By Sam Diaz
Earlier this month, 1000 Friends, along with Central Oregon LandWatch and other partners, welcomed 27 Oregonians to our flagship leadership program: the Land Use Leadership Initiative (LULI). This marks the first time we’re able to bring this program to Central Oregon. Since 2012, we’ve graduated over 200 Oregonians (“LULIs”) with knowledge and skills that help them engage in and manage land use planning processes to shape their communities.
No matter where the program is offered, we provide LULIs with the nuts-and-bolts of the statewide land use planning program through field trips, guest and staff speakers, and curated, up-to-date resources. We customize each LULI based on what we hear are pressing issues in the community, which makes each curriculum unique and responsive. The issues we heard the most about in Central Oregon included wildfire, drought, and housing. We’ll have at least one session dedicated to each issue by the time the cohort graduates.
We offer this leadership opportunity free of charge, in part, thanks to our generous sponsors: AARP Oregon and the Oregon Transportation Growth Management Program (a partnership between the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
But you can help too! This year, 1000 Friends has been selected for Central Oregon Gives, a fantastic effort to support a curated list of nonprofits doing great work in Central Oregon. Whether you live east or west of the Cascades, your donation directly helps LULI and our efforts throughout the region. And of course, it's tax-deductible.
Support our work in Central Oregon today
"All elected officials in Oregon should be required to take a course like this. I learned more in a few weeks than I did in four years as a Medford City Council member." -John Statler, LULI graduate
