My project is my Valentine

by Rebecca Harbage

Most people will spend Thursday night (Valentine’s Day) dining with loved ones or wallowing in a box of heart-shaped chocolate. I will spend it with my Community Planning Workshop (CPW) project. Why would I do such a thing? Let me tell you.

My team, most of whom had little background in natural resource management before CPW, has spent the last five weeks getting up to speed on state and federal water quality regulations and the time has finally come to present what we know to our stakeholder committee in Gold Hill, Oregon.

Our work in the community is part of a pilot project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Gold Hill is located in southern Oregon on the banks of the Rogue River. The Rogue is considered water quality impaired based on temperature and bacteria standards set by the EPA through the Clean Water Act. Jurisdictions large and small that discharge wastewater and runoff into the Rogue are therefore responsible for taking action to reduce their impact. Small cities like Gold Hill (pop. 1,220) often lack the resources both in staff time and funding to effectively address these water quality issues. This pilot project connects such cities with the knowledge and resources of the University of Oregon in order to provide technical assistance to the city in need while also giving students practical experience in the field of environmental planning.

The process of pulling the meeting together has been ongoing over the past couple weeks. The steering committee consists of five members appointed by the City Council. We have not met the committee, nor do we know what their interests are in regard to the project. However, the date has been set, the van reserved, and lunch scheduled. We are going to Gold Hill on Friday.

The main hurdle in planning the meeting is figuring out how to present a lot of very complicated material to a group with little background and limited time. A representative from the DEQ will be present to discuss Gold Hill’s specific responsibilities in relation to water quality management and answer any technical questions about the regulations. The CPW team is preparing a presentation that will break the elements of our work program into several components that directly link back to the city’s water quality responsibilities. We’re also planning to leave a chunk of time at the end of the meeting to listen to what the committee has to say about water quality, the Rogue River, or the community of Gold Hill in general.

Although a primary outcome of this first meeting is to make sure the CPW team, DEQ, and the committee are all on the same page about the project, we also want to remember that we’re meeting the committee members for the first time and need to build relationships before we can move the project forward. Ultimately, the project will be driven by the ideas and perspectives of the community of Gold Hill, as represented by the steering committee.

To get back to my remark about spending Valentine’s Day with my project, don’t worry, I will probably also enjoy a dinner with friends. However, the analogy stands because I care about this project and the first impression my team will make with the steering committee on Friday.

Check back soon for an update on how the meeting goes.

About  Rebecca Harbage

Over the last five years, Rebecca Harbage has been slowly working her way west. Originally from Maine, she received her undergraduate degree in history from Barnard College in New York, NY in 2007. Upon graduating, an AmeriCorps position took Rebecca to Helena, MT where she fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. Finding a home in Helena, she spent the next few years working in state government before deciding to return to school to pursue community and regional planning. At the University of Oregon, Rebecca focuses on planning for small towns and rural regions with a focus on environmental planning.

More about the Community Planning Workshop(CPW)