Local climate and topography make the area around Oakridge, Oregon, prone to wintertime temperature inversions, low wind speeds and poor atmospheric dispersion that translates into poor air quality during the winter months when many residents use wood stoves as their primary source of heat. Poor air quality disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable in the community […]

The 2016 Willamette Falls Navigation Canal and Locks Task Force was established through Senate Bill 131 (2015). Note that a subsequent project flowed from the task force’s work in 2018. You can learn about that project at our webpage for the 2018 Willamette Falls Locks Commission. The 2016 Willamette Falls Navigation Canal and Locks Task […]

Lane County was on the brink of a healthcare crisis.  A shortage of primary care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners had been documented in a variety of reports by the Oregon Health Authority. In addition, large numbers of primary care workers in Lane County retired and  the Trillium Community Health Plan CCO, reported about […]

The Oregon Garden Foundation, with help from a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, established a Sustainable Plant Research and Outreach Center (SPROut). SPROut is a partnership between the Oregon Garden Foundation, The Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and a number of other public and private institutions. […]

In 2003, Governor Theodore Kulongoski launched, with the Governors of California and Washington, the West Coast Global Warming Initiative to address the issue of climate change and ultimately outlining strategies and projects to curb greenhouse emissions.  Reducing long duration idling at truck stops was identified as one effective measure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The […]