Conversation Project: Does Nature Have a Purpose?
Oregonians have long struggled to balance cultural, political, and values-based differences tied to our use of land and resources. As we enter an age of accelerating environmental change and scarcity, it is important to understand what drives these differences. In this conversation we will explore our attitudes and assumptions about the purpose of the environment in our lives and how those attitudes and assumptions shape our perception of environmental issues and policies.
Finding Common Ground Speaker Series: High Desert Partnership
Learn about the many ways the High Desert Partnership in Harney County supports a community of diverse perspectives to collaboratively solve the complex challenges facing rural America. Speakers include Brenda Smith, executive director of HDP; Mara Polenz, communications director; Josh Hanson, forest and range ecological coordinator; Kaylee Littlefield, community involvement and monitoring coordinator; Melissa Petschauer, Harney Basin ecological coordinator; Camille Torres, collaborative project coordinator; and Denise Rose, Harney internship coordinator.
This event is supported by a Minigrant for Rural Libraries from Oregon Humanities.
Ponderosas and Junipers
George James Kenagy writes about the trees that defined his childhood and his family ties to Central Oregon.
Losing the Forest for the Trees
Juliet Grable writes about how a massive die-off of white fir has unsettled the mountain community in Southern Oregon where she lives.
The Circle is Expanding: The Gift of Climate Grief
(Please note: this is a two part workshop taking place on May 4 and May 7.)
Climate grief, also known as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety, is a psychological response to ecological loss driven by our unfolding climate crisis. It can be felt as profound sadness, helplessness, guilt, anxiety, rage, or numbness. An increasingly common condition, it’s becoming more widely recognized and accepted as a valid response to our changing world. This workshop will help us understand what climate grief is, why it’s important, and how it might become a positive force in our lives one that can motivate us towards greater joy, community, creativity, self-awareness, and social change.
The Circle is Expanding: The Gift of Climate Grief
(Please note, this is a two part workshop taking place on May 4 and May 7.)
Climate grief, also known as climate anxiety or eco-anxiety, is a psychological response to ecological loss driven by our unfolding climate crisis. It can be felt as profound sadness, helplessness, guilt, anxiety, rage, or numbness. An increasingly common condition, it’s becoming more widely recognized and accepted as a valid response to our changing world. This workshop will help us understand what climate grief is, why it’s important, and how it might become a positive force in our lives one that can motivate us towards greater joy, community, creativity, self-awareness, and social change.
Re-Beavering a Monument
Scientists, activists, and government officials are working to bring beavers back to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
Discussion: Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Speaking of Nature"
Join us on Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m., for a 90-minute discussion (via Zoom) of Robin Wall Kimmerer's essay, "Speaking of Nature." This piece invites readers to reflect on how we speak about our more-than-human relations and what this says about our connections with them. Coinciding with Oregon Humanities' Consider This conversation with Kimmerer, this discussion will allow participants to connect with each other over some of the themes of her work.
Second Growth
Lee van der Voo writes about how a new generation of activists is leveraging spectacle and strategy to protect Oregon forests.