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Monday Mailing

Year 21 • Issue 21 09 February 2015

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Quote of the Week: "There is more to life than increasing its speed." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Oregon Fast Fact #33:

The Nike "swoosh" logo was designed by University of Oregon student Carolyn Davidson in 1964 -- four years after business undergrad Phil Knight and track coach Bill Bowerman founded the company they originally called Blue Ribbon Sports. Ms. Davidson was paid $35 dollars for her design.

More Habitat Conserved on The North Santiam Farm Program Atlas Malheur County Gets ‘Regionally Significant’ Designation in Oregon Johns Hopkins CLF Surveys Community Food Security in Updated Report Publication New Microbusiness Publications Explore Innovations in Practice, Policy Opportunities Some New Web Resources Wood First Program Free Course: Gephi for Network Analysis and Visualization North Coast Business Park Earns State Designation Running on Renewable Energy, Burlington, Vermont Powers Green Movement Forward The Promise of the $20,000 House

1. More Habitat Conserved on The North Santiam The Western Rivers Conservancy and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, in partnership with the Bonneville Power Administration and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, have completed “Chahalpam,” an assemblage of land that conserves an outstanding stretch of the lower North Santiam River, approximately three miles southwest of Stayton.

The purchase of a 91-acre farm previously owned by Bill and Dianne Tucker finishes a program already in progress.

“The Tucker property was the second of two properties that WRC conserved in partnership with the Tribe,” said Danny Palmerlee, communications director for the conservancy. “The first was the adjacent 338-acre farm, which was conveyed to the Tribe in June 2013.

The Tribe renamed the property Chahalpam (meaning “Place of the Santiam Kalapuya people” in Kalapuyan). Now that we have conveyed the Tucker farm to the Tribe, it will become part of Chahalpam.”

Combined, the projects now conserve nearly two miles of North Santiam River frontage, two miles of side-channel habitat, 30 acres of wetlands and 140 acres of riparian forest.

To access the full story, click here.

2. Farm Program Atlas The Farm Program Atlas is an online interactive mapping tool that displays payment and participation data by county for seven key Federal farm programs. The tool enables users to view maps, see how data vary across counties, and download the data.

The Atlas provides access to an array of public data on Federal farm programs that will allow users to visually explore a core component of

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U.S. agricultural policy. These programs assist farmers in sustaining and promoting the viability of their farm businesses or in protecting and enhancing the environment. Agricultural producers have a number of programs available to them, and because program designs and purposes vary, producers may participate in multiple programs on the same farm. For example, programs may be tied to specific commodities or to whole farm revenues; they may provide support for current losses or be based on historical production, or they may be in the form of multi-year contracts for conservation.

As a result, program expenditures can vary depending on factors such as individual producers' commodity choices, market conditions, weather patterns, pest infestations, and environmental conditions.

To access the Atlas, click here 3. Malheur County Gets ‘Regionally Significant’ Designation in Oregon The state of Oregon has designated approximately 1,000 acres of industrial land in Malheur County as a Regionally Significant Industrial Area.

According to Greg Smith, Malheur County Economic Development director, the county’s application for designation was presented before the Economic Recovery and Review Council Wednesday.

Benefits of being listed as regionally significant include expedited local land-use permit reviews for site development, additional state support for industrial job creation and priority status for additional funding for infrastructure and transportation enhancements, Smith said.

To access the full story, click here.

4. Microbusiness Publications Explore Innovations in Practice, Policy Opportunities CFED is excited to share two new publications on microbusiness. These resources can help practitioners and advocates in the microbusiness and assets fields identify new opportunities to support entrepreneurial clients, learn about innovative emerging microbusiness development practices, and advocate for policies that can help low- and moderate-income (LMI) microbusiness owners, including the self-employed, build wealth through their businesses. Each publication examines the potential for microbusiness ownership to contribute to families’ financial security, a major theme of our recent and upcoming entrepreneurship work.

“Innovations in Microbusiness: Enhancing the Financial Security of Low-Income Entrepreneurs” details what we learned from a year of partnership with Capital One and some of the microbusiness field's most innovative organizations. The report documents what they're doing to help clients achieve financial security and explores strategies for these new approaches could grow to scale. Our partners included Accion Texas, the California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity CAMEO) ECDC Enterprise Development Group (VA), and the Washington, DC, Women's Business Center.

“Enhancing Support for Lower Income Entrepreneurs through Major Public Systems” takes a deep dive into the ways that policy systems support LMI entrepreneurs and identifies opportunities to expand and improve those services. Funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the report provides a critical assessment of the ways in which the tax, postsecondary education and workforce development systems currently support entrepreneurs and highlights promising examples of innovative system reform strategies from across the country. The report also offers specific policy reform ideas for each of the three systems that would allow them to better support and serve LMI entrepreneurs to start and run businesses that contribute meaningfully to their families’ financial security.

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5. Johns Hopkins CLF Surveys Community Food Security in Updated Report Publication The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) recently completed an updated report on Community Food Security. Community food security (CFS) is a concept that represents a subset of food security oriented toward the community level rather than the individual, national, or global levels, and seeks to account for the social, political, and economic context of food insecurity.

Building on a previous literature review, which included research up to 2009, the new report, titled Community Food Security in United States Cities: A Survey of the Scientific Literature Volume II, synthesizes the latest research and grey literature, and identifies gaps where further research is needed.

The report was designed to be user-friendly, with each chapter written as a stand-alone reference on a given CFS topic, such as evaluation of community food security interventions, food policy councils, CFS history and theory, and measurement methods.

Community Food Security in United States Cities: A Survey of the Scientific Literature Volume II was written by Wei-ting Chen, Megan Clayton, and Anne Palmer. A limited number of hard copies will be printed and available for distribution, and the report is also available on CLF’s website.

To access the report, click here.

6. Hazards Related Web Resources Historical Sea Ice Atlas What does sea ice have to do with disaster planning, you might ask? Plenty. This elegant and accessible Web site allows users to make comparisons of the extent of ice past and present, figure out the lingo of ice experts, and download a wealth of data from various collections. Created by a partnership of Alaskan agencies to help assist decision makers and encourage public participation in coastal planning, this Web site will keep apathy on ice.

Emergency Relief for Disaster Damaged Roads and Transit Systems: In Brief This report by the Congressional Research Service examines the state of the Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program and finds overspending by Congress, lack of a permanent funding source, and too-close relationships between the FHWA and state partners are eroding the program’s effectiveness.

Curriculum Recommendations for Disaster Healthcare Professionals: Behavioral Health Those responsible for training or educating healthcare professionals elements of behavioral health factors during disaster will be glad to know that a set of curriculum recommendations exists to make for a handy starting place. The curriculum, created by National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health and the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, is part of a disaster health curriculum series that incorporates core competencies in disaster medicine and public health.

Unscheduled Events

Despite the title, the newsletter of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on the Sociology of Disasters is once again a regularly scheduled event. The long dormant publication has been revived and will be keeping disaster researchers informed of upcoming events and new research, as well as to sharing information about awards and other opportunities. Check out the December edition online now.

Communications in the Aftermath of a Major Earthquake Page 3 of 5

After an earthquake or similar disaster, geologists can provide valuable information to help those affected make the best choices for their safety and well being—but that often means setting aside science jargon and communicating in a way that offers a sense of safety, connectedness, and hope.

This paper examines strategies drawn from disaster literature and personal experience to help geoscientists deliver effective communications during crises.

Vulnerability, Resilience, and Post-Disaster Reconstruction International Debates This Web site offers a unique online opportunity to discuss issues in disasters, see how the conversation changes minds, and even win prizes for contributing to the dialogue. The first debate, “Does Temporary Housing Hinder the Recovery Practice?,” has been posted, so check it out and see if you’re opinion is swayed by the arguments.

Governor’s Guide to Mass Evacuations This guide was prepared to help governors and other state leaders prepare to play their roles in disaster response in advance of an emergency that involves mass evacuations. The guide covers important elements such as knowing the extent of authority, coordinating with nonprofits and volunteer organizations, establishing shelters, training, and reentry issues.

Alliance for Response This initiative of Heritage Preservation connects emergency managers with cultural heritage professionals in order to increase cultural and historic preservation before and after disasters. The Web site includes more about the effort, a planning toolkit, a list of existing emergency managementpreservation networks, and an “Ask the Alliance,” feature for any uncovered, burning questions.

7. Wood First Program Wood First is part of the Government of British Columbia’s commitment to job creation and environmental sustainability. Since its launch in 2009, Wood First has promoted and supported the increased use of wood products and systems in building design and construction, and has raised awareness of B.C. as a world leader in advanced wood technologies and design.

Greater use of wood supports the provincial forest sector through increased employment and revenues. A growing demand for wood-based products and building systems further fosters innovation and the growth of value-added businesses.

Rapid urban growth and densification are driving demand for smart building concepts that minimize environmental impact as well as support healthy lifestyles. Using wood, a renewable material, sourced from B.C.’s sustainably-managed forests meets this demand and, by storing carbon, helps slow climate change.

Education, research and outreach elements of Wood First are led by Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), the Province’s market development agency for forest products.

For more information, click here.

8. Free Course: Gephi for Network Analysis and Visualization Network Analysis helps urban planners, designers, and policy makers explore the dynamics and complexities of social networks and organizations. This course demonstrates the ways you can use the open-source Gephi software to visualize and analyze online social networks. The modules focus on real-time, "big-data" driven municipalities engaging with the public via Facebook. This course includes analysis of a Facebook group created for disaster recovery purposes after Superstorm Sandy.

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As part of this course, you will learn how to find potential stakeholders or various groups and subgroups in online networks. You will also learn how to analyze and visualize network behavior.

To access the free course, click here.

9. North Coast Business Park Earns State Designation Clatsop County’ North Coast Business Park, a 162-acre site in Warrenton, earned a special designation Wednesday from state economic development officials.

The state Economic Recovery Review Council designated the North Coast Business Park as a Regionally Significant Industrial Area, which gives the county several advantages in its efforts to promote the development of industries on the site.

The designation also prevents rezoning or other changes on the property that would reduce or interfere with industrial development, according to the county.

In addition, the designation provides state support for job creation in the area, and may also give it higher priority with the state for infrastructure and transportation improvements funding.

The RSIA program, approved by the Oregon Legislature in 2011, is designed to help preserve the state’s best industrial lands..

To access the full story, click here.

10. Running on Renewable Energy, Burlington, Vermont Powers Green Movement Forward Burlington, Vermont, the state's largest city, recently became the first in the country to use 100 percent renewable energy for its residents' electricity needs. In a state known for socially conscious policies, the feat represents a milestone in the growing green energy movement. NewsHour's William Brangham reports on the implications for the country's green movement.

To access the full story, click here.

11. The Promise of the $20,000 House Since 1993, architecture students at Alabama's Auburn University have designed and built striking, low-cost buildings through the renowned Rural Studio program. To participate, the students move off campus and across the state to rural western Alabama, where they work with clients in one of the nation's poorest regions. The program has resulted in dozens of structures that improve the lives of individuals and whole communities: an animal shelter, park facilities, a Boys and Girls Club, and a series of houses targeted to cost about $20,000.

And with 16 iterations of the 20K house now built, the studio is getting ready to bring some of the plans to market.

To access the full story, click here.

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