The Community Advisory Task Force (CATF) met from July through November to help develop climate action strategies to meet the county goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

Later this spring, after extensive outreach to the community to share information about the proposed strategies and gather feedback, the task force will refine the action plan and then provide recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.

Watch videos of past meetings:

Learn more about the project and find meeting materials at www.clackamas.us/sustainability/climateaction.

Cassie Wilson, age 23 from Boring, provided an overview of the Youth Advisory Task Force activities to the members of the Community Advisory Task Force on Oct. 21, including noting how the group came to focus its discussion on transportation.

Reducing transportation emissions was the main focus of the group with suggestions to improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists, and to improve transit services for youth to more easily and safely travel throughout the county. The group supported active transportation modes (walking, bike riding, etc.) the most because they help maintain healthy communities through exercise, access to nature and overall wellbeing.

The Environmental Learning Center at Clackamas Community College is offering a free workshop series for people interested in home gardening for wildlife and water quality with a focus on adapting to our changing climate. Learn how to garden with less water, choose temperature resilient trees and shrubs, and more from professional landscapers and water quality experts on Fridays from 12-12:45 p.m., Jan. 21-March 4, 2022.

Program schedule

Classes are sponsored by Clackamas Water Environment Services. Community partners include North Clackamas Watersheds Council, Oak Lodge Water Services, Oregon City Public Works and Clackamas River Water Providers.

Earlier this fall, Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer, whose district covers almost half of Clackamas County, recently released a report From Ruin to Resilience: Protecting Communities and Preventing Disasters that explains how disasters are defined under the law, how they relate to climate change, the resources we have to address disasters, policy ideas to improve our approach, and what ongoing disasters are doing to our communities—especially our most vulnerable communities whose experience is compounded by existing racial and social inequalities.

"My goal is to convey both the urgent and dire nature of this moment while providing a sense of hope that we have the tools to change course and better protect our communities."

We want to welcome people, organizations and businesses from throughout Clackamas County to help achieve the countywide goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. This newsletter is one way to share opportunities for community members to be engaged. If you know of folks - students, neighbors, colleagues, supervisors, electeds - who would be interested in learning about and perhaps contributing to this plan, please share this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.

We also want to know what kind of information you would like in this newsletter and on the project webpage. Send suggestions to climate@clackamas.us.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

Sign up to receive future e-newsletters and opportunities to engage in the climate action plan development process!