OLCV e-bulletin: A green President, new wilderness legislation and new OLCV staff

Congratulations President Obama!

Barack Obama is the first President to mention global warming in an inaugural address.
Congratulations President Obama and thank you for recognizing the need for swift action on the urgent issue of global warming.

It is exciting to have a world leader that will take the necessary steps to combat global warming, invest in clean, renewable energy and create thousands of green jobs to repower America.

Read the President's agenda on energy and the environment.

US Senate charts greener course for 2009

OLCV would like to thank the US Senate for taking immediate action to protect our environmental legacy, passing sweeping wilderness legislation as one of their very first acts in 2009.

This responsible legislation will protect millions of acres of America's parks, rivers, streams and trails from development, including Mt. Hood Wilderness and some other places in Oregon.
Read more on how this legislation affects Oregonians.

Kulongoski applauded for his commitment to clean energy and green technology

Last week, Governor Kulongoski delivered a ceremonious State of the State address to a packed Oregon House chamber. He was met with cheers as he delivered a riveting speech, highlighting the sesquecentenial celebration of Oregon this year:
"There is a green revolution stirring in America, and Oregon is the beating heart of that revolution. But it won't be for long if we call a timeout on our move toward investing in renewable energy and green technology."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves. The activities that took place the remainder of the week, both in and around the capitol, mirrored this attitude and spurred such action. Read his full speech.

Congratulations to Oregon's newest State Senator, Martha Schrader

Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader was appointed by her colleagues on the Clackamas County Commission to replace her husband Kurt Schrader in the Oregon Senate.
Commissioners sited her experience and deep understanding of the issues at hand as reasons for her appointment.

OLCV looks forward to working with Schrader in her new position.

Read coverage on Schrader's appointment from The Oregonian.

Welcome Ben, Andy and Melissa to the OLCV team

Ben Gordon is the new field organizer in Deschutes County. Ben most recently ran our c3 and PAC canvasses in Bend from August through Election Day. In addition to organizing Deschutes County, Ben is also a ski school supervisor at Mt. Bachelor during the winter, and runs a landscaping business in the summer. In his past he has been a sustainable landscape consultant for ReSource and was the Guest Services Coordinator at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center. Email Ben at ben@olcv.org.
Andy Maggi is the new field organizer for Washington, Clackamas and Lane Counties. Andy comes to OLCV after managing the legislative races of Rep. Brad Witt, Rep. Tobias Read, and Linda Brown. Most recently Andy worked supporting the political work and transportation and infrastructure policy of Congressman Earl Blumenauer. When Andy is not working he is probably hiking, camping, listening to his record collection, or playing his guitar. You can email Andy at andy@olcv.org.

Melissa Chapman joined the Oregon Conservation Network as the new OCN Coordinator for the 2009 session. Melissa comes to us from the Bus Project, where she was the key political organizer for Building Votes, the voter registration program of the Bus Project. She oversaw their stellar 2008 voter registration program campaign, which registered 23,000 voters, 20,000 of whom where under the age of 30. You can email Melissa at melissa@olcv.org.

OLCV also wants to wish a fond farewell and good luck to two departing staff. Field Organizer Meredith Shield has moved on to become chief of staff to Representative Jules Kopel Bailey. Field Organizer Keith Quick has moved to Bend to organize health care workers for the Service Employees International Union. Good luck to Meredith and Keith.

OCN Day of Action - a great success!

Thanks for making OCN's Day of Action a success.

Last week, 140 people gathered across the street from the Capitol for a collaborative day of citizen trainings, speakers, breakout sessions, and briefings from experts on how to most effectively lobby our legislators.

After a public unveiling of the 2009 the Oregon Conservation Network's six environmental priorities, these 140 activists spent the remainder of the day becoming experts on the legislative process and the issues at hand.
Spirits were high as former Secretary of State Bill Bradbury reminded the crowd of the crucial role citizens play in the process by contacting their legislators. OCN thanks all who attended and urges them to visit our website to find calls to action and updates on further citizen trainings.

If you would like to talk to your legislators about any of OCN's six environmental priorities, email Melissa, our OCN coordinator.

Learn more about our priorities.

In addition to OCN's Day of Action, over 200 folks gathered on the steps of the Capitol for a clean energy/No LNG rally.

Representative Bailey speaks at the rally about the need for clean, renewable energy

Save the Date! for OLCV's 12th Annual Dinner for the Environment

Join hundreds of your fellow conservationists, civic leaders, and sustainable business representatives at OLCV's legendary Annual Dinner.

When: Friday, April 24, 2009; no-host cocktail at 5:30 pm, dinner & program at 7 pm

Where: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Portland

Keynote: Dan Kammen, Distinguished Professor of Energy at UC Berkeley, and Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center. Kammen is a contributing member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that shared the 2007 Nobel Prize. Kammen directs the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory at UC Berkeley and is host of the Science Channel series 'Ecopolis.'

Menu: Sustainable Northwest Menu (vegetarian and vegan options available) with great Oregon wines donated by some of Oregon's finest wineries

Ticket price: $125 per seat. 10 seats to a table; 5 to a half table. Purchase tickets now.

Event sponsorships are also available. Contact OLCV Development Director, Molly Kramer, for more information at 503-224-4011 or via email.

Are you on Facebook?

Join our OLCV Cause on Facebook and recruit your friends to join you.
This is a great way to learn about OLCV's upcoming events and opportunities, pass on information to your friends about OLCV and see who else is involved.
You can find us at http://www.causes.com/olcv

Learn about important legislation in 2009

Sign up for SalemWatch, the weekly update during the session for those who’re looking for more details about individual bills.

SalemWatch is your best source for news on significant environmental decisions being considered by the Legislature.
During the Session, SalemWatch is published weekly, with special action alerts on upcoming important votes you can influence with emails and letters.