The Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) general meeting on May 27 at the Medford Public Library from 6pm to 7pm will feature Max Light-Pacheco from the Oregon Environmental Council (OEC) talking about what OEC does to fulfill its mission.

Max will preview OEC’s effort to stimulate electrification and energy efficiency in Medford – a project being undertaken in collaboration with SOCAN’s Medford Climate Action Team (MCAT).

Max Light-Pacheco, Community Engagement Manager at OEC, joins the Exchange to discuss.

Joseph Vaile, Senior Representative for the Northwest Program of Defenders of Wildlife, joins the Exchange. The organization believes our society is experiencing a biodiversity crisis. And the planet is losing plant and animal species at an alarming rate.

Joseph Vaile will discuss the Trump administration's targeting of the Endangered Species Act for changes that could weaken it.

A draft rule from the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) repeals the current definition of “harm” that is prohibited under the ESA.

Currently, agencies interpret harm to include damage to species’ habitat, but the Trump administration is trying to change that aspect of the rule. It would loosen restrictions on industrial activities that could damage an endangered animal’s habitat, even if the animal itself is not harmed.

In their letter, the Democrats argue that the administration’s reading of the statute presents an “end run around” of the ESA and “completely negates” Congress’s intent when it passed the act in 1973 to protect endangered species from going extinct.

Paragliders will leap from Woodrat Mountain in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon from June 8th-13th and fly the Rat Route along highway 238. The multiday event incorporates nearby wineries where paragliders are encouraged to land each day when weather conditions permit.

The event supports six days of non-competitive morning and evening cross country flights with organized shuttles, weather briefings, posted tasks, and fun low key contests. Onlookers can view the gliders from various wineries and follow the schedule of landings.

Joining the Exchange to offer more insights are Christina Ammon, Destinations Manager at Wander Applegate, and Joshua Paddock Dean, President of the Rogue Valley Hang gliding and Paragliding Association. RVHPA.org

The National Fair Housing Alliance issued a press release decrying the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to defund fair housing. According to the release:

"President Trump issued his FY26 budget proposal and it cuts $163 billion across the federal government, including the “so-called” DOGE’s recommendation to zero out critical funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP)."

Joining the Exchange to discuss the potential impact of the proposed federal cuts on northern California is Caroline Peattie, Executive Director of Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California.

"Animal Writes: Prompts and Practices to Guide the Animal Writer's Journey" is a book created out of the enthusiasm for the Writing for Animals teaching program. Midge Raymond and John Yunker are co-authors of the book, and co-founders of the teaching program. Both are co-owners of Ashland Creek Press.

Midge Raymond joins the Exchange to discuss her book and training program.

Register for book launch here

Events schedule

Dr. William A. Keyes IV is the author of "The Stories They Hear: Expecting Greatness As the Key to Success." Dr. Keyes is the founder of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship and joins the Exchange to discuss his book, the history of the institute, and successes of the 300 young men he has mentored through his institute.

ABOUT
Dr. William A. Keyes IV is the Founder and President of the Institute. In the early 1980s, he hitchhiked from North Carolina to Washington, DC to pursue a dream of working in public policy. He realized that dream by working in a staff position at the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress and as a White House Senior Policy Advisor.

He has been widely recognized for his work in education, including the Mac A. Stewart Distinguished Award for Service by the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center at Ohio State University, the Dr. Asa G. Hilliard Model of Excellence Award from the College Board, the Make A Difference Award from Epstein Becker & Green PC, the Warrior Award at the 2017 International Colloquium on Black Males in Education, and many more.

Beyond the Institute, Bill is most active at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he has served in many leadership positions. He and his family are members of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, and he is a member of the Beta Nu Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity. Far more than his personal awards, Bill is most proud of the accomplishments of the Institute alumni, more than 250 of whom are men of character now serving in leadership positions as pastors, judges, academics, doctors, and an ever-widening range of professions.

NEWS FEATURES SHOWCASE:

OREGON TIDE GATES
There are at least 1,000 tide gates in Oregon. They keep the ocean from flooding agricultural land. But many tide gates were installed more than 70 years ago. And now, they’re at risk of failure. As JPR’s Justin Higginbottom reports, replacing them isn't easy.

CHINOOK INDIAN NATION
The Chinook Indian Nation of Southwest Washington has been trying to get federal recognition from the U.S. government since the mid-90s. As OPB's Erik Neumann reports, recently they started looking for a new champion in Washington D.C.

SITKA SPRUCE
Drive into Yaquina Bay State Park in Newport and in the middle of the road stands a beautiful Sitka Spruce overlooking the ocean. For generations, people have gotten married next to it, taken graduation pictures beneath it, and otherwise just appreciated the beloved, 150-year-old tree. But as Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, it’s now diseased, and the parks department is asking what to do with it.

The JPR news team gathers for a roundtable discussion of the top news stories they've been working on this week. Top stories include:

Aging tide gates threaten Oregon's coast, but replacing them isn't cheap

A looming wildfire season means electric utilities are preparing for possible outages

Four candidates vie for two seats on Jackson County Library District

Host Cynthia Scherr speaks with Travis Rigby owner of The Flower Box, a company based in Southern Oregon. They discuss how The Flower Box has finally achieved its goal of producing a 100% recyclable paper vase that's manufactured entirely in the United States.

They also discuss policies that led to the cut-flower industry's move overseas in the 1980s, notably to Ecuador and Columbia, and the growing farmer florist movement in the United States. Rigby also notes an almost dependency on the overseas trade, including on China for accessories, and the impact tariffs will have on the flower industry across the board.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts (SebArts) in Sebastopol, California, recently lost its NEA funding. And there's concerns that federal arts dollars are now tied to political loyalty oaths. It's one of many local arts organizations being directly affected.

Their Response? Double down on private giving, kindness and inclusion, and turn their town into a living work of art that focuses on belonging.

Serafina Palandech, who moved to California from Boring, Oregon, is Executive Director of SebArts and joins the Exchange.

SebArts Belonging Project, alongside Piazza Hospitality Group, is creating an art exhibit that spans the entire town of Sebastopol, including an empty downtown lot. It's a public art installation that uses art to reflect the “SF values” of diversity, kindness, and grassroots power — core to many communities across the Bay. It will include works of art throughout the city, and will include very large pieces by artists like: Marc Rivera, Erica Dincalci, and Hunter Franks.

Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, with a recorded population of roughly 7,500. Sebastopol was once a plum- and apple-growing region. Today, wine grapes are the predominant agriculture crop, and nearly all lands once used for orchards are now vineyards.