Monday Mailing
Year 20 • Issue 23 February 24, 2014 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Legislator: Court Land-Use Ruling Means We Must Act DonorsChoose Founder Chalres Best on The Art of Asking For Money Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund First Salmon Ceremony-OPB Video Historic Preservation Funding Sources Milking to Music 7. Disaster Learning Webinars 8. Some New Web Resources 9. Meet the Smart Farm You Can Control With a Smartphone 10. Do Oregon and the Federal Government have More Than 1 million Acres of Burnt Land with Millions of Rotting Trees? 11. Funding Opportunities 1.
Legislator: Court Land-Use Ruling Means We Must Act Oregon's land-use planning system was thrown into chaos Thursday morning when the Oregon Court of Appeals remanded Metro's designation of urban and rural reserves for additional work. The reserves were intended to designate where new development can and cannot occur during the next 50 years. Because the court upheld some of the designations but rejected others, none of them can take effect at this time.
Quote of the Week:
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." ~Laozi
Oregon Fast Fact: Up until the 1970s it was illegal to show movies or attend car races on Sundays in Eugene, Oregon.
The ruling was applauded by 1000 Friends of Oregon, one of the parties that had appealed some of the designations. Mary Kyle McCurdy, policy director for the land use watchdog organization, said the court agreed Metro erred by designating putting farmland into urban reserves in Washington County. “The court clearly understood the law and that Metro and Washington County did not apply it correctly. The substance of the law was to protect the best of the best farmland. Washington County overreached in claiming land for future development, undermining certainty for both industrial land and farmers,” said McCurdy, who argued the case on behalf of her organization and the Washington County farmers. “Washington County knew it was going outside of the law, and could not justify it. As a result, they put the entire reserves map in jeopardy.” To access the full story, click here. 2. DonorsChoose Founder Chalres Best on The Art of Asking For Money Whether it’s a big donation to a nonprofit or a business-boosting investment, asking for money can be tough. It’s all sweaty palms and dry throats as we build ourselves up to seem worthy enough for the money source to fork over some dough. But Charles Best doesn’t see it that way. Best is a former Bronx high school history teacher and founder of DonorsChoose.org, a New York City-based nonprofit that helps school teachers find funding for their classroom Page 1 of 7
projects. The organization has helped more than 178,000 teachers raise more than $227 million for projects ranging from trips and musical instruments to science projects and technology upgrades. Oh, and he’s successfully asked folks like renowned investor Fred Wilson, MSNBC anchor Jonathan Alter, and late night talk show host Stephen Colbert to sit on his board of directors To access the full story, click here. 3.
Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund The Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund supports sustainable tourism development in Oregon by engaging businesses and travelers with projects that bolster our tourism economy, improve the natural environment, and support local culture. It is the first statewide program of its kind; and it is another way to ensure that Oregon will forever remain a place people love to travel. How does the program work? Participation in this program is free. Businesses that choose to participate in the fund will help customers learn about and donate to worthwhile projects across the state. Travel Oregon will work with your business to set up systems and provide digital content and printed collateral to engage donors. Participating businesses and organizations are encouraged to get creative about how they implement the fund. Who can participate? Tourism businesses of any size can participate in the program. The program is open to lodging properties, tour operators, guides and outfitters, restaurants and retail stores. Individuals and corporations can also donate to the fund directly. Why participate? When you participate in the Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund, you will demonstrate your business’ commitment to your community and the environment. Funds raised improve the community’s destination appeal, which, in turn, creates more rewarding visits and more future visitors. Travel Oregon will feature participating businesses in communications to visitors. Additionally, by participating in the Oregon Travel Philanthropy Fund you are automatically added as a participating business in Travel Oregon’s Sustainable Travel Network – Travel Oregon Forever. For more information, click here.
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First Salmon Ceremony-OPB Video Centuries before we had fish biologists and resource management, the Native Americans along the Rogue River had the Stone Chair and a ceremony to honor the first salmon. Tribes have rediscovered the Stone Chair and have renewed the First Salmon Ceremony with a new purpose. To access this wonderful video, click here.
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Historic Preservation Funding Sources The Preservation Directory has been working to expand the Grants and Funding Sources section of their website. The directory originally intended to create a pdf for distribution, but this method would be too bulky and wouldn't be user-friendly. Currently, users are able to search the new funding database by keyword and location (State, region). To view the current "Grants & Funding Sources" directory, click here.
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6. Milking to Music The modern milking parlors of today’s dairies are noisy, busy places filled with the clang and whoosh of automated milkers. It can be tough for a cow to find a moment’s peace, and a stressed cow is not a productive cow. The timing of milk production in bovines is a carefully balanced biological ballet. Stress can inhibit the release of oxytocin — a hormone key to the milk-releasing process. So the happiness of cows is very much on the minds of farmers. The California dairy industry even declared “Happy cheese comes from happy cows” as part of their Real California Milk Campaign. So how is a farmer to balance the needs of the herd with that of her business? The answer may be as simple as switching on the radio. Dairy farmers have become experts in cow comfort, from barn design to climate control engineering to keep cows as content as possible. But not all the attempts to sooth cows are quite so high tech. It may sounds silly, but some farmers swear by playing relaxing tunes for their herd for maximum milk results. But can you really slow jam your way to higher milk production? Turns out that yes, you just might. To access the full story, click here. 7. Disaster Learning Webinars This free webinar series features public health and disaster medicine professionals sharing their expertise on a variety of topics. Past events have included school disasters, disaster health competencies, and socioeconomic determinants of post-disaster health outcomes. Visit the series Web site for upcoming offering or to view past webinars in video or presentation formats. For more information, click here. 8. Some New Web Resources Thirsty Energy Initiative Water is scarce, and for many, so is energy. Yet we depend on each element to ensure the world’s access to the other. This complex interconnection has led the World Bank to create the Thirsty Energy Initiative, which will help government manage the challenges of securing both resources. The initiative aims to increase awareness of the interdependency, develop technical tools and guidance for resource management, and build collaborative relationships to further knowledge and integrate the two sectors. Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Along with the latest federal guidance on creating emergency plans for schools comes this useful Web site with a wealth of resources for both K-12 and higher education. The site features guides for developing effective plans, emergency resources, technical assistance, and a host of webinars and training opportunities. Diabetes Disaster Preparedness Diabetes is a tough condition to manage even under the best of circumstances, so imagine how difficult it can be to get the necessary food and medicine in a disaster. This guide, published by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, offers handy checklists, tips, and advice on where to seek medical attention in an emergency.
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9. Meet the Smart Farm You Can Control With a Smartphone Repurposed shipping containers have long enjoyed a place in the spotlight of sustainable development and eco-dream-home Pinterest porn. They’ve even started to appear as heralds for the local food economy — as grocery stores for food deserts and trendy pop-up restaurants. So it only makes sense that next up on the docket for urban agriculture and food independence are Freight Farms: hydroponic farms in shipping containers. A Freight Farm is more than just a garden in a box. Each 325 square-foot unit comes equipped with high-efficiency red and blue LEDs to simulate night and day, a climate-controlled temperature system for optimal growth conditions, and vertical growing troughs. Translation: Farmers can enjoy a year-round growing season regardless of weather. Freight Farms are also sealable (no need for pesticides and herbicides), stackable, and (because of their closed loop hydroponic system) use 90 percent less water than conventional farming. And the fun part: Growth settings can even be controlled by a smartphone app. Founder Jon Friedman calls his inventions “vessels for the next generation of food production.” And the irony isn’t lost on him that these vessels may have once been clocking food miles for the global shipping industry. “It’s one of those things, like, the weapon turns into the thing that saves everybody.” To access the full story, click here. 10. Do Oregon and the Federal Government have More Than 1 million Acres of Burnt Land with Millions of Rotting Trees? The timber wars of the 1980s and the lawsuits they spawned brought logging on Oregon’s public lands almost to a halt. Even now, annual timber harvests are a fraction of what they were several decades ago. The issue of how much timber should be cut has flared up again as Congress wrestles with a plan, unveiled by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that could double harvests on more than 2 million acres of federal forests across western Oregon. The Claim Medford businessman Gordon Challstrom, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, wants harvest levels far higher than they are now. In a recent website statement, Challstrom wrote, "Oregon and the federal government now have more than one million acres of burnt land and millions of trees being left to rot." One million acres of burnt land? Millions of trees left to rot? We took a look. The Analysis We called Challstrom and asked how he arrived at his figures. He directed us to an online map managed by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center that lets people click on areas that have burned in recent years. A box pops up displaying the name of the fire, when it started and how many acres it consumed. Although Challstrom’s claim included no time frame, he told us he arrived at his figure by adding acreage totals of fires larger than 10,000 acres. Going back as far as initial salvage efforts in the wake of the giant Southern Oregon Biscuit Fire in 2002, he came up with 2.7 million acres. Page 4 of 7
Since 51 percent of Oregon’s land is owned by the federal government, he said, he applied that to the 2.7 million acre number and ended up with the 1.4 million acres he’s characterizing as "burnt land." (The Congressional Research Service puts federal ownership of lands in the state at 53 percent.) To access the full story, click here. 11. Funding Opportunities Community Facility Loans Loans to help create and improve essential community facilities in the rural West. Geographic Coverage: Available in 13 western states. See program website for details. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (Western RCAC) Environmental Infrastructure Loans Loans to finance water and waste facility projects in the rural West. Geographic Coverage: Available in 13 western states. See program website for details. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (Western RCAC) Ford Family Foundation Grants Offers grants to small, rural communities for community development; technical assistance; critical needs; and programs that offer increased access to health or dental services, youth development, or child abuse prevention. Geographic Coverage: Oregon and Siskiyou County, California Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Ford Family Foundation Georgia-Pacific Foundation Grants Grants for organizations projects that focus on education, the environment, community enhancement, affordable housing, arts and culture, and entrepreneurship. Geographic Coverage: Offered in 28 states in areas where Georgia-Pacific does business. Application Deadline: Oct 31, 2014 Sponsor: Georgia Pacific Foundation Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation Offers grants to projects that support community and social services, youth, health, seniors, education and civic and culture. Geographic Coverage: Colorado, Idaho, and Oregon Application Deadline: Mar 1, 2014 National Network of Libraries of Medicine Pacific Northwest Region Funding Provides funding for National Network of Libraries members located in the Pacific Northwest region to assist them in conducting outreach and technology projects. Geographic Coverage: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region Northwest Health Foundation Event Sponsorships Provides sponsorship for events that promote health or contribute to the determinants of health in Oregon or southwest Washington. Page 5 of 7
Geographic Coverage: Oregon and southwest Washington. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Northwest Health Foundation Oregon J-1 Visa Waiver Program Offers a J-1 Visa to foreign physicians who commit to serving for three years in an underserved area of Oregon, allowing them to remain in the United States. Geographic Coverage: Oregon Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Oregon Primary Care Association Oregon Medicaid Primary Care Loan Repayment Program Provides loan repayment to primary care clinicians who serve Medicaid patients in underserved areas of Oregon. Geographic Coverage: Oregon Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health Oregon Partnership State Loan Repayment Program Offers matching funds for loan repayment for primary care providers who serve in Health Professional Shortage Areas of Oregon. Geographic Coverage: Oregon Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health Oregon Primary Health Care Loan Forgiveness Program Offers forgivable loans to medical, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner students enrolled in an approved rural-specific Oregon training program. Geographic Coverage: Oregon Application Deadline: Apr 7, 2014 Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health Oregon Rural Practitioner Tax Credit Program Offers personal income tax credits to dentists, physicians, podiatrists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, and optometrists who practice in eligible rural areas of Oregon. Geographic Coverage: Oregon Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health Oregon Rural Volunteer EMS Tax Credit Offers a personal income tax credit to emergency medical services providers who volunteer their services to rural Oregon communities. Geographic Coverage: Oregon Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Oregon Office of Rural Health Rural Community Assistance Corporation Housing Loans Offers loans to create, improve, or expand the supply of affordable housing for communities in the rural West. Geographic Coverage: Available in 13 western states. See program website for details.
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Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (Western RCAC) Service Area Competition Funding for Health Center Program - Additional Areas (AL, AZ, CA, CO, KY, MO, MS, MT, NC, NJ, NY, OK, OR, PA, PR, TN, and TX) Funding to provide comprehensive primary health care services to an underserved area or population. Geographic Coverage: Available in 16 states and Puerto Rico Application Deadline: Mar 21, 2014 Sponsor: Bureau of Primary Health Care Sojourns Pathway Program: Hospital-Based Palliative Care Innovation Grants Grants to respond to unmet, local palliative care needs through new or expanded community partnerships. Geographic Coverage: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Program Implementation Grants Grants to start a hospital-based palliative care program or to explore palliative care partnerships between hospitals and communities. Geographic Coverage: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Cambia Health Foundation Sunderland Foundation Grants Supports capital improvement projects in the areas of higher education, churches, youth serving agencies, health facilities, community buildings, museums, civic projects, and housing projects. Geographic Coverage: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Montana. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Sunderland Foundation Wells Fargo Corporate Giving Programs Funding for nonprofit organizations in the areas of community development, education, human services, arts and culture, civic responsibility, and environmental consciousness. Geographic Coverage: Available in 40 States. Application Deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis Sponsor: Wells Fargo Yoneo Ono Rural Volunteer Award Honors people who have made significant lifelong volunteer contributions to their rural communities. Geographic Coverage: Available in 13 states Application Deadline: Apr 13, 2014 Sponsor: Rural Community Assistance Corporation (Western RCAC)
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