The Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, together with local partners Rockaway Citizens for Watershed Protection, is sponsoring a workshop designed to assist citizens who want to participate effectively in land use planning and other regulatory processes. It takes place on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at 6 p.m. (doors open at 5:30) at the Rockaway Beach Civic Facility, 276 Hwy. 101 S. The event is free and open to the public.

Leading the workshop will be two attorneys with the Crag Law Center, a non-profit that provides legal services to conservation groups. Crag is Oregon Shores’ partner in the Coastal Law Project.

Courtney Johnson, Crag’s operations director as well as a staff attorney there, has worked with Oregon Shores for many years handling issues as diverse as gravel mining, shoreline armoring, and LNG (liquefied natural gas) development proposals. She will be joined by Scott Hilgenberg, who recently joined Crag as a land use legal fellow after serving as staff attorney for Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals.

Johnson and Hilgenberg will provide a primer on how the land use planning system works and how citizens can get engaged, with special emphasis on the aspects of land use law that apply specifically to the coast. There will be ample time for questions on topics of interest to audience members, including on such topics of local concern as spraying and other forestry practices.

For more information contact Scott Hilgenberg, (503) 234-0788, [email protected]; or Nancy Webster of Rockaway Citizens, (503) 355-2516, rockawaycitizen.water@gmail.com.