How a map helped create community
iThis past year, we've yearned for ways to connect with each other and the natural world. In April, the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts along with our 30 members across the state helped forge new connections by launching The Oregon I Am campaign. It invites people to connect with their favorite Oregon places — including those they have yet to discover.
"The Oregon I Am is about nurturing a shared sense of belonging to our lands, our habitats and our communities," said Mauricio Valadrian, a creative consultant who helped shape the campaign. "It's about building more genuine connections to one another across differences, and at the same time, raising relevance and accountability for issues of conservation and environmental justice."
At COLT, we like to say that land trusts are one of the best kept secrets in conservation. But we don't want to keep that secret to ourselves! What better way to get the word out than by inviting people to discover our lands and see for themselves? So as part of the campaign, we created a first-of-its-kind, illustrated map featuring 81 places you can visit in Oregon that have been protected by land trusts.
Of course, The Oregon I Am map is about more than connection. It's a celebration of Oregon's land and people. It also helps us envision a better Oregon, where everyone can see themselves in nature and feel safe and welcome outdoors. The artwork itself reflects that.
"The goal for the artwork for The Oregon I Am campaign was to illustrate a welcoming, happy, inclusive and celebratory representation of Oregon," said Colby Nichols, an illustrator and art director at the firm that crafted the campaign imagery. "Not just Oregon today, but what this state will look like for future generations."
In addition to the map's release, the campaign includes several other ways to connect with the bounty and beauty of the state, including: a beer collaboration with eight local breweries; an invitation to share your stories; a custom, Oregon-inspired game launching this fall; and a film premiering this winter. See the latest updates and learn more at theoregoniam.org.
Kelsey Kuhnhausen is communications manager at the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts.