Outreach Update
By Kasey Hovik
It was wonderful to see nearly 100 people at the Umpqua Watersheds 26th Annual Membership Banquet on Sunday, May 1st—our first in-person banquet in two years and our first outdoor banquet ever. It felt so good to talk to people that we’ve missed seeing over the pandemic. Widespread Haze provided great musical entertainment, and our committee chairs gave updates on the fantastic work they’ve been doing and about upcoming projects. Juliete Palenshus reprised her wonderful Tedx talk on “Creating a Culture of Well-being”.
It was so inspiring; you can see the original Tedx talk by going to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwq9qAQwdaU
Congratulations to our Award Winners; Lifetime Conservationist, Paul and Lory Utz, Conservationist of the Year, Cindy Haws, Lifetime Volunteer, Steve Cole, and our Volunteer of the Year, Kirsten Campbell. Thank you all for making a profound difference for our environment and community.
Thanks to everyone who attended the banquet and everyone who helped before, during, and after to make it a very successful event. We were able to raise over $8,000 after expenses! Many thanks to Two-Shy Brewing, Bandon Rain, Wild Rose Vineyard, Season Cellars, Omgrown Family Farm, and Girardet Wineries for donating beer and wine. Special thanks to everyone who donated to enable several of our local AmeriCorps to attend the banquet for free! You can view the banquet presentations by going to the banquet page on our website: https://umpquawatersheds.org/the-26th-umpqua-watersheds-annual-banquet-2022
We hoped to have another event, the Umpqua Brews Festival behind our building on June 4th, but because of circumstances beyond our control, we had to cancel it. We are already working on upcoming events including camping trips, hikes, 35th Annual River Appreciation Day on July 16th, and the 11th Umpqua Brew Fest on October 8th. Stay tuned for more information.
As mentioned in my Outreach presentation for the banquet, our Non-Commercial Radio license has been approved by the FCC, which will dramatically expand the reach of our radio station, KQUA, this summer. Thanks to a $20,000 grant we received from the Collins Foundation and a $6,000 donation from Medicine Flower, we will be putting an antenna on Scott Mountain and increasing our signal which will enable us to reach radios from Yoncalla to Canyonville. We will continue to broadcast online at KQUA.org and with the KQUA app available from the Google Play Store.
As you can see from this newsletter, we have LOTS of things happening. Be sure to check our Facebook page and our website and tune in to KQUA for regular updates. Thanks for your support. Gratefully, Kasey, UW Board of Directors, and staff.
