Ecosystem services are life sustaining processes of nature, such as wetlands purifying drinking water, vegetation preventing erosion, healthy soil producing crops, and clean rivers supporting abundant fish populations. Owners whose lands produce ecosystem services historically have been compensated only through sales of products, such as food and timber. Ecosystem services marketplaces provide a system for … Read more
“The improved monitoring strategies will greatly improve our ability to assess and adaptively manage Columbia Basin salmonid populations.” – Project participant Oregon Consensus helped design, convene and facilitate a Regional Workshop to develop agreement on a Columbia Basin Coordinated Anadromous Fish Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Strategy. The five-day workshop included more than 70 representatives of … Read more
“Since an ecosystem approach will provide healthier landscapes and quantifying these values will provide ways for landowners to access revenues for the benefits they provide, it helps landowners stay on the land and also provides a way for the regulated community to more efficiently invest in mitigation activities.” ~ Project participant An ecosystem services marketplace allows … Read more
In 2009, Antelope Ridge Wind Energy Project LLC (Antelope Ridge) submitted to the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) a Notice of Intent to build a 300 megawatt wind-powered electric generating facility in Union County, Oregon, near the Cities of Union and La Grande. Approval in the form of a Site Certificate from the Oregon Energy … Read more
“Cooperation between diverse interests can lead to a better understanding of the issues from multiple points of view. It will help lead to a balanced problem solving approach.”—Participant, Federal Forest Lands Advisory Committee project Nearly 60% of Oregon’s 30 million acres of forest is federally owned—about 25% of Oregon’s land base. Forests provide rural jobs, … Read more
The Exempt Groundwater Well Policy Consensus Work Group worked toward stakeholder consensus about whether changes should be made to Oregon’s policy on exempt groundwater wells. Legislation modifying the state’s exempt groundwater well policy was proposed during the 2007 legislative session and previously. In late 2007, State Representative Jackie Dingfelder requested assistance from Oregon Consensus in … Read more
Several preliminary permits had been issued and several more were pending for wave energy development projects on the Oregon coast. As the exposure and discussion of impacts increased, questions arose about the role of state government in developing policy and planning for wave energy. In 2007, in response to those questions, the Oregon Governor’s Office … Read more
From June 2005 – June 2007, Oregon Consensus worked with the Deschutes Water Alliance, the Deschutes River Conservancy and other stakeholders to assess feasibility of convening a collaborative process to address water management in the Deschutes River Basin. Oregon Consensus provided the facilitation services of RESOLVE, Inc., to conduct an assessment. The assessment report, presented … Read more
In 2006, Clackamas County Sewer District #1 was faced with considerable disagreement from concerned citizens when it announced its proposal to build the Clearwater Treatment Facility. The district appointed a Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) to bring citizens together with other stakeholders to address options for the location and financing of new waste water treatment facilities. With the assistance of neutral facilitation services provided … Read more
In December 2006, Representative Jackie Dingfelder hosted a Water Policy Summit with 20 participants representing municipalities, water districts and others knowledgeable about water quality and quantity issues. Steve Greenwood from Oregon Consensus facilitated the discussion, which addressed numerous water policy issues including Oregon’s stewardship of water resources, water policy goals, impact of Measure 37 on … Read more
In 2006, under the direction of the Oregon Geographic Information Council (OGIC), the Oregon Bioscience Framework Implementation Team (Bio-FIT) delegated the development of a draft Fish Passage Barrier Data Standard to its Fish Passage Barriers Work Group. The work group, composed of representatives from federal, state, tribal, regional, and county government agencies, met seven times … Read more
In 2007, Oregon Consensus worked with the Deschutes Water Alliance, the Deschutes River Conservancy and other stakeholders to assess feasibility of convening a collaborative process to address water management in the Deschutes River Basin. Oregon Consensus provided the facilitation services of RESOLVE, Inc., to conduct an assessment. The assessment report, presented at a May 2006 … Read more
In early 2004, at the Governor’s request, Oregon Consensus convened an Aggregate Mining and Farmland consensus process to develop a recommended state policy for siting and regulating aggregate mines on farmlands, within the context of the long-term demand for aggregate and the availability of other aggregate resources. Considerable data was compiled and presented to the … Read more