[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2014-05-01

Thu May 1 08:51:34 PDT 2014

In this Issue
1. Do one thing to prepare for disasters in May
2. Portland Japanese Garden receives Oregon Heritage Tourism Award
3. Peter Sears named Oregon Poet Laureate

DO ONE THING TO PREPARE FOR DISASTERS IN MAY

Join museums around the country in setting aside time in the month of May to do at least one thing to improve your museum's disaster preparedness. MayDay is a national effort promoted by the American Alliance of Museums and other members of the Heritage Emergency National Task Force to encourage disaster planning in cultural organizations of all types.

Here are a few ideas:
     * A Disaster Preparedness/Emergency Response Plan is one of the five documents included in the Alliance’s Core Documents Verification<http://aam-us.org/resources/assessment-programs/core-documents> program. Review your plan and see if it has all the required elements.
     * Get to know your local firefighters and police. Invite them to tour your institution and ask them for pointers on safety and preparedness. Heritage Preservation offers a poster<https://www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/product.asp?intProdID=39> and a podcast<http://www.heritagepreservation.org/AfR/ForumPlanningToolKit/Listen.html> with tips for working with emergency responders.
     * Join forces with nearby institutions and agree to assist each other in a disaster.
     * Contact the Heritage MentorCorps<mailto:heritage.mentorcorps at state.or.us> for guidance in creating a pocket response guide or developing your full-fledged plan.
     * Read more about the pieces of a disaster plan in Developing a Disaster Preparedness/Emergency Response Plan<http://aam-us.org/docs/continuum/developing-a-disaster-plan-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2>, an Alliance Reference Guide.
     * Visit Oregon Heritage’s Emergency Planning and Recovery website<http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OHC/pages/disaster_list.aspx>, which provides several resources including the Oregon Guide to Emergency Preparedness Resources<http://www.bacc.org/pdfs/OREmergencyGuide_0411.pdf>.

PORTLAND JAPANESE GARDEN RECEIVES OREGON HERITAGE TOURISM AWARD

Stephen Bloom, CEO of the Portland Japanese Garden, recently received the Oregon Heritage Tourism Award in recognition of the Garden’s outstanding incorporation of Oregon’s authentic cultural or natural history as a way to draw visitors to the state. With a 50-plus-year history and strategic planning for an expansion that will benefit future generations, the world-class attraction provides cultural, creative and educational opportunities for more than 3.5 million visitors.

The Oregon Tourism Commission presented recipients with 2013 Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Awards at the 2014 Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Sunriver. The annual awards recognize people and organizations across the state that go the extra mile to enhance the travel and tourism industry in Oregon. Nominated by their peers, the award recipients are outstanding examples of professionals who, by virtue of their vision, perseverance and dedication, are a credit to Oregon’s tourism and hospitality industry. To read more about the Tourism Award and recipients, visit the Travel Oregon website<http://industry.traveloregon.com/oregon-governors-conference-on-tourism/awards/>.

Peter Sears named Oregon Poet Laureate

Governor John Kitzhaber has named Peter Sears of Corvallis to a two-year appointment as poet laureate of Oregon. Sears will be Oregon’s seventh poet laureate since 1921. He succeeds Paulann Petersen, who has held the post since 2010.

A 20-person committee of writers, poets and cultural leaders reviewed nominations for the position in March and made its recommendation to the Governor in April. The committee was assembled by the Oregon Cultural Trust and its statewide partners—Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Humanities and the State Historic Preservation Office.

"The selection committee was moved not only by the quality of Peter's poetry, but also by his record of working with communities across Oregon and supporting writers at every stage of their engagement with words,” says Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities. “I think Peter's selection--and the commitment and reach of the people who reviewed the many strong nominations--attest to Oregon's exceptionally vital and hopeful literary landscape."

The Oregon Poet Laureate fosters the art of poetry, encourages literacy and learning, addresses central issues relating to humanities and heritage, and reflects on public life in Oregon. Sears will provide at least six and up to 20 public readings per year in settings across the state to educate community, business and state leaders about the value and importance of poetry and creative expression.

“I would like to broaden the range of the Poet Laureate’s role to include the voices of diverse communities,” says Sears. “I call this ‘Expanding Voices’.”

Past Oregon Poets Laureate include Edwin Charles Markham (1921–1940), Ben Hur Lampman (1951–1954), Ethel Romig Fuller (1957–1965), William Stafford (1974–1989) and Lawson Inada (2006–2010).  A public ceremony thanking Petersen and welcoming Sears will take place later this year. To read more about Sears, visit the Oregon Cultural Trust<http://www.culturaltrust.org/news/peter-sears-named-oregon-poet-laureate> website.

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Oregon Heritage, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, provides technical support and services to people and organizations documenting, preserving, interpreting and sharing Oregon's heritage. Keep up with the latest heritage issues and trends at Oregon Heritage Exchange<http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/> and follow us on Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/OregonHeritage>.

Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission. Do you have an issue or item you would like to share? Email us<mailto:heritage.info at oregon.gov>.

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