Rogue Valley, Oregon – Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance, in cooperation with a broad coalition of local and regional sponsors, is hosting a six-part Water Solutions Summit beginning in mid-September that will explore current and new ideas for facing the challenges and impacts to the Rogue Valley’s water.
The series, which will solicit input from the valley’s citizens, will be held on Zoom from 6 to 8 p.m. the Wednesday evenings of Sept. 14 & 18, Oct. 12 & 26, and Nov. 9. A final session will be a longer in-person gathering on Saturday, Nov. 12, time and location to be announced.
Throughout the series the summit will call on a wide spectrum of perspectives and backgrounds – regional and state water agencies, elected officials, nonprofit and indigenous organizations and water activists – to help participants understand current practices and challenges around the use, distribution, and current and anticipated impacts to the Rogue Valley’s water. Participants will then break into conversation circles to discuss key questions and share ideas that could result in creative, holistic solutions to meeting challenges to equitable sharing and caring for Rogue Valley water.
“Awareness and appreciation for the living nature of water itself, and the interdependence of water sources, systems and uses, are important parts of the sessions’ conversations, says Water Solutions Summit Team Member Dr. Lauren Oliver, “The vision for this summit is to be a space for holding community conversations in the spirit of an ‘environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence’ in the Rogue Valley.”
“This vision is the guiding principle of the Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance community,” added Water Solutions Summit Team Member Cynthia Taylor, “and, our members believe, of our times. We hope to shift the views of some from water as a ‘resource to be managed’ to a universal element on which life depends. The message ‘Water is Life’ has been heard. Can we engage with this vision?”
Session themes are:
- “Honoring Water” – An overview of our regional watersheds and water issues in the context of caring and sharing while respecting water’s role in the natural world. This session is an invitation to better understand the “big picture” complexities of our region’s water systems while examining ways to respect and protect water to ensure adequate and healthy sources for everyone.
- “Flow & Fairness, Pipes, Projects, and Possibilities” – A “deeper dive” into watersheds, irrigation districts and other water features and sources of potable water in Jackson and Josephine Counties in Oregon. Potential ideas and programs that could be developed with assistance from individuals with knowledge, experience and wisdom about the systems, costs, inequities, and quirks of our domestic and industrial water supplies will be explored.
- “Channeling Better Water Outcomes for Agriculture” –A look at how agriculture in our region is impacted by historic drought and the resulting low snowpack, irrigation allocations, water rights, well and reservoir limitations, and other factors. This session will look at the factors above – which are already affecting farming practices in the valley – and the need for assistance to farmers for water-saving devices, land and crop management education, and investments in regenerative agriculture systems.
- “Veins of the Valley: Wetlands & Waterways” – An inquiry into our stewardship of the region’s water flowing from here to the ocean. We’ll hear how population growth, increased roadways, dams and other encumbrances impact wetlands and waterways. These disruptions to the clean flow of water downstream contributes to the decimation of wildlife and the collapse of recreational opportunities resulting in impacts to the economy and the quality of life in the Rogue Valley.
- “The Catch Basin: A Flood of Issues & Possibilities” –Averting mistakes and disasters – floods, fires, market pressures and more. Drought has an impact on our forests, flood prevention, and storm run-off. The potential for treated effluent as irrigation source for parks, roadways, golf courses, etc.; real estate development impacts; and the implementation of water catchment and other earth-friendly practices will be discussed.
- “Where Do We Go From Here?” The final session, which will be held in person on Saturday, Nov. 12, time and location to be announced, will recap prior sessions’ findings and participants will strategize next steps.
Background material to support a well-rounded understanding of issues and multiple perspectives is provided to participants and is available on the Water Summit webpage. These materials will aid in the flow of rich conversations among participants.
For more information and to register for the Water Solutions Summit, visit https://southernoregonpachamama.org/water-solutions/
Summit organizers believe our community can proactively, and with broad participation, support new ideas, mitigations and adaptations for the best outcomes for our valley’s water.
