“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
- Desmond Tutu
We educate ourselves and the community about land use planning and the Portland Harbor.
We engage the community in Portland’s Comprehensive Plan, North Reach River Plan, CEI Hub policies, and the Economic Opportunities Analysis.
We share the stories of the people, places, and natural areas of the Portland Harbor through various art forms, tours and gatherings.
We advocate for equitable zoning that prevents harm to one group of people, place, and the environment over another. We actively oppose the concept of sacrificial zoning.
We are a educators, artists, lawyers, and neighbors working to help make the lower Willamette River and Portland Harbor a safe and healthy place.
Land Use Planning
The State of Oregon created a land use planning system which is intended to guide municipalities in their land use planning and zoning. Despite the best intent of the authors of the law, the lower Willamette and the nearby communities were sacrificed for the economic and health benefits of the rest of the city and state.
What happens in the lower Willamette River impacts the well-being of the entire region from the Willamette Valley, Columbia River all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Bordered by the Tualatin Mountains and multiple fault lines and flood zones, it is home to over 90% of Oregon’s liquid fuels. The impending earthquake would harm the region's rivers, fish runs and economy.
Art & History
The Braided River Campaign captures the stories of the people who lived, worked and played along the river. These stories have been buried beneath highways, fossil fuel tanks and displacement. We share these stories to honor the people who lived and worked on the land and in the river. We share these stories as a first step in healing and creating a new harbor that is equitable, safe and integrated into society.
The Braided River symbolizes our commitment to work together as we build a new paradigm in the lower Willamette.
For time immemorial the lower Willamette was a magnificent system of plants, rivers, streams, lakes and forest; all braided one into another. We recognize the many tribes who lived, traveled, hunted fished and gathered in the river and on the shores. We recognize that this is the land of the many bands of the Multnomah, Clackamas, Nez Peirce, Yakima. We honor the unique abundance of this river system and the people who sustained it. We acknowledge the harm done to the river system and her people.