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Monday Mailing

Year 20 • Issue 26 24 March 2014 1.

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OTC Resolves to Make Historic Trail Completion a ‘Priority’ Rural Transport Toolbox League of Oregon Cities Regional Meetings New Web Resources from the Natural Hazards Center WEBINAR: Food System Outcomes, Indicators & Metrics AMERICORPS ALUMS: Upcoming Professional Development Webinars Surveys: Finding Out What People Want No, Minimum Rents Do Not “Encourage Financial Responsibility PGE Foundation Funding Starving College Students and the Shredded Social Contract Seven Best Practices for Creating Rural Economic Vitality

1. OTC Resolves to Make Historic Trail Completion a ‘Priority’ The completion of the Historic Columbia River State Highway Trail is an endeavor that has enjoyed wide public support, but finding enough money to finish the ambitious project hasn’t been as easy to come by.

Quote of the Week: "Almost always the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better." ~Martin Luther King Jr. Oregon Fast Fact: Multnomah Falls is a 620 foot waterfall in two stages that is the second tallest waterfall in the United States. It is located in the Columbia Gorge along the Columbia River.

However, a recent resolution unanimously passed by members of the Oregon Transportation Commission names the project’s completion “a priority” for the Oregon Department of Transportation as well as “a project of statewide and national significance” — statements ODOT officials hope will catch the attention of federal grant programs that might help fund construction for the trail’s remaining sections.

To access the full story, click here.

2. Rural Transport Toolbox In 1998 the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Transportation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which the agencies jointly agreed to address longterm agricultural transportation, rural passenger and freight mobility challenges. As a result of the Memorandum of Understanding, the agencies have pursued a variety of projects of mutual interest, including the development of this website.

The Transportation Toolbox for Rural Areas and Small Communities was designed to assist public and private stakeholders in planning, developing, and improving rural areas and small communities, especially through transportation and related projects.

To access the Rural Transport Toolbox, click here 3. League of Oregon Cities Regional Meetings Member cities are invited to join LOC Board President Ron Brean and League staff for the 2014 LOC regional meetings, which begin April 2.

These meetings are an opportunity for city officials to learn more about the latest League resources, our ongoing policy work and the Page 1 of 5

developments during the 2014 legislative session. The League’s ongoing policy work includes the proposed constitutional amendments to give city voters more local control of their finances by allowing local option levies outside of compression and an amendment to provide greater tax equity among properties.

The regional meetings, which will also serve as second quarter Small Cities meetings, are a valuable opportunity for League staff to hear from you. This year’s meetings will feature an enhanced format that will include a roundtable discussion of regional issues of interest to city official For more information about meeting dates and locations, click here.

4. New Web Resources from the Natural Hazards Center Disaster Declaration History This simple, interactive map tracks presidential disaster declarations across the United States by county, stretching back to 1964. Color-coded by the number of declarations made, the map overview makes it easy to get a birds-eye view the most disaster prone areas. Click on a county and get the full hazards scoop, including how many declarations made at a county level and into which category they fall.

Field Guide: Working with U.S. Faith Communities During Crises, Disasters, and Public H ealth Emergencies

When disaster strikes, faith communities can be valuable partners in response and recovery, but confusion about faith, how organizations operate, and even what words to use can stand in the way of effective partnerships with public agencies. This field guide discusses why building those partnerships before a disaster are essential to neighborhood resilience and provides guidance and best practices for creating lasting collaborations.

Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding

The slowly encroaching impacts of drought make it one of the most easily ignored hazards, but recently widespread drought has left the United States no choice but to sit up and take notice. This Congressional Research Service report looks at how droughts are classified, what causes them, and how they’re connected to climate change. Recent droughts and forecasts are also examined.

Defining Critical Issues Survey Results In November, the Critical Issues Program of the American Geosciences Institute asked hundreds of geoscientists and decision makers to identify what they felt were critical issues—a term they let the survey takers define. This report is the result of that survey. Among the top three issues identified in the survey were climate change, water and energy, and population growth. Other issues mentioned with economics, natural hazards, and agriculture.

FireScience Online Those considering a career in fire fighting, emergency medicine, or related fields will want to take a gander at this Web site devoted to disaster professions. The site has compiled a large amount of what you need to know, including details on education programs, industry resources, and career overviews and outlooks. The information is organized in a variety of ways, so you can look for programs by state, profession, degree level and a number of other ways.

5. WEBINAR: Food System Outcomes, Indicators & Metrics Advocates of local and regional food systems often point to their community and economic development potential. But what does this actually look like in terms of family security, jobs and markets? How can we effectively measure, track and communicate progress to policymakers, Page 2 of 5

investors, businesses and the general public? Speakers will discuss these strategies and concepts in the context of statewide and regional food system policy and program initiatives.

Hosted by the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, this webinar reprises a popular session from the recent workshop on Advancing Healthy, Equitable Food Systems: Building Capacity, Partnerships and Resources, held in conjunction with the 13th New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in Denver, Colorado.

Moderator: Julia Freedgood Assistant Vice President of Programs American Farmland Trust Speakers: Ellen Kahler Executive Director Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Martha Sullins Extension Specialist Colorado State University Wednesday, April 2, 2014 3:00 – 4:30 PM (Eastern Time) Click here to register!

6. AMERICORPS ALUMS: Upcoming Professional Development Webinars AMERICORPS ALUMS invites your AmeriCorps program members to our latest professional development opportunities. On Friday, March 28th, from 12-1PM Eastern, we’ll host “Interviewing and Salary Negotiation Strategy.” Then on Friday, April 25th, from 12-1PM Eastern, we’ll host “Environmental Careers.” Please feel free to extend an invite your members using the copy we’ve created below. For those of you seeking Life After AmeriCorps opportunities for your program’s members, these events are option available to you that can save your staff time.

Interviewing and Salary Negotiation Strategy (3/28/2014) Have you ever felt like you could use a better strategy heading into an interview or when negotiating a salary? Join AMERICORPS ALUMS on Friday, March 28th as we explore winning interview and salary negotiation strategies. We'll convene a panel of Alums HR experts who will share their knowledge and advice on these topics. We hope you will be able to join us for this "don't miss" event. Space is limited, so sign up today.

Environmental Careers (4/25/2014) Did your service in AmeriCorps help feed your passion for the environment or did it make you consider an environmental career? Join AMERICORPS ALUMS on Friday, April 25th, as we explore careers with environmental touch points. We'll convene a panelists of Alums experts with experience in environmental careers who will share their insight and knowledge on how you can pursue a career in this field. Space is limited, so sign up today.

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7. Surveys: Finding Out What People Want What do people want? What do community members like or dislike? As planners, these are the types of questions we generally ask as part of any planning process. Obviously, one way to find out is by conducting a survey. I previously wrote an article about the American Community Survey (ACS) which is an example of a comprehensive survey used to collect data for planning and funding allocation purposes. While creating a survey may sound simple, it really is not. It is much more than just coming up with some questions and then having some people answer them. Over the years, I have learned that it takes careful planning and consideration to put together a good questionnaire and implement an effective process of collecting information from our constituents. While I cannot say that I know how to develop the perfect survey, I am at least more confident now that I can avoid my past mistakes. As a guest lecturer, I had several opportunities to share my experience in developing and conducting surveys with graduate students at the University of Southern California (see “Teaching Planning and Policy“). With this article, I would like to put down in writing the key lessons I have learned about doing surveys.

To access the full story, click here.

8. No, Minimum Rents Do Not “Encourage Financial Responsibility President Obama's 2015 Budget seeks to impose a $50 per month minimum rent on tenants living in USDA Rural Development (RD) financed Section 515 Rural Rental Housing and Section 514 and 516 Farm Labor Housing.

This will only impact extremely low-income households with adjusted annual incomes of less than $2,000. These are the absolute poorest households residing in RD housing. They typically do not have a regular source of income. RD indicates this requirement will affect about 42,000, or 10 percent, of the households living in RD rental housing.

What type of households are these? 

Elderly households. According to RD’s latest statistics, nearly 60 percent of households occupying RD rental housing are 62 years of age or older.

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Disabled Households. Households that have a person with a disability comprise nearly 48 percent of all RD rental households.

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Single Female Households. They comprise over 69 percent of total one person households in RD rental housing.

Female Head of Multi-Person Households. They are nearly 75 percent of all multiperson RD rental households.

To access the full story, click here.

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9. PGE Foundation Grant Program Education grants in 2014 will target programs that impact eighth grade math proficiency, on-time high school graduation, arts education and post-secondary programs at the college and technical training level. Areas of interest include collective impact initiatives, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and programs that help close the achievement gap for students of color. Priority will go to projects that deliver measurable outcomes. (Please note: Multnomah County programs should indicate their efforts to achieve outcomes based on the indicators in the All Hands Raised Cradle to Career Initiative.)

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Safe and Healthy Families grants in 2014 will target basic needs such as hunger, homelessness and health care, and programs that combat joblessness. A major area of interest is on prevention programs. Priority will go to projects that deliver measurable outcomes.

Arts and culture funding in 2014 will be focused on arts education including the integration of the arts into the teaching of math, science, history and other subjects.

Grants will be awarded to nonprofits located in areas where Portland General Electric has customers or power-generating plants (PDF).

Guidelines and online application Our next deadline for submitting a Letter of Inquiry is May 2 (for October, 2014 board consideration). Check to see if your organization is eligible for a grant from the PGE Foundation and assess whether your request fits within our giving guidelines.

Visit the Foundation’s website to learn more about the funding guidelines and application process.

10. Starving College Students and the Shredded Social Contract If you want to know why millennials are far more economically liberal than other generations, consider the news that colleges have started opening on-campus food banks to keep their students from going hungry.

Dozens of food pantries are “cropping up at colleges across the country in recent years as educators acknowledge the struggles many students face as the cost of getting a higher education continues to soar,” the Associated Press reported this weekend. Tuition alone, the article notes, “has become a growing burden, rising 27 percent at public colleges and 14 percent at private schools in the past five years, according to the College Board. Add in expenses for books, housing and other necessities of college life and some are left to choose between eating and learning.”

To access the full story, click here.

11. Seven Best Practices for Creating Rural Economic Vitality At Rural Development Initiatives we focus on two things, developing leaders and networking those leaders to create rural economic vitality. Our success working with communities and regions to create economic vitality is based on the following seven best practices.

The first step for creating economic vitality is building agreement to focus efforts on a few activities.

One way to get agreement on priorities is to develop a strategic plan. Whatever process you use to develop and prioritize activities, communities are most successful when you build upon your assets, what the community already has, rather than trying to bring something in from the outside. It is also crucial to focus on diversifying your local economy; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

After a thoughtful process to prioritize and focus your efforts, any of these ideas that fit with your community can be implemented in any order and one does not depend on another. However, we have found that the most successful communities have implemented several best practices.

To access the full list of best practices, click here.

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