Dear Friend, What a difference a month makes. The rains have returned (or snow, if you're on Mount Hood), and the wildfires have finally abated. In a deeply strange and difficult year, there's comfort to be had in simple pleasures like picking pumpkins and seeing the leaves change color in the autumn light. Among the many things that help to make October special? It's our birthday! October 11th, 1974 was the day our founders filed the paperwork to establish 1000 Friends of Oregon. It's said that "history is made by those who show up," and we've now got 46 years of proof that, at least when it comes to Oregon, that's absolutely true. For instance, my staff and I continue to show up to assist communities affected by last month's fires, and will continue to show up throughout the coming months as rebuilding efforts get underway. October also marks the 30th "workiversary" of our Deputy Director Mary Kyle McCurdy, who this month alone is showing up to speak about Oregon's land use planning program—and particularly our precedent-setting work around Goal 10/Housing—to audiences in Hawaii, New York, Washington, and (of course) Oregon, in addition to serving as a newly-appointed member of LCDC’s Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities Rules Advisory Committee. In a few weeks, our 60-member Farmer Advisory Committee will be showing up for their fall meeting, with an eye toward the 2020 legislative session. Our Rural Lands Attorney, Andrew Mulkey, is currently showing up for a half-dozen land use legal cases around the state. Nicole Johnson, our Community Engagement Manager, is showing up to lead a number of Metro-area coalitions, as well as becoming a member of the Governor's Environmental Equity Committee. Obviously, the election sits front-and-center for the next few weeks. Oregonians are already receiving their voter pamphlets and ballots, and there are a handful of measures around the state that 1000 Friends of Oregon is—you guessed it—showing up to support. More on those in this month's features, below. It's times like these that I find myself reflecting on the unique wisdom of the very first of Oregon's 19 land use planning goals, which calls for the public to be involved in all phases of the land use planning process. Whatever happens in November, here in Oregon, we will always be able to celebrate that the promise of American democracy is built right into the legacy of Senate Bill 100. If history is indeed made by those who show up, there's never been a more important time to be one of the people who shows up, and to be helping our fellow Oregonians to do the same. Thank you for being someone who shows up. Thank you for voting. And thank you for being a Friend! For Oregon,  Executive Director P.S. Please note that our offices remain closed while my staff and I remain fully accessible by phone and email from our home offices. Please feel free to contact us at any time. |
