts

In 2013, Oregon Consensus and Oregon Solutions facilitated a collaborative effort between the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and county parks (through the Association of Oregon Counties) to change the distribution formula for recreational vehicle (RV) registration fees, enhance partnership efforts between state and county parks providers, and consider jurisdictional transfers of park properties. Over time, … Read more

Renewable Energy and Eastern Oregon Land Conservation Partnership

The Renewable Energy and Eastern Oregon Landscape Conservation Partnership was convened by the Oregon Governor’s Natural Resources Policy Director and the Deputy State Director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to address renewable energy development and habitat conservation across Eastern Oregon. The group addressed sagebrush and sage grouse issues, and developed criteria for identifying … Read more

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge working group, with more than 30 diverse members, developed a draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement to guide refuge management from 2012 until 2027. From 2008 through 2011, Oregon Consensus provided facilitation and collaborative governance training to Malheur Wildlife Refuge staff and other stakeholders. The group strengthened working … Read more

North Santiam River Basin Water Management

In 2011, the City of Salem and the North Santiam Watershed Council asked Oregon Consensus to conduct a neutral assessment of the potential for collaborative approaches to water management in the North Santiam Basin. The North Santiam River serves a broad variety of water needs including municipal water supply, irrigation, recreation, and ecological services for … Read more

Portland Air Toxics Solutions Advisory Committee

In 2008 through 2011, Oregon Consensus (OC) worked with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ ) to support DEQ’s Portland Air Toxics Solutions (PATS) project. The PATS project was a collaborative effort to develop Oregon’s first area-wide air toxics reduction plan for the Portland region through a broad, community-based effort. OC is assisted DEQ … Read more

Maintenance Dredging Assessment

In 2011, Oregon Consensus conducted an assessment on behalf of the City of Portland Healthy Working Rivers Office, examining applicant experiences with the multi-agency permitting process for maintenance dredging in areas of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and Columbia Slough. The assessment gathered input from a wide variety of stakeholders, including dredging firms, owners of … Read more

Western Oregon Collaboration Inquiry

Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and senior officials of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have expressed a strong desire to find new approaches to managing land included in the Oregon and California Lands Act of 1937 (O&C Act). BLM and Oregon Governor Kitzhaber are interested in exploring approaches to creating a policy framework for … Read more