The
Oregon Coastal Futures Project is a project of
1000
Friends of Oregon, Oregon Downtown
Development Association,
and
Oregon Shores Conservation
Coalition
1000 Friends of Oregon is grateful for the following foundations' support of the Coastal Futures Project:
•
Meyer Memorial Trust
•
Collins Foundation
•
Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust
• Goodman
Foundation
• Over
the River and Through the Woods Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation
Join us for our Mid-Coast Forum October 1 in Florence!
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North Coast Residents Convene to Create Common Ground
Seaside, OR - Approximately 100 North Coast residents spent Saturday at an all-day workshop hosted by the Oregon Coastal Futures Project. The standing room only crowd, joined a team of experienced planners, public officials, activists, and experts to create common ground for the region's future.
Keynote speaker Jack McGowan, Executive Director of SOLV, led the group in recognizing that no matter where we come from, we all call Oregon home because of what is so special about the state. He urged more active collaboration to keep the best of Oregon alive. Shirley Kalkhoven, Mayor of Nehalem, presented the Tillamook County Futures Council project and how it has helped county residents create a future they want. Todd Scott, Community Development Director for Astoria, shared with the group the successes and challenges in Astoria.
Shawn Reiersgaard, Director of Environmental and Political Affairs of the Tillamook County Creamery Association, noted that Measure 37 puts the success of the Creamery at risk because the cheese processing plant in Tillamook relies on having all available Tillamook County dairy cow pasture land in use for dairy production. Creamery operations are threatened by potential zoning waivers under Measure 37 that would take some of that land out of production or put neighboring dairies at risk.
Afternoon breakout sessions on Highway 101, creating satisfying rural places and designing successful downtowns gave coastal residents a chance to consider they can make their communities more desirable places to live and thrive economically. Closing comments by John Berdes of Shorebank Enterprise Pacific, a nonprofit lending group, highlighted local investments that add value to traditional coastal activities and keep current with market demands.
"The north coast residents who shared their time with us were a moving example of why Oregon is such a terrific state," commented Bob Stacey, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Oregon. "Their passion, their knowledge, and their commitment to a better Oregon left us all feeling more hopeful, even in the wake of Measure 37."
The Coastal Futures Project will host a forum on the mid-coast in fall 2005 and a regional design workshop in next winter. A south coast forum will be held in the spring of 2006 and later followed by a design workshop.
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For more information, please contact:
Coastal Advocate, 1000 Friends of Oregon
(503) 391-0210 | info@coastalfutures.org