News & Events
Oregon Arts Commission Grant Announcement
The Oregon Arts Commission has announced its Arts Recognition grants. Arts Recognition grants are $1,000 awards made to exemplary arts… [read more]
Study Looks at How Differences in Rural America Impact Rural Policy
The Carsey Institute conducted a study that looks at how the diversity of Rural America contributes to the complexity of… [read more]
Oregon State University Study Examines the Impact of Lost Federal Forest Payments
The Oregon State University Rural Studies Program recently completed a study which looks at the loss of federal forest payments… [read more]
welcome
RIPPLE is a place where people in rural communities can connect with the knowledge and resources of their peers.Rising Fuel Prices Threaten Rural Towns
A USA Today story examines the impact of rising fuel costs on rural American towns and their residents in areas like Nebraska and Norhern California, where many people rely on gas-powered generators for electricity to power their homes and businesses and the driving distance to buy necessities and get to work is much further than that of urban areas. The escalating prices are on top of the already higher prices due to the cost of transporting fuel to harder to reach places. The price of gas isn’t an annoyance here. It’s a calamity. Click here to read more of Judy Keen’s article, ‘High gas prices threaten to shut down rural towns.’
Join the discussion, hosted by Judy Keen, by clicking here.
Northeast Oregon 5 Counties Ford Institute Leadership Program Conference
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Baker City Armory
1640 Campbell Street
Baker City
Join together with other graduates and participants of the Ford Institute Leadership Program from Baker, Grant, Union, Umatilla, and Wallowa Counties for a day of networking, learning, and reconnecting.
Click here for more information.
Oregon Rural Congress
Oregon Rural Congress
A Gathering for Rural Oregonians to Address Rural Issues
August 21–22, 2008, Cascade Locks
The first Oregon Rural Congress will be held August 21–22, 2008 at the port facilities in Cascade Locks along the beautiful Columbia River. Make sure you attend this history making gathering. The rural areas of Oregon will benefit from a united voice. This is your opportunity to be heard.
Notes and Haikus From the Summit in Sisters
You can access the haikus and the notes from the Community Trainer Summit in Sisters, Oregon by clicking the links below.
Haikus (To vote for your favorite haiku, click here.)
Facilitation Philosophies
Community Trainer Visioning
Advanced Facilitation World Cafe
You can discuss the notes by clicking here to go to the forums.
Summit in Sisters
The Summit in Sisters will bring Ford Institute Leadership Program Community Trainers from throughout Oregon and Siskiyou County, California together for the first time to learn, network, and celebrate!
This weekend in Sisters, Community Trainers are coming together to network, participate in some advanced training, learn from each other, and decide what’s next for this group of dedicated volunteers. They’ll listen to keynote speeches by Norm Smith of The Ford Family Foundation and Peter Donaldson of Salmon People. You can view their live discussion forum here.
The RIPPLE team is also in Sisters this weekend, and we’ll return with recorded success stories, publish poems written by community trainers, and give a complete rundown of what happened at the conference.
FILP Futures Program—Lake County
Now that Lake County has completed the five-year Ford Institute Leadership Program, what’s next? Chat with Tom Gallagher, and help provide direction for the Futures Program.
Click here to read and respond to Tom’s post.
Tom Gallagher: What makes a community leader?
Tom Gallagher is the director of the Ford Institute Leadership Program at The Ford Family Foundation. The Ford Institute Leadership Program works to increase community vitality by cultivating leaders in Rural communities. Read and discuss Tom’s thoughts on what makes a successful leader on our community discussion forum.
Click here to read and respond to Tom’s article.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
2620 River Road, Suite 205 . Eugene, Oregon 97404 . phone 541-684-9077 . fax 541-684-8993