MEET OUR RARE AMERICORPS MEMBER: Ethan Stuckmayer

Ethan Stuckmayer RARE AmeriCorps Resource Assistance for Rural EnvironmentsMeet Ethan Stuckmayer

Ethan received his Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies with a minor in Economics from the University of Minnesota. Ethan worked as the Community Development Coordinator for Beltrami Neighborhood Council, where he implemented projects and programs to get community members involved in bettering their neighborhood. Ethan hopes that the RARE AmeriCorps Program will allow him to obtain the knowledge, skills, and experience that he needs to build a solid foundation for achieving success. After his year with the RARE program, Ethan plans to obtain a Master’s degree related to the field of planning.

About Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments

The Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments (MWVCOG) is a voluntary association of over 40 local governments. Members include Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties, 31 cities, 7 special districts, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The MWVCOG’s purposes include pooling local resources to achieve efficiency and economy and to join together to address issues of common concern. Member services include economic and community development, transportation systems planning, SBA loans, GIS, mapping and census services and local government capacity-building services.

Placed with MWCOG, Ethan will work with the rural communities of Donald and Gervais in updating components of economic and housing needs components for  their comprehensive plans. Ethan will assist with a buildable land inventories for  residential and employment lands; assist with preparation of an economic opportunities analysis (EOA) and housing needs analysis, conduct community/public outreach and provide support to the city manager and COG planners, as needed. He will assist with drafting a comprehensive plan and development code update recommendations resulting from the data analysis and reports.Ethan will also serve as a contact on the project to city staff, the community, and to the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD).

It’s Not If. . . Its When! Will Oregon be Ready for the Megaquake?

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the Northwest coast could hit at any time along the Oregon Coast. How can we prepare for this impending and unpredictable disaster?

Three times in three years Jay Wilson has returned to Kadonowaki, Japan. Each time, the weeds are a little bit taller, the concrete foundations are a little more weathered.

On March 11, 2011, a tsunami scraped a vast swath of this town from the earth. Homes and businesses were reduced to rubble. A rebuilt paper mill is among the few structures resurrected here after the disaster.

As Wilson surveys the landscape, it’s hard to know whether he’s more rattled by this tsunami that has happened, or the tsunami that will happen — in Oregon.

Oregon faces the threat of an earthquake every bit as large as the one that struck Japan. Are there lessons we can learn from Japan’s experience? Can we prepare for something so destructive? [learn more]

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