This past month, I had the opportunity to continue helping the Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (OPDR) with two projects focused on building resilience networks for Oregon’s coastal communities.  The first was the North Coast Community Network Pilot Project.  As I’ve explained in previous blogs, the purpose of this this DLCD-led NOAA funded project is to help build a resilience network for communities on Oregon’s north coast.  Specifically, we are focusing on the cities of Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Gearhart, as well as Clatsop County.  This past month, we held a technical work group meeting at the DLCD office  in Salem to discuss the results of our public outreach.  Mostly, the conversation focused on how we should think about the edits made to the USAID benchmarks as a result of input by local residents.  We also discussed the role that interactive mapping will play in this project.  Our hope is that we can build a website that allows local residents to input their own information onto a map so that other residents can be aware of potential hazards.  The next step of this project is to create specific measures that would allow us to analyze whether the communities are meeting their benchmark goals.

I also helped OPDR with a workshop pertaining to a South Coast Socio-Economic Resilience Network they are working on.  The purpose of this Ford Family Foundation funded project is to create a resilience network amongst the local businesses on Oregon’s southern coast.  This past month, we held a meeting at the Culinary Institute in Coos Bay to engage local business owners.  OPDR invited a number of speakers to join a panel discussion about the natural hazards that face the area, and they led a workshop to get feedback from the business owners.  In the end, this project hopes to focus on socio-economic gaps that many times are forgotten by planners who are working to create resilience networks.

I also organized a meeting for the Oregon Sea Grant Marine Debris Coordination Group.  This time, we asked a number of external partners to join us: Kim Lippert (OEM), Nir Barnea (NOAA), Alicia Lyman-Holt (Hinsdale Wave Center), and Mary Donohue (Hawaii Sea Grant).  A lot of great projects were discussed, and a number of new connections were made.  For example, Kim Lippert’s work as OEM’s Public Information Officer seems to be a great fit for a number of Sea Grant partners.   As a result of this meeting, some of her work will be promoted through the Sea Grant. Another meeting is tentatively scheduled for January.

There is a lot coming up next month.  Stay tuned.