Final Update from OWC Scholarship Recipient

To the OWC Board of Directors and OWC membership: 

I graduated from law school on Saturday, May 15. While my first day of law school took place in a crowded room in Eugene, my graduation day ceremony took place in notably less crowded space—my parents’ living room in Pendleton with a virtual ceremony streaming on my computer. While I didn’t expect to arrive at the end of law school under these circumstances, I do recognize that I arrived at this place thanks to the support of many, including the Oregon Water Coalition. The goal of this letter is to communicate my sincere thanks, highlight some of my achievements over the past three years, and encourage OWC to continue the scholarship program that has had a hugely beneficial impact for me. 

During law school, I took my dedication to water law and to eastern Oregon seriously. Here a few examples of the ways I was able to incorporate these focuses into the standard required legal curriculum:  

• I was a two-year fellow on the Oceans, Coasts and Watersheds Project. As part of this project, I worked on a variety of water law-related research projects. I also organized panels for the annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference to incorporate more diverse perspectives, including the agriculture perspective, in the conference discussions. 

•  I worked as a legal fellow in former Representative Greg Walden’s office. My main project for Rep. Walden’s office was to prepare a report of the tribal settlement negotiations in the Umatilla Basin. 

• I wrote my graduation paper on the Division 33 rules. The paper focused on impacts of the rules and the frustrations for prospective water users. 

•  I was a Public Law and Policy Fellow during my final year of law school. As part of this fellowship, I wrote a policy paper that focused on the importance of a statutory fix to enable transfers of stored water in Oregon.

•  I co-authored an article, published in The Water Report, that addressed the potential impacts of the Baley case to the prior appropriation doctrine. 

With my graduation diploma in hand, I have begun to tackle my next challenge: studying for the bar exam. The bar will be held on July 27 and 28, and I will spend the coming months studying for it full time. Once I take the bar, I will be moving to Bend to start work as an attorney. 

 In some of my past letters to the OWC Board, I have tried to emphasize the important role OWC’s support has played in my academic career. I want to echo that sentiment again here. As I transition out of OWC’s scholarship program, I hope the Board and membership will find another student to support. I plan to remain active on the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition board of directors, and I remain committed to maintaining the connections I made through my work with the Oregon Water Coalition. 

These two words really can’t be big enough to signify how grateful I am for OWC’s support, but they’re the best I’ve got: thank you. I invite and encourage the board and the membership to reach out to me with any questions. 

-Marika Sitz

2020 President's Letter and OWC Scholarship Recipient Update

Letter from OWC President Ray Kopacz

December 15, 2020

Oregon Water Coalition Members,

The Oregon Water Coalition (OWC) was founded over 25 years ago with the mission of promoting “the responsible development, conservation, and utilization of water in northeastern Oregon”. This mission drove OWC to be an active force in facilitating the spread of information, most notably through annual meetings that bring local water users together to learn from experts in the field.  

Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic and the restrictions set by the Governor we had to make the tough decision to postpone our annual meeting in January.  When the pandemic improves and we can safely hold a meeting later in the year we will do so.  The OWC Board of Directors will still hold a “business only” annual meeting (virtually) to approve the 2021 budget and elect officers for the year.

 In order to sustain funding, OWC once again is asking for your continued support and that you will consider renewing your membership.  OWC seeks to preserve the legacy of its educational outreach in water and agriculture.

 We would also like to ask, if you can, to consider donating a little extra for our scholarship fund.  Every little bit helps, and your donation would be greatly appreciated. The goal of the scholarship fund is to incentivize the next generation of lawyers, policy makers, and researchers to live and work in Eastern Oregon. 

 Your membership dues will continue to be used for operations and as seed money to fund a scholarship for young professionals like our current scholarship recipient, Marika Sitz, who is entering her last year of Law School focusing on Oregon Water Law.

We are currently looking for the next recipient of our scholarship award.  If anyone knows of an individual who is considering a degree in fields such as Law and/or Engineering relating to Water, Environmental and Natural Resources, or a related field, please let us know.  We are accepting applicants and are encouraging recommendations of candidates by OWC members. 

OWC has taken several steps to ensure the spirit of the organization can thrive. We remain committed to providing educational opportunities about water issues.  We want to say thank you and we appreciate your renewed membership and continued support.  We couldn’t do what we do without the support from our members.

Enclosed is a letter from Marika, former OWC coordinator, and our first scholarship recipient.  She is updating us about her time in law school as she begins her final semester.  She will also provide an update of different projects and activities she has worked on throughout the year and her time in law school.

Sincerely,

Ray Kopacz, Chair

Oregon Water Coalition

Update letter from OWC Scholarship Recipient, Marika Sitz:

To the Oregon Water Coalition Board of Directors & Members: 

By the time this letter reaches you, I will have wrapped up my fall semester of law school and will have only one semester left to go. My last year of law school is certainly not what I anticipated. In this year of tremendous unpredictability, I am incredibly grateful for the financial support of the Oregon Water Coalition for my legal education. In this letter, I will highlight some of my projects and activities from the past year. I will also discuss what I expect my last semester of law school to look like as I prepare to graduate, take the bar, and enter the ‘real world.’

This past summer, I worked as a law clerk at Jordan Ramis PC, primarily in the water law practice group. In this capacity, I was able to interact with a few people from northeastern Oregon, and I particularly enjoyed those opportunities. Overall, my summer clerkship proved to be a fantastic learning experience. As many of you know, learning outside of a classroom is incredibly important. I appreciated the opportunity to do just at Jordan Ramis.

I started my third and final year of law school in August. While all my classes for the past four months have been remote, it has still been a full semester. I took a variety of classes, including Environmental Law, Energy Law, Oregon Practice and Procedure, Criminal Investigation, Legal Professionalism, and Constitutional Law. I also continued to work on a part-time basis for Jordan Ramis, assisting with various projects in the water law practice group. Finally, I began a research project focusing on transfers of stored water in Oregon as part of my Public Law and Policy fellowship. 

As I have shared in previous updates, I was a fellow on the Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project at the Environmental and Natural Resources Center for my first two years of law school. As a fellow, I researched a variety of water-related topics. My main focus last year was to explore the Colorado Water Code and the ways in which that code has been implemented. Colorado manages its water allocations very precisely and intensely, so it was interesting to compare their system to Oregon’s own management scheme. After two years in this fellowship role, I decided that I wanted a change, and I was excited to be selected as a Public Law and Policy Fellow for my final year of law school. 

Aside from my fellowship research paper, I completed another water law-focused paper to fulfill my graduation writing requirement. My paper focused on the history and current application of the Division 33 rules. I did a majority of my research and writing through an intensive water law-focused writing colloquium during my spring semester. The paper outlines the rule history and provides a critique about the ways in which OWRD currently deploys the rule. My experiences in the Umatilla Basin certainly informed my interest and perspective on this topic, and I was happy that I could bring that background into the research and writing process. 

Next semester, I will finish up my Public Law and Policy fellowship and the associated research paper. I have a limited number of credits that I need to complete in order to graduate, and I plan to earn those credits through an externship with Jordan Ramis. I will also use the spring semester as a chance to start studying for the bar and the MPRE, a professional ethics exam required for all attorneys. 

The support I have received from OWC has helped me make all the above-listed projects, accomplishments, and undertakings a reality, and I really cannot begin to describe how thankful I am for the continued support. I also want to emphasize the importance of OWC’s program for future students, in all different fields. I am grateful to have been the “guinea pig” for the scholarship program, but I sincerely hope that this program will not end with me. I would love to see another future lawyer, policymaker, or scientist benefit from the OWC funding to further their education and give back, in some way, to their Eastern Oregon community. I am happy to talk about what this program has meant for me with any OWC member or potential scholarship applicant. 

I encourage any OWC member with questions about my experiences or my future plans to reach out to me directly. 

Sincerely,

Marika 

Updates from the OWC Scholarship Recipient

Marika Sitz served as the coordinator of OWC from 2017-2018. She is a rising third-year law student at the University of Oregon School of Law.

To the Oregon Water Coalition Board & Membership: 

 I will be starting my third and final year of law school in a few short weeks. I am now less than a year away from graduating. Law school, like almost every other aspect of our normal daily lives, was made notably harder by the pandemic. This upcoming semester, all my classes will be held online. In light of these challenging circumstances, I am incredibly appreciative of OWC’s continuing support. The intent of this letter is to provide updates about my last semester and about my upcoming year.

For the past twelve weeks, I have been working as a law clerk at Jordan Ramis P.C., primarily in the water law practice group. In this capacity, I have interacted with a few people from the Northeast Oregon region, and I have particularly enjoyed those opportunities. Overall, my time at Jordan Ramis has been a fantastic learning experience. As many of you know, learning outside of a classroom is incredibly important so I always appreciate that chance to do that. I will continue to work as a clerk through fall semester, albeit on a part-time basis. 

In the academic sphere, I was lucky enough to be accepted for a new fellowship this year. As I have shared in previous updates, I was a fellow on the Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project at the Environmental and Natural Resources Center for the past two years. As a fellow, I researched a variety of water-related topics. My main focus last year was to explore the Colorado Water Code and the ways in which that code has been implemented. Colorado manages its water allocations very precisely and intensely, so it was interesting to compare their system to Oregon’s own management scheme. After two years in this fellowship role, I decided that I wanted a change in my final year, and I was selected as a Public Law and Policy Fellow. Through this new fellowship, I have the freedom to choose my own research topic. I plan to spend the next few months writing a policy brief on an Oregon water law/policy issue (still TBD, ideas are welcome!). 

On the subject of Oregon water policy issues, last week I received final approval of my legal writing requirement paper, which focused on the Division 33 rules. The writing requirement is a key graduation requirement, and I did a majority of my research and writing through an intensive water law-focused writing colloquium last semester. The paper outlines the rule history and provides a critique about the ways in which OWRD currently deploys the rule. My experiences in the Umatilla Basin certainly informed my interest and perspective on this topic. 

 In my final academic update, I am working hard to finish all my required classes as early as I can. This fall, I will be taking an overloaded semester (17 credits) in order to complete all my required coursework by the end of this semester. This will allow me to participate in a full-time externship during spring 2021, my last semester of law school. 

The support I have received from OWC has helped me make all the above-listed projects, accomplishments, undertakings a reality, and I really cannot begin to describe how thankful I am for the continued support. I also want to emphasize the importance of this program for future students, in all different fields. I am grateful to have been the “guinea pig,” but I sincerely hope that this scholarship program will not end with me. I would love to see another future lawyer, policymaker, or scientist benefit from the OWC funding to further their education and give back, in some way, to their Eastern Oregon community. I am happy to talk about what this program has meant for me with any OWC member or potential scholarship applicant. 

 I encourage any OWC member with questions about my experiences or my future plans to reach out to me directly. 

Sincerely,

Marika 

 marikasitz1 [at] gmail [dot] com

Oregon's 100 Year Water Vision

Oregon’s 100 Year Water Vision Assessment is now available! This document summarizes input from stakeholders on the Governor’s 100-Year-Water Vision. You can read the assessment here.

OWC President's Annual Letter

December 13, 2019

 Oregon Water Coalition Members,

The Oregon Water Coalition (OWC) was founded over 25 years ago with the mission of promoting “the responsible development, conservation, and utilization of water in northeastern Oregon”. This mission drove OWC to be an active force in facilitating the spread of information, most notably through annual meetings that bring local water users together to learn from experts in the field.  

For the past few years, there have been many conversations about the specific purpose of OWC and how it can remain relevant 25 years after its founding.  Today, with a renewed mission and higher level of activity, OWC remains dependent upon grants and other donations.  OWC recognizes that many of its members and supporters contribute to other organizations.  OWC does not want to compete with other worthy organizations, however, OWC seeks to preserve the legacy of its educational and outreach in water and agriculture.

In order to sustain funding, OWC once again is asking for your continued support and that you will consider renewing your membership.  As well as, if you have the ability, that you would consider donating a little extra for our scholarship fund.  

Those funds will continue to be used for operations and also as seed money to fund a scholarship for young professionals like Marika who enter graduate programs that will train them to represent water interests of our region.  The goal of the scholarship fund is to incentivize the next generation of lawyers, policy makers, and researchers to live and work in Eastern Oregon.

We would like to start looking for the next recipient of our scholarship.  If anyone knows of a young person who is considering a degree in fields such as Law and/or Engineering relating to Water Environment and Natural Resources, please let us know.  We would love to hear about this student.

OWC has taken several steps to ensure the spirit of the organization can thrive. We remain committed to providing educational opportunities about water issues.   We want to say thank you and we appreciate your renewed membership and your continued support.  We couldn’t do what we do without the support from our members.

Below you will find a letter from Marika.  She was our former coordinator, and our first scholarship recipient.  She is updating us about her first year of law school and a fellowship that she was chosen for last summer.

Sincerely,

Ray Kopacz, President

---

Update from Marika Sitz, former OWC coordinator and current law student.

December 13, 2019 

To the Oregon Water Coalition Board: 

I am writing to provide you with an update about my first year of law school and the subsequent summer. The scholarship and support from OWC have helped to make many of the following accomplishments possible.  

I wrapped up my first year of law school in May. Although I felt a bit frustrated during my first semester (it was harder than I thought to get back into the academic world), I hit my stride during the second. Currently, I am in the top half of the class, and I think I will be able to continue to rise in the ranks as I start taking more classes that are up my alley, like water law. A highlight of the first year of law school is the “oral argument”, where each student writes a fifteen-page brief and then argues for 10 minutes in front of a panel of three judges. I received the highest grade on my oral argument and was among the top scorers for my written brief.

While academics are certainly important, I’d also like to highlight some non-academic accomplishments. This February, the University of Oregon law school hosted its annual Public Interest Environmental Law Forum (PIELC). PIELC brings together hundreds of individuals from the environmental community. This year’s theme was “common ground”, and I took it seriously. I helped arrange three panels for the conference: Place-Based Natural Resource Planning in Oregon, Agricultural Runoff in Oregon, and West Coast Comparative Groundwater Management. As part of these panels, we had participants from the Oregon Farm Bureau, Oregon State University, and the eastern Oregon region in general. I don’t believe many of these individuals would normally be included at PIELC, and I was happy I could help assemble panels that featured more varied perspectives on water and agriculture. 

My work as an Oceans, Coasts and Watersheds fellow at the Environmental and Natural Resources Center at UO Law this year included a range of small research projects. In the second semester, I helped with some work on ORS 537.745, which focuses on voluntary agreements among water users in a basin. I was selected to continue this fellowship through my second year. Currently, the research team is working on a larger project in collaboration with Oregon State to model the Willamette Basin Watershed. As part of that work, I have had the chance to do research on secondary water rights in Oregon and attend stakeholder meetings. 

During the middle of last spring semester, I was chosen as a Wayne Morse Fellow through the Wayne Morse Center at UO Law. The fellowship places students at various congressional offices in DC.  My summer placement was in Representative Greg Walden’s DC office. Over the ten-week fellowship, I worked on a variety of projects for the office. However, my main project was a written report on the status of the tribal water rights settlement in the Umatilla Basin. This project allowed me to leverage the background knowledge I had gained while I was working with OWC and produce a comprehensive report for Walden’s office. 

Again, I am incredibly grateful for the support of OWC—to its board and its members—who have helped support my law school education and opened the door to these great opportunities. 

Sincerely,

Marika

2020 Annual Meeting

OWC invites its members and the general public to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting, which will be held January at the OSU Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC).

President’s 2018 Letter and Recap

December 21, 2018

Oregon Water Coalition Members:

The Oregon Water Coalition (OWC) was founded 25 years ago with the mission of promoting "the responsible development, conservation, and utilization of water in northeastern Oregon". This mission drove OWC to be an active force in facilitating the spread of information, most notably through annual meetings that bring local water users together to learn from experts in the field. Information can also be found on our website and social media.

Since OWC was formed, other organizations with similar missions have emerged in the region. The SAGE Center is now an accessible source of agriculture information for locals and visitors. The Northeast Oregon Water Association (NOWA) is working on behalf of local irrigators to pioneer innovative water solutions for the region. The Hermiston Chamber of Commerce actively supports its members, including a large number of agriculture­ related businesses. Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) boasts a state-of-the-art teaching facility on the OSU Extension HAREC campus to train the next generation in precision irrigation. The Eastern Oregon Women's Coalition (EOWC) fosters conversations about the rural-urban divide by providing tours and educational connections across the state.

For the past few years, there have been many conversations about the specific purpose of owe and how it can remain relevant 25 years after its founding. The organization was reinvigorated when it hired a coordinator, Marika Sitz, to run day-to-day operations and expand educational efforts. In 2018, owe introduced two water rights workshops, established an online newsletter and worked with various partner organizations on outreach­ related projects for the Umatilla Basin. The added bonus for Marika and the region is that the coordinator role provided a foundation that will inform her law school studies. The coordinator position has remained open since Marika left for law school in August, 2018.

Today, with a renewed mission and higher level of activity, owe remains dependent upon grants and other donations. owe recognizes that many of its members and supporters contribute to other organizations. OWC does not want to compete with other worthy organizations, however, owe seeks to preserve the legacy of its educational and outreach in water and agriculture.

To sustain funding, owe once again is requesting that members renew and donate additional funds as they are able. Those funds will continue to be used for operations and also as seed money to fund a scholarship for young professionals like Marika who enter graduate programs that will train them to represent water interests of our region. The goal of the scholarship fund is to incentivize the next generation of lawyers, policy makers, and researchers to live and work in Eastern Oregon. OWC has taken several steps to ensure the spirit of the organization can thrive. We remain committed to providing educational opportunities about water issues. We want to say than you and we appreciate your renewed membership and your continued support.

Sincerely,

Ray Kopacz, OWC President

Letter from our former Coordinator and current scholarship recipient

After spending one and a half years as coordinator of the Oregon Water Coalition, I began law school at the University of Oregon School of Law this past August. As I write this, I am one week away from completing my first semester. I considered attending law school for many years, and I am very fortunate to have OWC's support as I work toward my goal of becoming an attorney.

I became the coordinator of OWC in January 2017, about a year and a half after graduating from Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in Human Biology. I still wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do at that point, but my interest in the American West-particularly the water and agricultural aspects-drove much of my work. I was born and raised in Pendleton, and I jumped at the opportunity to return to my home region to join OWC. My goal was to gain more "on-the­ ground" experience to inform my decision about pursing water and natural resources law. My experience proved to be immensely valuable, and my time at OWC played a critically important role in shaping my understanding of water and natural resource issues in northeastern Oregon.

For the past four months, I have been taking the full slate of required core classes for first year law students. In addition, I am also a fellow for the Oceans, Coasts and Watersheds Project, which is housed in the Environmental and Natural Resources Center at the law school. This fellowship has proven to be a good opportunity to remain connected to my water interest. I also think it provides an important chance to share my own perspectives and experiences with my project group. Some of my preliminary projects have included compiling statutory and program information for OWRD' s Place-Based Planning Program and organizing conference panels to present diverse perspectives on water and agriculture issue in Oregon.

My purpose in writing this note is to provide an update and also to briefly illustrate how my time at OWC helped shape my path. OWC gave me the opportunity to broaden my understanding of the practice area I am interested in pursuing. Additionally, it continues to support my goals with the award of a multi-year scholarship, which offsets a portion of my tuition costs each semester. I owe a huge measure of gratitude to the Oregon Water Coalition for supporting my educational journey in two settings: "on the ground" as coordinator of OWC and my current academic undertaking.

Finally, I would like to note the great potential of this arrangement to support future leaders in Umatilla Basin in northeastern Oregon. I think young attorneys, administrators, or policy makers who want to return to Eastern Oregon can also benefit from an arrangement like mine. I think rural Oregon has a great deal to offer, and the ability of OWC to further incentivize future leaders to work in the region will help ensure that talented individuals with an interest in agriculture, water, and natural resources management return to and stay on the eastern side of the state.

Sincerely,
Marika Sitz

2019 Annual Meeting

OWC will hold its Annual Meeting on January 15th. Speakers include J.R. Cook and Craig Reeder, the director and chair of the Northeast Oregon Water Association, respectively, Karen Lewotsky of the Oregon Environmental Council, and April Snell of the Oregon Water Resources Congress. RSVP now at hermistonchamber.com!

2018 Annual Meeting Recap

The Oregon Water Coalition marked its 2018 Annual Meeting with a new venue and record attendance. Traditionally hosted at the Hermiston Conference Center, this year's meeting took up residence in the new Precision Irrigated Agriculture building at the Hermiston Agricultural & Research Extension Center. Around sixty people packed into the conference room to socialize, listen to speakers, and enjoy breakfast and refreshments donated by Desert Springs Bottled Water Co. The meeting doubled as B2B event through a partnership with the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce. 

OWC president Ray Kopacz opened the meeting by providing updates from the past year and by reaffirming the Board of Directors and officers with a vote. His remarks included thank-yous to OWC partners and sponsors, namely OWC members, Desert Springs Bottled Water Co, the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, Umatilla Electric Co-op, and the Northeast Oregon Water Association. After Ray's welcome, Phil Hamm, director of HAREC, took a few minutes to explain an upcoming ballot measure that would create extension service districts in Umatilla and Morrow Counties. The measure, up for a vote in May, aims to provide a stable source of funding for extension services in the each county. 

The first set of presentations for the morning consisted of updates from around the region. Miff Devin, Water Quality Supervisor at the Port of Morrow(POM), provided an overview of the recharge project and nitrate monitoring and dilution projects at POM.  Byron Smith, City Manager of Hermiston, walked attendees through a recent history of the city's wastewater treatment plant and partnership with West Extension Irrigation District to deliver treated water to their canal during the winter.  Russ Pelleberg, City Manager of Umatilla, discussed efforts by Umatilla to develop a similar partnership. However, the source this time is water that is being utilized by the growing number of data centers in the area. Treated water could then be added to the West Extension canal. These two topics were covered in more detail by the East Oregonian in an article that also appeared in the Capital Press and on Oregon Public Broadcasting's website. 

Following these updates, JR Cook, Director of the Northeast Oregon Water Association (NOWA), provided updates about two ongoing NOWA projects. The first undertaking he highlighted was an economic impact study focused on the Mid-Columbia Basin, which will be funded by the Oregon Business Council and executed by the ECONorthwest. The study will focus the economic value of water for the counties contained in the Mid-Columbia region and lay the groundwork for identifying feasible partnership opportunities among Umatilla, Morrow, Union, Wallowa, and Baker Counties. The study will be similar in scope to one recently completed in the Yakima Basin. As the project is in its preliminary stages, a critical component will be continued dialogue with stakeholders. The study will reinforce NOWA's goal of identifying mitigation opportunities for Columbia River water rights through equitable partnerships across northeastern Oregon. The final portion of Cook's presentation focused on a more localized effort: establishing a system to safeguard and recover aquifer levels in the Umatilla Basin's Critical Groundwater Areas. NOWA would like to see the development of a "basalt bank" that would take pressures off the groundwater. As cities continue to grow--largely due to the economic opportunity brought about by agriculture--they will necessarily be competing with the farming industry that sustains them. NOWA's plan envisions a kind of trust account that could lease Columbia River water to agricultural users at a cost comparable to the cost of pumping groundwater. This would allow some users to reduce or eliminate groundwater pumping, thereby giving basalt aquifers the chance to recover over time. Development of such a program presents a variety of hurdles, and as a preliminary step, NOWA would like to establish a Basalt Bank Task Force to help develop rules and practices for a successful system. NOWA is seeking support from the Governor's Office to create the task force. Find a general overview of the project here. 

Attorney Laura Schroeder of Schroeder Law Offices led the final two hours of the conference. Schroeder specializes in water law, and her presentation outlined the basics of Oregon water law. Additionally, it touched on information relevant to Columbia River water rights and critical groundwater areas, both important topics in the Umatilla Basin. You can find water law education resources on Schroeder Law Offices' website. If you would like to learn more about basic water rights terminology, the Oregon Water Coalition will hold another water rights workshop led by the Oregon Water Resources Department on Tuesday, February 27. You can find more information here.

The Oregon Water Coalition would like to thank its members and all conference attendees for their support and attendance. 
 

End of the Year Recap

OWC's work in 2017

In the past 10 months, the Oregon Water Coalition has completed multiple projects aimed at supporting water and agriculture education efforts in the Umatilla Basin and in northeastern Oregon. In May, OWC held its annual membership meeting featuring local and state experts. A recap of this event can be found here. During the first part of the year, updates to the website including adding facts about regional agriculture and cataloging water-related legislation, with the inclusion of some limited, original reporting as well. The fact sheets were assembled in collaboration with the SAGE Center, and OWC hopes to continue to work with SAGE in 2018. Accompanying the website was the re-launch of a monthly newsletter, offered in an email format only. OWC will continue to produce this e-newsletter and solicit ideas for content that will make the letter helpful. 

In June, OWC began a partnership with Umatilla Electric Cooperative. UEC currently provides monthly support to allow the organization to retain a full time coordinator. The first tangible product from this partnership was produced in November with the publication of an article written by OWC's coordinator and featured in The Ruralite and on Northeast Oregon NOW. You can read that article here. Stay tuned for more articles about relevant water and agriculture topics in the future. 

As part of its education mission, the OWC coordinator has been working to assemble a number of informational documents focused on outlining various topics of interest, as identified by board members or submitted as special requests. Topics include Basin history, water delivery explanations, and details about changes in irrigation districts in recent decades. Research will be distilled into fact sheets and made available on OWC's website soon. 

Finally, OWC has partnered with the Eastern Oregon Women's Coalition and the Northeast Oregon Water Association to work on a multi-county partnership effort. The aim of this partnership--focused on Union, Wallowa, Baker, Umatilla, and Morrow counties--is to identify opportunities presented by water storage and dam upgrade projects as mitigation sources for the Mid-Columbia Targeted Investment and Mitigation Effort. Work on this will continue in the spring of 2018 with a two day tour of water projects in Union, Wallowa, and Baker for state legislators and project partners. The Oregon Business Council and Oregon Association of Counties are also supporting this project. 

 

changes in 2017

In the past year, OWC has undergone a few significant changes. In January, the Coalition hired its first ever full time coordinator (more here). With the introduction of this position, the Coalition has more bandwidth to partner with other local organizations and to produce independent research on regional systems and issues for educational purposes. 

Another large transition took place in October, when the Oregon Water Coalition welcomed three new members to its Board of Directors and bid farewell to two directors with a long history of involvement. OWC would like to sincerely thank Bill Porfily and Mike Wick, both on the board of directors since 2000, for their excellent service and dedication to the organization over the past years. OWC is excited to welcome three new directors: Scott Lukas, Tamra Mabbott, and Debbie Pedro. Ray Kopacz has assumed the role of President in place of Bill Porfily. Gibb Evans was elected Vice-President, and JR Cook remains in the role of Secretary-Treasurer.  

Debbie Pedro is the President of the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce. The Hermiston Chamber is a longtime supporter of OWC. Tamra Mabbott recently took the role of Community Development Director for the City of Umatilla after serving as planning director of Umatilla County for 15 years. Scott Lukas accepted a research role at the Hermiston Agricultural & Research Extension Center in September 2016. He is an assistant professor of horticulture in the OSU Integrated Cropping System Program. Each brings a valuable perspective to the organization and will play an important role in driving outreach and education efforts forward, and OWC is pleased to have the opportunity to broaden and diversify its board. 

In the new year

With these changes in place, we look forward to a very successful 2018. The year will kick off with an annual meeting on January 23 from 8am-12pm at the Hermiston Conference Center. The half-day event will feature updates on local water issues as well as a two hour "water rights bootcamp" led by attorney Laura A Schroeder of Schroeder Law Offices. Agenda details and an RSVP form will be made available soon, but you can visit our events page for the most recent updates. Beyond this meeting, we anticipate continuing many of the projects and partnerships that were begun this year.