AGENDA

El Harney County Wildfire Collaborative es un grupo diverso de aliados que trabajan juntos para enfrentar los retos complejos de los incendios forestales. Su meta es que las tierras de matorral de artemisa (sagebrush) del sureste de Oregón resistan mejor los incendios y se recuperen más rápido. Desde 2014, High Desert Partnership ha reunido y acompañado a este grupo para llegar a acuerdos sobre cómo combatir y prevenir incendios y cómo restaurar la tierra. En esta sesión compartirán cómo se formó este colectivo y cómo siguen trabajando juntos hoy.

El modelo de las RFPA de Oregón (asociaciones de voluntarios que protegen contra incendios las tierras de pastoreo) es el más antiguo del país y tiene más de 60 años. Acompañen a las personas voluntarias que dirigen estas organizaciones sin fines de lucro y al ODF (Departamento Forestal de Oregón), que les da apoyo administrativo. Juntos conoceremos este modelo único, cómo funciona y cómo se financia.

Oregon has 45 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs), which have played a unique role at the intersection of natural disasters and human and natural systems for more than 80 years. This panel brings together four SWCDs from across Oregon—Gilliam, Wheeler, Umatilla, and Upper Willamette—to discuss their districts’ roles and innovative approaches to supporting communities and natural systems before, during, and after natural disasters. Though they represent only a sample, all four have developed robust responses to disasters or contributed to recovery and response planning for events ranging from wildfires to floods. We’ll hear personal stories, accounts, and lessons learned; explore the power of SWCDs and their partnerships; and discuss next steps and calls to action. The goal is to raise awareness of SWCDs’ role in disaster resilience and how they can bridge gaps and build strong partnerships with community members, government and nonprofit organizations, and Tribal Nations, all while continuing their work and securing the support and resources needed to build long-term, generational resilience.

Co-facilitators Sara and Robin are part of a team trained by OSU Extension through a national initiative on Climate Stress and Grief: Building Resilience in Farmers and Ranchers. Please join us for an interactive session on climate stress and grief, how it may affect you and ways to increase your emotional resilience. As ecological changes continue to affect our livelihoods, families and communities, more people are experiencing feelings of stress, uncertainty and loss. For farmers, ranchers and other people with intimate relationships to unique places and landscapes, these emotions can be even more complex. This session will offer:

• Information on what ecological stress and grief are
• How ecological stress and grief impact agricultural producers and others
• How to recognize and understand these feelings and explore effective coping strategies
• Tools to support yourself and others in navigating the emotional challenges posed by our changing environment

Cómo construir resiliencia en comunidades rurales con el modelo de Integración de Servicios (Service Integration). Es una forma de organizarse para atender problemas urgentes a nivel local, con buena comunicación y compartiendo recursos. De este proceso nacen relaciones fuertes y que funcionan, y eso le da a la comunidad más capacidad para responder y recuperarse si llega un desastre.

En agosto de 2024, el incendio Flat quemó más de 23,000 acres y amenazó al pequeño pueblo de Sisters. Aun así, de las más de 820 casas que quedaron dentro del área del incendio, solo se perdieron cinco. Luego, este julio, el incendio Akawa Butte volvió a amenazar a esta comunidad en la orilla del monte, quemando más de 27,000 acres. Y otra vez, solo se quemaron dos estructuras. 

¿Cómo tuvo tanta suerte el pueblo? Claro, hubo mucha suerte; pero también mucha planeación con anticipación, alianzas creativas y lazos fuertes entre organizaciones locales y residentes, y todo eso deja lecciones muy valiosas para otras comunidades que viven donde el pueblo se junta con el monte (wildland-urban interface). En esta sesión, la alcaldesa de Sisters y el director de una organización local sin fines de lucro hablarán de las políticas, la planeación y las alianzas que ayudaron a salvar su pueblo, y de cómo esas lecciones hoy están dando forma a maneras valientes y colaborativas de construir resiliencia comunitaria.

Join select presenters in the Fireside Room to continue discussions inspired by this session.

What makes a community resilient? Strong relationships, local leadership, and the capacity to work together are essential foundations for responding to challenges, from natural disasters to economic uncertainty.

Join members of The Ford Family Foundation’s Rural Community Building Collective for a conversation about how place-based community building strengthens rural resilience. Through real-world examples, we’ll explore the Four Cs of community building, how local organizations identify and respond to community priorities, and how statewide resources can support locally driven solutions.

We’ll also examine the vital role of longstanding community-based organizations, whose decades of experience, trusted relationships, and local knowledge provide continuity through changing circumstances and government leadership. Together, we’ll consider how stronger partnerships between communities, funders, and government agencies can build lasting resilience from within.

Join select presenters in the Fireside Room to continue discussions inspired by these sessions.

La Pine Basin All-Lands Partnership (LPBALP) existe para mejorar la coordinación de la resiliencia ante incendios en la región de La Pine Basin, con esfuerzos estratégicos para reducir el riesgo de incendios forestales más allá de los límites de cada terreno o jurisdicción. Al impulsar la colaboración entre agencias federales, estatales y locales, además de organizaciones no gubernamentales y representantes de la comunidad, LPBALP busca aprovechar al máximo los recursos, alinear las estrategias para reducir daños y mejorar la resiliencia ante incendios forestales en toda La Pine Basin

Con invitados especiales y un espacio para compartir en comunidad

Followed by a musical performance

With pending honored guests.

Las temperaturas más altas, la sequía, la tierra y la vegetación más secas, y la menor cantidad de nieve acumulada en todo el noroeste del Pacífico están provocando temporadas de incendios forestales más largas, y que los incendios sean más grandes, más frecuentes y más intensos. Los agricultores y ganaderos, como cuidadores de la tierra, son especialmente vulnerables a los incendios forestales. Los incendios ocurren de forma natural; aun así, pueden traer riesgos importantes para los ranchos en lo económico, lo humano y la producción. Hablaremos de lo que hemos visto en cuanto a la preparación de agricultores y comunidades ante los incendios, y de cómo podemos fortalecer la resiliencia a futuro.

Dominant conceptualizations of resilience frequently position it as an individual attribute or a return to pre-disaster equilibrium, a framing that obscures the historical, political, and structural conditions that produce differential recovery outcomes. This interactive workshop introduces transformational resilience, a framework grounded in community, culture, and history that prioritizes systems-level change.

Facilitators will first establish the conceptual foundations of transformational resilience and broaden the definition of disaster to encompass chronic, structural, and political harms. Participants will be invited to participate in a collaborative group scenario exercise based on a wildfire event, assuming the roles of funder, survivor, government agency (state or county), and community-based organization (CBO). Working in small groups and using visual and written note-taking, participants will reimagine how each actor’s responsibilities and practices might shift under a transformational resilience framework.

Proteger la tierra de cultivo es esencial para un sistema alimentario resiliente, pero proteger la tierra no siempre la hace accesible ni asequible para los agricultores que la necesitan. Esta presentación explorará cómo los Fideicomisos de Tierra Comunitaria (organizaciones que mantienen la tierra en manos de la comunidad para que siga siendo accesible) pueden abrir caminos más seguros y accesibles para cultivar, y al mismo tiempo mantener la tierra en producción agrícola a largo plazo. A partir del nuevo trabajo de acceso a la tierra de Oregon Agricultural Trust, veremos cómo la conservación y la propiedad comunitaria pueden trabajar juntas para construir un sistema alimentario más resiliente

This conversation will introduce participants to Person-Centered Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP), an evidence-informed approach developed by the University of Sydney that helps people identify their strengths, support networks, resources, and preparedness needs before emergencies happen.

As the first organization in the United States to pilot P-CEP, Upstream Access has adapted and implemented this approach with disabled people, older adults, caregivers, service providers, and community organizations across Oregon.

The presentation will provide an overview of P-CEP and explore key areas that can impact preparedness and resilience, including social connectedness, communication, health, transportation, assistive technology, and personal supports. Upstream Access will also share lessons learned from implementing P-CEP in Oregon and examples of how a person-centered approach can strengthen individual and collective resilience.

Rather than approaching preparedness as a one-size-fits-all checklist, P-CEP recognizes that people have different strengths, needs, resources, and support networks. This presentation will highlight how understanding those factors can help individuals and communities prepare in ways that are more accessible, realistic, and inclusive.

Participants will leave with an introduction to P-CEP, practical ideas they can consider in their own preparedness efforts, and resources for learning more.

Cuando el incendio Almeda destruyó más de 2,600 hogares en el sur de Oregón, nuestra comunidad aprendió rápido que la respuesta a emergencias y la recuperación a largo plazo no son lo mismo. Esta presentación explora cómo las alianzas inesperadas, la confianza de la comunidad y atender las necesidades humanas más básicas se volvieron la base de la resiliencia. A través de historias poderosas, ejemplos prácticos y lecciones aprendidas, quienes participen descubrirán cómo las comunidades pueden construir las relaciones y los sistemas que hacen posible la recuperación, mucho antes de que llegue un desastre.

Join select presenters in the Fireside Room to continue discussions inspired by this session.

Estamos en medio de una epidemia de soledad, y ese aislamiento debilita los lazos sociales de los que dependen las comunidades para aguantar los tiempos difíciles y recuperarse de ellos. Con base en la neurociencia y la psicología social, esta sesión explora por qué los seres humanos estamos hechos para conectar, qué es lo que rompe el sentido de pertenencia, y formas prácticas, respaldadas por la ciencia, para que las personas y las comunidades vuelvan a construir pertenencia. El resultado: comunidades más fuertes tanto durante una crisis como después.

Join this short group activity led by a few of our Day 1 Keynote Speakers.

Mientras las Naciones Indigenas y las comunidades tribales impulsan formas de cuidar el territorio con raíces en la cultura, la comunidad y la responsabilidad con las generaciones futuras, las y los jóvenes líderes están dando un paso al frente para ayudar a trazar el camino. En este panel, jóvenes adultos indigenas y Mayores compartirán sus miradas sobre la restauración ecológica, la protección de los recursos culturales, la participación comunitaria y la importancia de pasar los valores y las tradiciones de cuidado del territorio de una generación a otra. Hablarán de cómo el aprendizaje entre generaciones ayuda a mantener vivos los saberes indígenas y a fortalecer paisajes resilientes, comunidades adaptadas al fuego y ecosistemas sanos, mientras se abren oportunidades reales para que las nuevas personas líderes desarrollen habilidades, enfrenten retos y lleven adelante una visión compartida para el futuro. Acompáñennos para escuchar cómo la juventud indígena y los Mayores están impulsando un cuidado ecocultural del territorio que beneficia tanto a las comunidades indigenas como a sus vecinas, sembrando resiliencia para las personas y para la tierra por muchas generaciones

Emergency management is a demanding profession—requiring sharp focus, fast decision-making, and the ability to recover quickly from stressful incidents. At the Oregon Prepared Conference, where practitioners from tribal, local, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sectors come together to learn, share, and connect, this session offers a restorative experience designed for you—the resilient responder on the front lines.

In this interactive session, discover how Tai Chi Relaxation and Qi Gong Meditation, rooted in ancient mind-body traditions, can become powerful tools in your personal resilience toolkit. Through gentle movement, breath awareness, and focused attention, you’ll learn techniques that help:

• Reduce chronic stress and mental fatigue
• Improve clarity and emotional balance during high-demand operations
• Build long-term physical and psychological resilience
• While emergency management often focuses on community-level preparedness and response, this session emphasizes the importance of self-preparedness—strengthening your own capacity to stay centered, clear-headed, and effective before, during, and after the challenges of disaster work. Participants of all experience levels are welcome, whether you’re new to movement meditation or seeking ways to integrate wellness practices into your daily routine.

Come away with practical, adaptable techniques you can use beyond the conference—with tangible benefits for your health, performance, and overall well-being.

El clima de Oregón está cambiando, pero muchas comunidades salen adelante en lugares donde ese clima sería peligroso aquí en Oregón. En este taller/presentación, hablaremos de cómo las comunidades de Oregón pueden adaptarse para crecer y salir adelante en el clima que viene. Esta sesión interactiva parte de nuestra alianza con South Willamette Solutions en Oakridge, Oregón, nuestro trabajo en el Oregon Cooling Needs Study (estudio sobre las necesidades de enfriamiento en Oregón), la planeación climática de infraestructura, y casos de estudio y buenas prácticas. Las actividades incluyen planear escenarios de adaptación al clima del futuro y demostraciones para que quienes participen se sientan con la fuerza para actuar en sus comunidades.

¿Qué pasa cuando décadas de recursos limitados empiezan a definir no solo lo que las comunidades rurales pueden pagar, sino también lo que creen que es posible y, al final, qué tan resilientes pueden llegar a ser?

Un espacio informal de seguimiento para quienes quieran formar o fortalecer un COAD (red de organizaciones comunitarias que se activan ante desastres).

Curry County has faced obstacles in its rural location, with organizations and community members who are often not included in traditional emergency and disaster planning roles. The CCCOAD has worked to become more inclusive by building relationships with local organizations, agencies, businesses, volunteers, and community members. By connecting people and resources, we can better identify needs, share information, support one another, and create a stronger, more prepared Curry County.

Oregon’s climate is changing, and communities need to think beyond emergency preparedness toward long-term adaptation. In this interactive workshop, participants will identify climate hazards facing their communities, explore the difference between emergency response and proactive adaptation, and brainstorm practical ways to build resilience and thrive in a changing climate. Participants will leave with fresh ideas and actionable next steps for their own communities.

Disaster resilience depends on more than resources. It depends on the networks, relationships, and trust that connect them. Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COADs) are essential community coordination networks that bridge government emergency management and the organizations serving communities before, during, and after disasters. Join COAD leaders from across Oregon to examine a critical opportunity: How can we better connect existing resilience networks, reduce duplication, and build a stronger, more coordinated statewide system, while preserving the local trust and community leadership that make these networks work?

La comida no está incluida (por su cuenta… ¿o tal vez con una nueva amistad?)

¡Quienes colaboran en el PRO (Plan para un Oregón Resiliente) pueden usar el salón durante la noche, ya sea como un grupo grande o en grupos más pequeños!

(¡con pizza de masa delgada y palomitas!) El Fireside Room también estará disponible para convivir en grupos pequeños y seguir conversando.
Fireside Room also available for small group networking & continued conversations.

Emergency management is a demanding profession—requiring sharp focus, fast decision-making, and the ability to recover quickly from stressful incidents. At the Oregon Prepared Conference, where practitioners from tribal, local, state, federal, nonprofit, and private sectors come together to learn, share, and connect, this session offers a restorative experience designed for you—the resilient responder on the front lines.

In this interactive session, discover how Tai Chi Relaxation and Qi Gong Meditation, rooted in ancient mind-body traditions, can become powerful tools in your personal resilience toolkit. Through gentle movement, breath awareness, and focused attention, you’ll learn techniques that help:

• Reduce chronic stress and mental fatigue
• Improve clarity and emotional balance during high-demand operations
• Build long-term physical and psychological resilience
• While emergency management often focuses on community-level preparedness and response, this session emphasizes the importance of self-preparedness—strengthening your own capacity to stay centered, clear-headed, and effective before, during, and after the challenges of disaster work. Participants of all experience levels are welcome, whether you’re new to movement meditation or seeking ways to integrate wellness practices into your daily routine.

Come away with practical, adaptable techniques you can use beyond the conference—with tangible benefits for your health, performance, and overall well-being.

What happens when Oregon state agencies team up with Watch Duty to rethink disaster preparedness? Get an inside look at a new pilot bringing government data into the hands of people who need it most.

Want to tell Oregon state agencies and Watch Duty what your community actually needs? Here’s your chance. Join the conversation, challenge assumptions, and help shape what comes next. Audience participation is encouraged.

Join select presenters in the Fireside Room to continue discussions inspired by this session.

Southern Oregon University is transforming itself into a living laboratory where students learn through place-based, experiential work. Within SOU The Institute for Applied Sustainability (IAS) is leading this transformation through its flagship Community Resilience and Leadership Student Fellows Program and its emerging energy resilience initiatives.

This presentation will explore how IAS is bringing campus infrastructure, community partnerships, and a structured curriculum of self- and project-leadership together to strengthen regional resilience. We will share how we believe higher education and workforce development can be integrated with investments in energy resilience and community partnerships to build capacity across the region. Faculty, sustainability leadership, and students will share what we have learned from the program’s first year and where we see the model going next.

Power resilience means keeping essential devices running and recognizing the power we, as disabled people, have to shape solutions together. This session explores practical backup-power planning, access barriers, and the community connections that help us prepare for outages. As our climate changes and financial resources shift, we’ll discuss how disability justice, environmental justice, and collective care can guide our response.

Firewise landscaping is a design strategy that uses careful plant selection, strategic placement, and regular maintenance to create defensible space around a home, reducing its vulnerability to wildfire while providing a desirable landscape. This workshop will include the basics on fire-resistant plants and firewise landscaping technique, and recent projects to promote the topic to educators and garden nurseries in central Oregon.

A discussion of economic power through collective support. This will be a brief look into the math of community programs both historically and currently.

Disasters associated with climate change (including wildfires-the focus of this work) significantly undermine the well-being of families, with profound implications for social and economic recovery and equality. Due to structural inequities, low-income, immigrant, and ethnic and racial diverse communities tend to live in areas where climate disasters are more common and more severe, and these communities tend to have fewer existing resources, less access to safe locations, and more difficulties materially and emotionally rebuilding. Addressing the urgent need to identify practices that establish greater equity in disaster recovery for families, we use a social ecological, community intervention framework to explore how family resilience practices and Trauma-Informed Disaster Case Management (TI-DCM) practices might counter inequalities in climate disaster recovery for marginalized families. The aim is to understand better how TI-DCM may strengthen family resilience and disaster recovery, and to strengthen families and the workers who support them after climate disasters.

Resilience is increasingly one of the most widely used concepts in disaster work, yet it is defined differently across disciplines, sometimes in direct tension. This presentation traces resilience from its origins through its history and application, drawing on Dr. da Rosa’s research on the 2020 Labor Day Fire recovery efforts and the Disaster Resilience Learning Network’s (DRLN) approach to building disaster resilience and recovery within their communities. It examines how resilience is understood as both a process and an outcome, and how its neoliberalization has shifted responsibility onto individuals and communities. The result can look like an abundance of resources while delivering uneven impact for survivors. The presentation then turns to the Network’s expanded definition of disasters, which recognizes that disasters are cyclical, chronic, and compounding rather than linear, and that historical trauma and legacies of subjugation continue to shape their impact. Transformational resilience approaches this expanded definition of disasters as structural and inclusive of political and structural problems that surround any single event, and the scope of resilience itself. The presentation highlights the work of DRLN CBOs in reclaiming resilience and situating it locally by shifting decision-making, using cultural lenses to understand resources, and giving up power.

Community resilience begins not with a program, resource, or institution, but with our relationships to each other and to the land. Through simple and accessible rituals and practices, we will explore how spirituality can become an entry point for community, creating spaces where people can feel rooted and connected, whether or not they identify with a particular faith tradition.

Panel will conclude with a community blessing, featuring a musical accompaniment.