Outreach Update- Winter 2023
By Kasey Hovik
2023 has been a great year for Outreach at Umpqua Watersheds. It is the first year since 2019 that we were able to return to “normal” pre-pandemic activities and move forward with some special projects which we hope will expand our ability to connect with our membership and community.
Our Outreach Program is critical to the success of Umpqua Watersheds. Key elements of our program include:
Education: The outreach program educates the public about the importance of protecting and restoring the natural environment.
Collaboration: The outreach program brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, including volunteers, partners, and community members, to work towards common goals.
Engagement: The outreach program inspires action among community members to take steps to protect our natural resources.
Fundraising: By reaching out to community members and businesses, the outreach program can secure donations, sponsorships, and grants to support the organization’s work.
Events this year included the Annual Snowshoe Hike, Annual Membership Banquet, River Appreciation Day, the 12th Annual Umpqua Brew Fest, the Mushroom Identification Hike and Talk, and an Outback Fundraising Concert featuring renowned folk singer, Jonathan Foster.
We have mentioned most of these events in previous newsletters this year, so I want to highlight our collaboration with the second annual Roseburg Blocktober Fest. Since 2010, we held the Umpqua Brew Fest (UBF) at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. The UBF was always a fun and successful event at the fairgrounds, but it was also quite expensive and a lot of work getting all our UBF things moved from our building downtown to the fairgrounds and back.
Setup and takedown this year were so much easier. We enjoyed working with Neighbor Works Umpqua and all the folks associated with Blocktober Fest. We estimated that over 8,000 people came downtown on October 7th, and everyone had a marvelous time. It was the first major community event we held on the new Outback Stage and it was a great “proof of concept” event for future events, including UBF XIII next October.
Our major Outreach Projects fall under what we call “Main Street Initiatives”. Three major projects fall under this umbrella. They are KQUA Community Radio, The Umpqua Outback Project which is creating a community space for events behind our building, and Operation Access, in which we share our resources (radio, Umpqua Outback Stage and Pavilion and our building} with community partners. We will also continue and expand our regular special events and add new ones.
All the projects are designed to increase our footprint within the community, expand our outreach to our membership and community, and share resources with our nonprofit partners, and maximize our resources while minimizing costs.
One of the things that we love the most about our events is the opportunity to reconnect with our members. We are uplifted by the support, encouragement, and feedback we get from these events. At our Annual Strategic Planning meeting we decided to have a monthly “open house” where people can get together, talk about issues and ideas, and just spend some quality time together. Our first monthly “Green Gathering” will be on Thursday, December 14th from 3-5 pm at our office downtown. Please consider joining us to celebrate the holiday season. Going forward, these events will be at the Old Soul Pizza annex in our building on the last Wednesday of the month from 4-6 pm.
2024 will be an exciting year for the Umpqua Watersheds Outreach Program. Please stay tuned as we move into the new year for more exciting announcements!
- Tabling at Events
- River Cleanup Days
- River Appreciation Day
- Twin Lakes Youth Wilderness Campout
- Environmental Film Festival
- Umpqua Brew Fest 11
- Annual Membership Banquet
- River Cleanup Days
- River Appreciation Day
- Twin Lakes Youth Wilderness Campout
- Environmental Film Festival
- Umpqua Brew Fest 11
- Annual Membership Banquet
