This project will help McKenzie River Valley communities prepare to rebuild in the wake of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. While there was a tremendous response from first responders and county residents after the onset of fire, the county says the fire’s aftermath has exacerbated several chronic issues in the area, including inadequate communication networks, … Read more
Oregonians for Rural Health (a coalition of community leaders, health care providers, economic development groups, educators and others), based in Douglas County and founded in January 2016, aims to support the siting and construction of a new medical school in Roseburg, Oregon. The goal is to promote the health and vitality of rural communities and … Read more
The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) was envisioned by Oregon geographer Dr. Sam Dicken in the 1950s. Today a walking route runs the entire 362-mile length of the Oregon coast, from the Columbia River to the California border, including public and private lands along the way. The OCT traverses sandy beaches, forested trails, stunning headlands, seven … Read more
The town of Butte Falls in Oregon’s Jackson County is working on a project to bring in the forested land surrounding the town, including Butte Falls, into the city. The town sees an “opportunity to develop an innovative approach to stewardship of forest lands that will become a model for how small remote communities can … Read more
South Douglas County school districts–Days Creek, Glendale, Riddle, South Umpqua, and Winston-Dillard–with assistance from the Douglas Education Service District are pursuing career and technical education (CTE) opportunities with a goal of establishing a stand-alone regional CTE center in South Douglas County to expand the districts’ existing programs. Students would remain enrolled in their area school, … Read more
The Oregon Solutions Southern Oregon Gorse Project laid the foundation for the mitigation of the highly flammable and invasive gorse plant in the Southern Oregon coast region. Gorse was responsible for fire that burned the entire city of Bandon in 1936 and notable subsequent fires in 1980, 1999, 2007, and 2015. Gorse is a … Read more
The School2Work and Youth Development Committees of Southern Oregon Success (SORS) worked to make sure all high school youth who are in need receive additional support, experience and encouragement to successfully graduate and transition to post-secondary training and a career. This effort became one of the Oregon Prosperity Initiative Pilot projects and used the Oregon … Read more
The Housing Stock Upgrade Initiative program was conceived to upgrade or replace mobile homes and manufactured homes that have long outlived their designed life span. The objective of the project was to identify and integrate sufficient resources, incentives, and savings necessary for homeowners to replace rural substandard housing, specifically obsolete manufactured homes or MMHATs (mobile … Read more
The WISE project was a multi-faceted partnership between water users and stakeholders working proactively to improve water quality and quantity in the Little Butte Creek and Bear Creek watersheds for irrigation, aquatic habitat, and other uses in an economically and environmentally feasible manner. The WISE project was located within Jackson County. The project area included … Read more
Oregon has actively worked to become a national and international leader in wave energy. Since approximately 2005, stakeholders and state and federal agencies have been working to understand the impacts and the regulatory processes required for developing this industry in Oregon. To advance the efforts in the state, the Oregon Innovation Council recommended that the … Read more