[ODF_Private_Forests] ODF and Oregon's 150th Anniversary

[WEEKS Kevin]

ODF Private Forests News members:

State Forester Marvin Brown issued this message today about how ODF is involved with activities to mark Oregon's 150th anniversary of statehood this year -- including activities on Statehood Day, February 14th.

Questions about the Private Forests News service? Contact:

Kevin Weeks
Public Information Officer -- Private Forests Division /
Oregon Department of Forestry
kweeks at odf.state.or.us<mailto:kweeks at odf.state.or.us>
(503) 945-7427

________________________________
Fellow ODF Employees,


This year marks the 150th anniversary of Oregon's statehood - our "sesquicentennial" in official terms. A statewide steering committee of public and private partners has been working to commemorate the occasion, and Governor Kulongoski has called on state agencies to join in the activities.

In addition, we at ODF will soon reach our own significant milestone. In 2011, the agency will be 100 years old.  We certainly plan to recognize this important achievement in many ways, and at that time will be celebrating our own agency and its history in Oregon.

ODF's Oregon 150 activities are focused more generally on celebrating Oregon's forests - their role in making "Oregon Oregon," and the opportunities and challenges they present for our future.

Both of these occasions are important. We'll celebrate them in ways that reflect the current economic realities - with an emphasis on volunteerism and teaming up with other organizations.

Jeri Chase is our agency's Oregon 150 Coordinator, and a small group that includes representation from the Oregon Forestry Retirees Association has been working to plan and develop agency events and activities.

Here are some highlights of our Oregon 150 plans:

-- In the Great Oregon Tree Plant, we're coordinating 150 tree planting ceremonies in urban, suburban and rural settings between February 14 (Oregon's official birthday), and Arbor Week, in late April. The first planting will happen during celebrations on the state Capitol grounds, and the Board of Forestry will conduct the final one during their April meeting in Grants Pass.

-- Also as part of the celebrations at the Capitol on the 14th, we'll be providing activities for kids and information about forests.

-- One issue of our Forests for Oregon quarterly magazine will focus on the sesquicentennial theme.

--  The Oregon Forest History Roundtable, scheduled for May 15 at the Tillamook Forest Center, will bring together history experts for a series of presentations on the role of forests in Oregon's history.

-- Oregon's 150th birthday will be the theme at the 2009 State Fair, which will mark the statewide culmination of the celebration. ODF's State Fair presence will be devoted primarily to the sesquicentennial.

-- Volunteers are putting together other exhibits and displays for use at the Capitol, the Tillamook Forest Center, and the Forest History Center on the Salem campus. These will also be available for use in ODF offices around the state on a traveling basis - at district office "open houses," for example, if folks choose to organize one.

There are many other ways you and your family can celebrate Oregon's 150th birthday. These include participating in Take Care of Oregon community activities organized by various groups, or posting your personal stories on the Web. You'll find more information about these and other opportunities at www.oregon150.org<http://www.oregon150.org/>.

If you have any questions about the agency's participation in Oregon 150, please feel free to contact any of the ODF Oregon 150 Steering Committee members - Jeri Chase, Doug Decker, Jim Fisher, Alan Maul, Dan Postrel, Clark Seely, or Dan Thorpe.

Thanks
Marvin Brown



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