The latest

The Land Use Board of Appeals agreed with 1000 Friends and its coalition partners that Clackamas County correctly denied a permit request to host dozens of weddings in the middle of working farm and forest operations.

Monmouth’s elected officials are learning a painful lesson that it’s not a good idea to cut the public out of important land use decisions. Not only is it politically unpopular, but also it is unlikely to save any time or money.

1000 Friends of Oregon and Sightline Institute are partnering to support cities with an exciting new housing planning process known as the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis. And we need your input: Please fill out a brief survey by April 27.

Our 2026 spring campaign is built around a heartfelt question: What does a future where everyone in Oregon thrives actually look like? At 1000 Friends, we say that it looks like homes people can afford. It looks like farms that stay farms. It looks like young people who see themselves as stewards of this place, not just inheritors of its problems. And it looks like all of us—advocates, farmers, families, city planners, and neighbors—working in the same direction.

By focusing development within our urban growth boundaries (UGBs), we can protect the productive farmland and ecologically significant natural areas that make Oregon, Oregon. Compact, accessible cities and towns also help to reduce the types of pollution that impact everything from public health to climate change, while also supporting livability, character, and shared prosperity.

With your help, we defeated seven bills that would have opened up farm and forest lands for development, and supported many bills that seek to increase housing affordability and accessibility, eradicate pests that are harming Oregon nurseries, disconnect state tax code from duplicating federal tax cuts, and support development of industrial lands within UGBs.

LUBA ruled in favor of Friends of Marion County, overturning Marion County’s decision to convert 20 acres of high value farmland to residential use.

The late Governor Tom McCall was not only a trailblazer in conservation and land use and our co-founder. He was also a charismatic individual and a valued friend. Here are some of our members’ and staff’s favorite memories about, and quotes from, the man himself as we observe his upcoming birthday on March 22.

Conservation, livability, and agriculture groups celebrate reprieve for 30 farms and 1,700 acres of world-class soils near Hillsboro as the controversial SB 1586 is defeated.

In Astoria, nearly one in seven homes is vacant or seasonally occupied, yet full-time residents and workers struggle to find places to live. A new grassroots initiative led by Astoria Housing for All aims to change this.