Citizen Involvement

Did you know Oregon has protected over 16 million acres of farmland since 1973? This shows our state’s dedication to keeping rural areas beautiful. But, three new bills – HB 2400, HB 2422, and HB 2316 – could change that. We strongly oppose these bills, fearing they could cause rural sprawl and harm our farming […]

Applications are OPEN for 2024Rogue Farm Corps Apprenticeships! Interested in exploring sustainable/regenerative farming and becoming part of the climate-smart agricultural movement? Earn a wage while you train with dedicated Host Farm mentors through a Rogue Farm Corps Apprenticeship! Apprentices learn and work at one of RFC’s partner Host Farms across the state of Oregon. This […]

Rogue Advocates strongly supports the efforts of the Governor and Democratic Leadership to increase the affordability and accessibility of housing for all Oregonians statewide. However, we oppose the strategies laid out in Section 2 of HB 3414 which constitutes a major rollback of environmental protections in the state of Oregon. As it is currently written, […]

Land Use Program Manager Devin Kesner and Board President Jamie Talarico discussed our new publication, Participating in Land Use Planning, and tips for getting involved with local land use planning, on the Jefferson Exchange on Jefferson Public Radio. We talked about barriers to getting involved, the basics of our land use planning system, and more! […]

[Jackson and Josephine Counties, OR, Nov 17, 2022]— In order to help community members effectively participate in Oregon’s complex land-use planning system, Rogue Advocates released a new community resource guide called “Participating in Land Use Planning”. This release comes at a timely moment when Oregon’s farm and forest lands are being converted by urban growth […]

Public participation is powerful and central to the sustainable functioning of our government. Land use planning is dependent on the public being involved in the planning process. With enabling more public participation as our motivating force, we’ve put together a new publication to make participating in the land use realm more accessible. We know firsthand […]

Facing sustained opposition from Rogue Advocates and community members, Jackson County made its final decision to deny an application for an aggregate mining operation on nearly 64 acres a few miles north of Shady Cove on Highway 227. The application was seeking approval for mining, crushing, sizing, stockpiling, hauling, and blasting, all within close proximity […]

In a June 26 Guest Opinion in the Mail Tribune, former President of Friends of Jackson County (which merged with Rogue Advocates in 2011) reflected on 30 years of ensuring sustainable development in the Rogue Valley: “In the 1970s through the early 1990s, many Jackson County rural landowners requested rezoning of agriculturally zoned land that […]

Source: Kevin McNamara/KTVL On June 29th, 2022, Rogue Advocates’ Board member Steve Rouse was featured on KTVL News regarding a gravel mine proposed just north of Shady Cove and Trail. Jackson County originally denied the application based on adverse impacts to residences located as close as 100 feet from the operation that will involve blasting, […]

This month, we are celebrating our 15th anniversary of working to protect farmland, forests, and open space in the Rogue Valley by recognizing highlights to mark this milestone! Often working quietly from behind the scenes and sometimes going without notice, we bet some of these actions may surprise you. We hope you learn something new and […]

Have you heard of the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities Rulemaking? These rules have the potential to change the way our cities develop (for the better) and are worth learning more about! The rules could make our cities more livable, walkable, and have a big impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the state. These new […]

**2/14/22 UPDATE: The bill is dead after not passing out of Committee! Still check out the post below to learn about the types of threats our land use planning system faces. HB 4118 bypasses Oregon’s land use planning processes and inappropriately pits farmland against affordable housing. House Bill (HB) 4118 allows private landowners to request […]