Tag: Lane County

Climate Resilience Planning in Lane County, Oregon

Written on October 15, 2021. Posted in News.

Lane County, Oregon is located on the western side of Oregon and stretches from the Three Sisters mountains to the Pacific Ocean. It is home to a diverse population in both rural and urban settings. In mid-2020 Beyond Toxics and NAACP Eugene/Springfield established a Climate Equity and Resilience Task Force. Comprised of community representatives and stakeholders who live and work with diverse and underrepresented communities in Lane County. their role was to ensure that the actions developed by the County in their Climate Action Plan were equitable.

This effort provides a unique opportunity to see a successful collaboration between local government and community organizations. Both entities were committed to finding a pathway for community input, insights, and expertise in the County’s formal planning process. Beyond Toxics produced a countywide vulnerability assessment as a starting point. Next came developing meaningful strategies that incorporated community input while also reflecting the realities of Lane County staff and resources.

Testimonials

“The Climate Ready Communities^® program is off to a great start. I was one of the Beta reviewers for this program in March 2018, and was impressed by the breadth and detail of the information provided in the Practical Guide for Developing Climate Resilience. The Geos Institute’s 7-step framework for developing climate resilience provides a systems approach that a community can actually use and the Guide covers a range of useful topics from community engagement to developing a task force. The tutorials, templates and website will help a community like ours navigate the resilience building process.”

Dena Winslow, tribal planner and grant writer, Aroostook Band of MicMacs, Presque Isle, ME
"Climate Ready Communities^® has given the City of Warren the means and resources necessary to begin meaningful dialogues about climate change, mitigation, and adaptation in a way that leads to community-driven actions that can be implemented by way of local and county governments through actions organized by steering committees."

City of Warren, MN
"The Climate Ready Communities^® program has been extremely relevant and useful for Sierra CAMP as a regional collaborative. The comprehensive guide with its step-by-step organization helps us and our member communities break the climate resilience planning process into manageable steps and build our internal technical expertise. We’ve found the Annual Support service to be valuable for our Peer Group in demonstrating specific adaptation case studies, and we’ve had a chance to utilize the consulting hours to conceptualize and plan key regional initiatives like the regional vulnerability assessment."

Nikki Caravelli, Sierra CAMP Project Manager, Sierra Business Council
We find these tools to be effective and designed with a community user’s perspective in mind. We appreciate the step-by-step approach as well as the fact that the program is flexible, allowing us to make modifications as needed to fit our specific circumstances. We also appreciate the opportunity to consult with the experts at the Geos Institute as we go through the process."

Diana Maneta, Missoula County’s Energy Conservation and Sustainability Coordinator
“The Climate Ready Communities^® program has been an excellent tool for Corinth. It provides clear steps and expert guidance. The backing of the Geos Institute provides credibility and helps to build momentum for our resilience planning. Our participation in the Climate Ready Communities pilot has put us much further along in the climate resilience planning process than I believe we otherwise would be.”

Patrick Hubbard, Development Coordinator for the City of Corinth, TX

Tag: Lane County

Climate Resilience Planning in Lane County, Oregon

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