View the Future, McKenzie River Trust (A 501(c)3 regional land trust) and the City of Yachats have partnered in sponsoring a participant from the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) Program, sponsored by AmeriCorps, and administered through the University of Oregon. The mission of the RARE Program is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social, and environmental conditions, through the assistance of trained graduate-level members who live and work in communities for 11 months. assist communities and agencies in the development and implementation of plans for achieving a sustainable natural resource base and improving rural economic conditions while gaining community building and leadership skills.
Sam Hillman is our RARE participant who will be spending 11-months working on projects focused on future water sustainability, with his time and expenses split between View the Future, McKenzie River Trust, and the City of Yachats. Sam will be under the supervision of Rick McClung, Yachats Public Works, to help with the completion of the Water Source Protection Plan. He will also expand his work to look for and document future water sources in consultation with a team for the City. Sam will be living in Yachats and will be spending his spare time getting to know the environment and community of citizens.
Sam grew up in Ohio and is a graduate of Ithaca College in New York with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Natural Resource Management. While at Ithaca he was the manager of their 560-acre nature preserve. Sam spent his junior year in Sikkim India observing the effects of climate change and learning how communities were responding to it. His long-term goal is to pursue a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning with a specialization in conservation and climate adaptation. Sam arrived in Yachats on September 6; you may be seeing him around town. Please welcome him.
