As an Oregonian, I am so grateful for this time of year, when we wrap ourselves in scarves and sweaters, and gather around the hearth with loved ones. With the last leaves fallen, and the first snows laying thick across the Cascades, I am reminded once again of the incredible beauty and bounty of our beloved state, and especially of the connections between Oregon's forests and families like yours and mine.

It's not just that our forests cover nearly half the state (though at 30 million acres, they do), and it's not just that Oregon produces more of the nation's Christmas trees than any other state (though at 5.2 million trees a year, it does). As Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, I experience it every day: stories of the unique and indelible relationship between land and livelihood, people and place, Oregon and Oregonians, that exists here like nowhere else. These stories are the result of the system...

Our affiliate Hood River Valley Residents Committee (HRVRC) won an important case at the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) on October 15, 2018. HRVRC had appealed a local permit decision that was made without a hearing.

Hood River County’s local planning director recently approved a conditional use permit to allow a short-term rental on exclusive farmland. Hood River County is among the most expensive rural counties in the US and the unprecedented growth in Short Term Rentals and second homes has started to impact housing affordability, neighborhood livability and threaten farmland. The City of Hood River and the local communities throughout the county have been struggling with a very tight housing market for locals, as well as ensuring that their incredibly valuable agricultural resources remain viable for...

I remember it like it was yesterday, though it was 9 years ago. I pulled my car off to the side of Highway 101 where there was a small place to park and a trail leading through the trees, for a quick break on a road trip across the Pacific Northwest. I hiked on a small trail that zig zagged down the hill through the trees and what looked like a jungle to me at the time, being from Missouri and Colorado. I literally don’t think I had ever seen so much greenery along a hiking trail. After about 10 minutes of hiking, the trail opened and dumped me onto a beautiful, secluded, rocky beach of the Pacific Ocean. It was in that moment that I knew I was home.

From that moment forward, my life became about supporting, protecting and uplifting this wondrous state and the...