From one government acronym to another, my time as a policy fellow with the Governor\u2019s Natural Resources Office is over, and I am moving on to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board as the Water Vision Coordinator-sounds cool, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was initially hired to work with marine policy, but I\nlearned about so much more. Along with helping with the Ocean Policy Advisory\nCouncil, the Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Council, and the Rocky Habitats\nWorking Group, I was helped with legislative projects, as well as pesticides,\nwildfire, and water policy. I was lucky enough to learn an incredible deal\nabout how the policy I learned about in the classroom, is actually applied on\nthe ground. A plan for ocean acidification is great, but we have to be able to\npay for it. How do you balance OAH and a carbon cap-and-trade market? Both\naddress climate change, but both require substantial resources to implement.\nLuckily that wasn\u2019t my job to figure that out, but it is fascinating to be\nprivy to those conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most fascinating thing I found about my time in the\nGovernor\u2019s Office was the timescale on which things happen. During the 2019\nlegislative session, conversations about the 2021 budgets were already\nhappening. In the meantime, strategic legislative decisions are made on the quickly,\nbased on the best available information. The long-term planning and quick,\nsavvy decision-making showed me how incredible of a beast government really is\n(so overwhelming). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My last project with the Governor\u2019s Office, and new job, is\nthe 100-Year Water Vision, and is a text-book example of long-term planning and\nquick decision making. The goal is to create strategy to invest in Oregon\u2019s\nwater infrastructure, to ensure that there is clean and abundant water for now,\nand 100-years into the future. To do that that state must first assess what\ninformation we have, and what information we need to make big management\ndecisions, while also engaging local communities now, to develop trusting\nrelationships for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Serving Governor Kate Brown, and being a part of the 100-Year\nWater Vision has been such an honor, and something that I would have never been\nable to achieve without Sea Grant. The Natural Resources Policy Fellowship has\ngiven me the opportunity to learn from experts in virtually every field, from\nevery agency, and witness policy making at the highest state-level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This fellowship has allowed me to break into the field, and\ncreate invaluable connections. Along with jumpstarting my career in natural resources,\nSea Grant has provided me with the skills and a support system to grow and\nthrive into the future. Thank you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From one government acronym to another, my time as a policy fellow with the Governor\u2019s Natural Resources Office is over, and I am moving on to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board as the Water Vision Coordinator-sounds cool, huh? I was … Continue reading