Oregon Parks Forever
Enhancing & preserving special places and experiences in Oregon's parks
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Oregon has many kinds of public lands. In fact, almost 60% of the land in the state is owned by a governmental entity. However, Oregon state, county and local parks are not supported by Oregon income taxes. For example, Oregon State Parks have not received a single penny of funding from Oregon state taxes since 1998. Instead user fees (day-use, camping, and others) provide 55% of the funding and the state lottery program provides about 44% of the operating budget for the park system. These sources of funding are flat or declining (after adjustment for inflation) yet expenses and visitation is increasing. Day Use Visitation to parks across the state is exploding, and so is the wear and tear on the facilities and amenities. To ensure the experiences and places we love are in great condition and available to our children and grandchildren, it us up to us to prepare the parks for the next generation.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Ticket 2 Ride
A fund to enable schools from low- moderate income communities to apply for money to pay for gasoline and bus drivers to fund field trips to the Oregon state parks
Oregon Coast Bikeway Enhancement
Adding a network of 10 bike pods along the Oregon coast to enable cyclists to lock their bikes, gear and food; charge their electronics such as cell phones; fill their tires and water bottles; and perform minor repairs on their bikes.
Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute
We are pleased to continue supporting a summer program for high school students at Cottonwood Canyon State Park that we incubated, but is now run by Eastern Oregon University. Our current role is to raise scholarship funds and to raise funds and supplies for the solar energy classes.
Electric All Terrain Wheelchairs
We are working with partners to develop a program to place electric all-terrain wheelchairs near select parks.
Track Trails
We are working on a project to offer a sort of Nature Scavenger hunt called Track Trails on as many as 50 existing trails across the state. By adding kiosks with brochures that kids can use as guides to things to look for on the trail, we provide interest and excitement to their hike, and the chance to get prizes when they finish.
Oregon Cares For Parks
We are seeking to emulate a program that has been successful in Michigan for eight years called Michigan Cares For Tourism. In this stewardship program, large groups of volunteers are brought together for two-day fix-ups at park properties that have suffered from deferred maintenance and have been deemed important to tourism. This program would be accomplished in partnership with multiple agencies and non-profits.
Wildfire Tree Replanting
Since the 1990's, Oregon has seen significant increases in the number of acres burned statewide each year. 2020 saw the second largest number of acres burned since 1990 with more than one million acres of trees burned on Oregon lands. 2021 followed with a similarly devastating fire year, as well as a heat dome event that killed many trees in the Coast Range.
Our goal is to help the public lands get replanted soon, so that in the future our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same green and lush forests and landscapes we have.
We have set a goal of funding the replanting of ONE MILLION trees.
Where we work
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsMaximum number of participants allowed on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Children, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Ticket 2 Ride
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
We interpret this question to ask how many students per field trip, not
Number of trees planted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Wildfire Tree Replanting
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We seek to enhance and preserve special places and experiences in Oregon's parks now and for future generations.
Oregon parks are some of the most popular state parks in the nation. They are vital to Oregon's way of life. The parks connect people with meaningful outdoor experiences. They engage people through education and outreach. They preserve special places in Oregon for future generations. They attract employers, employees, and tourists -- generating more than $1.6 billion annually for the communities near the parks.
Oregon Parks Forever does NOT fund the annual operating expenses of the park systems. Instead, Oregon Parks Forever focuses its attention on programs and activities that increase the capacity of the park system to keep up with Oregon's population growth and the popularity of outdoor recreation. We enhance access to healthy outdoor activities, build a deeper connection between parks and people through education, preserve and protects the historic and cultural resources within the parks, ensure parks are welcoming to ALL people regardless of socio-economic status, and ensure the long-term viability of our organization to be able to support our parks.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We fund multi-year capital campaigns and a annual projects as well.
- We seek to raise funds to replant ONE MILLION trees killed by wildfires and extreme heat events.
- We regularly fund school field trips for Grade 3-5th graders in Title One Schools throughout the state.
- We are installing hiker/biker kiosks to improve the experience by providing a place to lock up items, to charge electronics, to fill tires and water bottles, and do minor bike repairs.
- We raise funds for scholarships and solar energy education for high school students in eastern Oregon.
- we are working on a program to install Nature Scavenger hunts on existing trails across the state.
- We are developing a stewardship program to begin to attack the problem of deferred maintenance in park facilities and amenities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We operate with a staff of two full-time and two part-time and nine Board of Trustees.
We have an email list of over 400,000 recipients of our monthly eNewsletter.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Examples of accomplishments include:
- We have raised funds to replace 555,000 trees burned by summer wildfires as of 1.31.2022
- Raised funds to build an Experience Center at Cottonwood Canyon State Park.
- Raised funds to renovate the Vista House in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.
- Raised funds to establish the Kam Wah Chung Chinese Heritage Museum.
- Renovated seven iconic lighthouses dotting the Oregon coast.
- Funded the first 50 yurts in state parks anywhere in the country.
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Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Oregon Parks Forever
Board of directorsas of 06/09/2023
Ms. Brigitte Sutherland
Brian Harney
NW Natural
Brigitte Sutherland
Perkins & Co. LLC
Seth Miller
Oregon State Parks Foundation
Eric Valentine
Randy Jones
Oregon DEQ
Danny Newman
Tonkon Torp
Katie DiBiase
Moss Adams
Jan McGowan
Indep Consultant
Kevin Price
Retired Parks Dept
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/30/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.