HRVRC Annual Meeting August 7

JOIN US FOR OUR 39TH ANNUAL MEETING – WE’RE COMING TO TOWN!

Sunday, August 7, 2016, 3:00 – 6:00
Columbia Center for the Arts

Agenda:

3:00 – 3:30 Informal Social
3:30 – 4:30 Meeting and Speakers
4:30 – 6:00 Potluck

HRVRC will provide sandwiches, wine, beer and soft drinks. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share.

Fighting the Good Fight for the Long Haul

As HRVRC enters its 39th year, we wanted to reflect on what it takes to be successful advocacy group, and investigate the combination of courage and persistence that makes the best groups relevant and effective over decades not just years.

Buck Parker, former President and Executive Director of EarthJustice. Buck is a Hood River native (Hood River High School Class of ’63) who left our county and did good. He has a resume of environmental accomplishments as long as your arm. In his 30+ years with EarthJustice, he worked nationally and internationally on natural resource protection, wildlife, human health, and combatting global warming. Buck is one of the most modestly impressive people we know. We are delighted that he and his wife Fran Finney have moved back to Hood River County and delighted that he will be speaking at our annual meeting.

Ralph Bloemers, Co-Director, Crag Law Center. “How Mt. Hood Converted Enemies into Allies in the Fight to Keep Cooper Spur Wild & Free” Ralph has been at the helm of our longest running project–the Mt. Hood Land trade and you couldn’t ask for better guy to have in your corner. Ralph grew up on a cheese farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. After high school he left for Colorado’s Rocky Mountains to study Political Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He attended law school at Willamette University then completed an externship at 1000 Friends of Oregon and a fellowship at the Nature Conservancy where he learned about environmental, land use and natural resources work. In 2001, Ralph founded the Crag Law Center with Chris Winter to provide affordable legal assistance to groups promoting conservation issues. Ralph has developed a specialty in public lands and natural resources law and has worked with dozens of clients throughout the Pacific Northwest since Crag’s founding. HRVRC was one of Crag’s first clients and we have been relying on his formidable legal chops ever since.

The Challenges Ahead: Q & A with John Roberts, Hood River County Community Development Director and Steve Wheeler, City Manager, City of Hood River. Hood River is at a pivotal time and we need wise planning now more than ever as we seek to deal with issues like affordable housing, climate change and equity. County and city officials will share what they consider to be the crucial, tough choices facing our community in the years ahead.

Drawing for our amazing Electric Bike Raffle! Will you be a lucky winner? Only, if you buy a ticket.

We hope you can join us!