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Committee presses staff to boost wildfire outreach and explore newsletter
Summary
The Communications Committee discussed wildfire preparedness outreach, promotion of a defensible‑space brochure, a new county wildfire resources hub, and repurposing staff reports into an email 'news flash' for ~500 subscribers; staff will review options and public‑records implications.
At its May 19 Communications Committee meeting, the Columbia River Gorge Commission discussed steps to improve wildfire communications ahead of an early dry season. Chair Amy Weisfeld said the commission should be proactive in telling residents, legislators and stakeholders what it is doing to mitigate wildfire risks and to publicize available resources such as the commission’s defensible‑space brochure.
A staff speaker (Lisa) described a new county wildfire resource hub designed to gather before/during/after fire information and said the commission’s brochure is already available to link from that hub. Commissioners noted recent outreach events, including a Hood River meeting with more than 140 attendees, and suggested promoting a June defensible‑space tour to practitioner audiences.
The committee discussed audience and delivery: staff reported the commission’s listserv holds approximately 500 addresses, and members explored options such as converting the executive director’s report into a two‑page newsletter or a shorter 'news flash' distributed with public meeting notices. Members also raised public‑records and legal considerations about using third‑party email platforms and recommended the staff meeting as the next venue to work through formatting, content sideboards and capacity.
Public commenter Lynn Burdett urged the commission to focus limited staff time on high‑value, shareable materials (PDF handouts and links to existing resources) and to prioritize information useful to legislators and residents. The committee asked staff to return to the group with practical templates and a proposed cadence; no formal funding or policy changes were adopted at this meeting.
