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Monday Mailing

Year 21 • Issue 29 06 April 2015 1.

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Webinar: How to Recruit Leaders and Volunteers for Your Cause Toolkit: Growing Your Farm to School Program 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose Using Urban Observation to "Ghost-Bust" Cities Juniper: It's Not Just For Gin Anymore FEMA Releases Guide to Coordinating Disaster Recovery Efforts T HUD Launches Sustainable Communities Initiative Resource Library Orcas Spotted Off Oregon Coast Fake Beaver Dam Bill Divides Environmentalist Plan for Boardman Plan Includes Invasive Cane Crops Funding Opportunities

1. Webinar: How to Recruit Leaders and Volunteers for Your Cause Thursday, April 9th at 1pm PST This is a webinar to explore best practices for recruiting coalition members, facilitators, and participants for your dialogue and action work. We'll talk about how to get started, how to recruit groups that are hard to reach, and 10 tips for recruiting new leaders. Join this webinar to get some great tips on getting people to sign up for your cause!

Presenter: Janee Woods Weber, Program Officer for Everyday Democracy Quote of the Week: "There is nothing constant in this world but inconsistency. ~ Jonathan Swift Oregon Fast Fact: Throughout a year, on average, Timberline Lodge receives about 540 inches of snow. The average peak snowpack in a year is typically over 150 inches, with variation. Some years have had well over 240 inches packed, while others have had less than 100 inches of snowpack.

To register for this webinar, click here.

2. Toolkit: Growing Your Farm to School Program The Farm to School Planning Toolkit guides you through questions to consider and helpful resources to reference when starting or growing a farm to school program. It is designed for use by schools, school districts, and community partners. The toolkit is filled with tips and examples, insights from others, and lists of resources for further research. Each school district is unique, so browse the topics to find the resources most relevant to you and your implementation team! [Note: Make sure to investigate the webpages – its rich in content and ideas] To access the toolkit, click here.

3. 7 Strange Questions That Help You Find Your Life Purpose One day, when my brother was 18, he waltzed into the living room and proudly announced to my mother and me that one day he was going to be a senator. My mom probably gave him the “That’s nice, dear,” treatment while I’m sure I was distracted by a bowl of Cheerios or something.

But for fifteen years, this purpose informed all of my brother’s life decisions: what he studied in school, where he chose to live, who he connected with and even what he did with many of his vacations and weekends.

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And now, after almost half a lifetime of work later, he’s the chairman of a major political party in his city and the youngest judge in the state. In the next few years, he hopes to run for office for the first time.

Don’t get me wrong. My brother is a freak. This basically never happens.

To access the full story, click here.

4. Using Urban Observation to "Ghost-Bust" Cities In Seattle, last week, I looked across the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Olive Way, into McGraw Square, and towards the Westin Hotel, noting a Seattle urbanism trifecta---the Lake Union Streetcar, the skillet food truck and one building of Amazon's new headquarters complex under construction. What's not to like about that view?

Well, one thing for sure. I saw a ghost, of a missing building from a boyhood memory---something that Amazon might have retrofitted, today, if it were still there for the taking.

Gone from this layered, contemporary scene was something significant to the history of Seattle, the Orpheum Theater, demolished in 1967, once the largest theater in the Pacific Northwest, and the temporary home of the Seattle Symphony. Begun as a vaudeville house, the design, by theater architect Marcus Priteca also featured street-level retail, and offices---a reminder that mixed-use development is nothing new.

To access the full story, click here.

5. Juniper: It's Not Just For Gin Anymore Twisted old Juniper trees can make for a pretty photograph, but they don’t have a lot of commercial uses.

And that can be a problem because there are a lot of juniper trees in Eastern Oregon, taking up space and water, and changing the habitat for species like the sage-grouse.

We talk to Dylan Kruse, coordinator of the Western Juniper Alliance, and Gerard LaBrecque, who mills juniper at Joseph’s Juniper Inc. about how several bills before the Oregon Legislature would affect the juniper market.

To access the interview aired earlier this month on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Think Out Loud, click here.

6. FEMA Releases Guide to Coordinating Disaster Recovery Efforts The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced the release of a new guidance document, “Effective Coordination of Recovery Resources for State, Tribal, Territorial and Local Incidents.”

This recovery coordination guide outlines best practices for states, tribes, and territories to help enable a more effective recovery for local communities after an incident of any size or scale, including those that do not receive federal disaster declarations. Building on the principles and concepts outlined in the National Disaster Recovery Framework, this guide will better position recovery stakeholders to support impacted communities in a more effective and equitable manner. It is designed to be applied after an incident, either in concert with existing pre-incident recovery plans or to enhance post-incident planning efforts.

To access the guide, click here.

7. HUD Launches Sustainable Communities Initiative Resource Library The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has recently launched the Sustainable Communities Initiative Resource Library, a new online library that catalogues dozens of local and regional comprehensive plans, model codes, and reports from the 143 communities and regions that received 3-year planning grants through the HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative. The library will be expanded over the Page 2 of 5

coming months with additional plans, tools, reports, and fact sheets that take users inside the innovations of these grantee communities, many of whom are NADO members. Resources are divided into categories, including: climate and resilience; economic development; equity and engagement; housing and transportation choice; implementation; land use, development, and investment; and performance measures and outcomes.

To access the Resource Library, click here.

8. Orcas Spotted Off Oregon Coast Even orcas head south for spring break. L- and K-pod ocras made their way to Cape Disappointment off the Oregon Coast, according to NOAA Fisheries West Coast — Science and Management on its Facebook page.

“The whales typically in the winter will move from the Washington Coast area down into Oregon as well as into central California where they’ve moved as far south as Monterrey Bay,” said Brad Hanson, a wildlife biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. In recent years, satellite data shows that the killer whales haven’t gone past northern California during their journey.

To access the full story, click here.

9. Fake Beaver Dam Bill Divides Environmentalist A bill meant to encourage the construction of artificial beaver dams in Oregon’s Malheur Lake drainage basin to improve stream conditions has divided environmental groups.

House Bill 3217 would create a pilot project in the area streamlining the permitting process for these structures, which are intended to restore stream functions to the benefit of the environment and landowners.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association is supporting the legislation but several other environmental groups came out against it during a March 31 hearing before the House Committee on Rural Communities, Land Use and Water.

Currently, landowners who hope build artificial beaver dams must undergo a difficult permitting process, said Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem.

To access the full story, click here.

10. Plan for Boardman Plan Includes Invasive Cane Crops Oregon's sole coal-fired energy plant will close by 2020, part of a legislatively mandated move toward cleaner electricity sources with fewer carbon emissions.

But some scientists worry its replacement could cause a different kind of environmental damage.

Portland General Electric, which owns the coal plant in Boardman, is hoping to convert the facility to biomass, or burning of plant and animal matter.

Since 2011, PGE has been growing test plots of a possible feedstock called Arundo donax L., or Giant Reed.

The hardy cane, which can grow nearly 4 inches per day and reach heights of 20 feet, may be harvested up to three times a year. That makes it attractive as an energy crop.

To access the full story, click here.

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11. Funding Opportunities EPA Announces Supplemental Funding under Supplemental Funding for Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grantees – applications due April 23, 2015 SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to make available approximately $5.8 million to provide supplemental funds to Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) capitalization grants previously awarded competitively under section 104(k)(3) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund pilots awarded under section 104(d)(1) of CERCLA that have not transitioned to section 104(k)(3) grants are not eligible to apply for these funds. EPA will consider awarding supplemental funding only to RLF grantees who have demonstrated an ability to deliver programmatic results by making at least one loan or subgrant. The award of these funds is based on the criteria described at CERCLA 104(k)(4)(A)(ii).

The Agency is now accepting requests for supplemental funding from RLF grantees. Requests for funding must be submitted to the appropriate EPA Regional Brownfields Coordinator by April 23, 2015. More ‌ National Arts Strategies Seeks Applications for 2015 Creative Community Fellowships DEADLINE: April 26, 2015 Led by experts and leaders in social innovation, design thinking, and creative placemaking, fellows will gain the tools, skills, and networks to activate ideas that transform their communities....

Patagonia Accepting Applications for Grassroots Environmental Campaigns DEADLINE: April 30, 2015 Grants of up to $12,000 will be awarded to grassroots organizations with provocative direct-action agendas to preserve and protect the environment....

Mountaineers Foundation Shifts Focus to Conservation Education DEADLINE: Various Grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded to conservation education projects related to the study of the mountains of the Pacific Northwest....

School for Healthy Kids Issues RFP for School Breakfast Program Grants DEADLINE: May 1, 2015 Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to a thousand schools in support of school breakfast and physical activity programs....

Foundation for Financial Planning Accepting Applications for Pro Bono Programs for Underserved DEADLINE: April 30, 2015 Grants of up to $300,000 will be awarded to nonprofit organizations in support of programs that provide pro bono financial advice and outreach activities to underserved communities....

FARM AID is offering grants of $3,000 to $10,000 in the three program areas described here: Growing the Good Food Movement supports programs that build local and regional food systems, connecting farmers directly to consumers and creating new value-added markets for family farmers. Helping Farmers Thrive focuses on projects that provide farmers with the resources needed to get started on the land, access new markets, transition to more sustainable farming practices, produce renewable fuels, and stay on the land in the face of financial crisis and natural disasters. Taking Action to Change the System funds organizations that promote fair farm policies and grassroots organizing campaigns to defend family farm agriculture.

Deadlines: Letters of inquiry 5/1/2015; full proposals must be submitted by 8/1/2015. Grant application guidelines are available on the Farm Aid website here.

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THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering funding through the Refugee Individual Development Accounts Program that supports projects to establish and manage individual development accounts for low-income refugee participants. Applicants must have a partnership with a financial institution. Deadline: 5/4/2015. Click here for funding details.

USDA is offering grants to nonprofit and public entities to implement farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. Deadlines: Training Grant Letter of Intent: 4/30/2015; application: 5/20/2015. Click here for funding guidelines.

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION (APTA) is offering grants for projects that focus on grassroots advocacy efforts that help achieve specific state and local public transportation goals. Funded activities could include initiatives to support public transportation in economically challenging times, programs in partnership with local Chambers of Commerce or other business organizations that support public transportation and community mobility, efforts to educate decision-makers about policies favorable to public transportation, etc. Deadline: 5/15/2015. Visit the APTA website here to review grant guidelines.

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