Think Out Loud

Summer is here, and people are kicking it off by getting out into nature. But those in communities of color can often feel excluded from natural spaces and from participating in activities like hiking and camping. People of Color Outdoors (POCO) is a local nonprofit that works to build community in the Portland area through outdoor excursions. It’s recently received multiple grants to continue this work and is kicking off birding programs with the Bird Alliance of Oregon. POCO is also featured in a film that’s part of an exhibit at the Tillamook Forest Center and an upcoming Oregon Field Guide piece. Pamela Slaughter is the executive director and founder of POCO. She joins us to talk more about the organization’s mission and recent initiatives.

Washington is just one of many states that makes an assault on a health care worker a felony offense, but recent reporting from the Marshall Project and the Seattle Times found that this law is disproportionately affecting those in a mental crisis. From 2018 to 2022, there were 151 cases of felony assault on a health care worker in King County. A little more than three-quarters of those cases involved someone experiencing symptoms of a mental illness. Oregon has tried to pass a similar law, but these attempts have failed. Christie Thompson is a staff writer for the Marshall Project. She joins us to share more.

Although the City of Portland passed a fireworks ban in March of 2022, Portland Fire & Rescue is preparing for a potential increase in fires started by personal fireworks this Fourth of July. Reporting by Willamette Week found that although the number of fires caused by fireworks dipped during the year the ban was enacted, the number of fireworks-related fires increased by 33% in 2023 compared with 2022. The fire department continues to urge people to obey the ban and celebrate the holiday in alternative ways. Rick Graves, a firefighter and spokesperson for Portland Fire & Rescue joins us to share more about the risks of using personal fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Fire departments across Oregon are facing staffing shortages as veteran firefighters retire and volunteer numbers drop. But the Oregon Fire Apprenticeship program has been helping departments bring in more candidates with diverse backgrounds. The apprenticeship pays a minimum salary of $3,800 a month and covers the cost of the five community college classes required for training. The program has been running in Eugene-Springfield and Clackamas, Jackson and Klamath counties. With a new round of state funding, it recently expanded to Corvallis, Coos Bay and Umatilla County. Karl Koenig is president of the Oregon State Fire Fighters Council. Ari Bakoss is a former apprentice and current firefighter and EMT at Clackamas Fire. They both join us to talk about the program and the difference it’s making for aspiring firefighters.

Outdoor recreation generates around $7.5 billion in Oregon, according to the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. Some of our most popular industries include boating, tent camping, hiking and climbing. But while the industry generates more than 70,000 jobs in the state, some of these workers face dangers that go beyond just natural elements.  As reported in the New York Times, women are reporting more abuse and sexual harassment in climbing. In 2018, a survey of over 5,000 climbers found that 47% of women and 16% of men faced unwanted sexual behavior while climbing. Respect Outside was founded in 2019 by Gina McClard and Jim Miller in Bend. Together they help provide trainigs, policies and procedures to help prevent sexual harassment and discrimination in outdoor spaces. They join us to share more. 

The latest data made available by the USDA Census of Agriculture show that the value of Oregon farmland has increased by 23% over a five-year period, compared with just 7% nationally. Dan Bigelow is an assistant professor in the department of Applied Economics at Oregon State University. He’s been analyzing this census data to create a fuller picture of Oregon farmland, including who agricultural producers are, the size and sales of the farms and their estimated land values. He joins us to share his interpretation of what these numbers mean for the overall availability of farmland for agricultural use in the future.

Renée Watson has topped bestseller lists and won multiple awards for her children’s and young adult literature. But the author, who splits her time between Portland and New York City, recently released “skin & bones,” her first book for adults. The story follows 40-year-old Lena Baker as she navigates dating, fat-shaming, friendship and motherhood while also working to bring Oregon’s Black history to the general public. The book also deals with grief, faith and the things we pass from one generation to the next. Watson joins us in the studio to talk more about her adult fiction debut.

King City, Oregon began as a community for older adults in the 1960s. While the area was once an age-restricted community, the demographics of the region are starting to change. As King City expands, leaders have to navigate managing growth amid pushback from some residents. We check in on what’s next for the region with city manager Mike Weston.    

Oregon’s urban and community forestry program has grown significantly over the last few years thanks to an influx of state and federal funding. The program’s staff has more than tripled, and it recently received nearly $27 million in federal funding through the Inflation Reduction Act. $10 million of that is earmarked for grants to Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, and $12.5 million will go to communities and organizations across the state to help with tree planting and maintenance. Scott Altenhoff is the urban and community forestry assistance program manager for the Oregon Department of Forestry. He joins us to talk about what those opportunities could mean for the state’s urban forests. 

The city of Portland’s Safe Rest Village in the Southwest Multnomah Village neighborhood is one of two city run shelters that’s set to significantly expand capacity. The Multnomah Safe Rest Village, which opened in June 2022, will go from 28 units to 100. Volunteer groups like Southwest Outreach and Clean Camp PDX have been working for years to support the people they call their houseless neighbors. One of the key pieces of successfully integrating such a shelter into a neighborhood of concerned and housed residents is what’s known as a Good Neighbor Agreement. The Multnomah Village agreement has been years in the making and was just finalized Thursday. We hear from Sandy Stienecker with Southwest Outreach, Will Denecke with Clean Camps PDX and Laudie Porter, the community engagement coordinator on the city’s Shelter Services Team.