Final Climate Resilience Attributes for Executive Order 25-26

Background:
The Climate Resilience Attributes of Oregon Lands and Waters report is now online! This report is in response to Governor Kotek’s October 2025 Executive Order No. 25-26 (EO), titled Directing State Agencies to Take Urgent Action to Promote the Resilience of our Communities and Natural and Working Lands and Waters. The EO tasked the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) with defining climate resilience attributes for Oregon’s lands and waters using existing plans, strategies, and the best available science. The goal is to outline the characteristics of climate resilience for Oregon’s lands and waters, serving as the first step in a coordinated and sustained effort across state agencies and helping guide investment and action.

To develop the resilience attributes, OWEB and ODFW held a 3-day design workshop that brought together state agencies, Tribal representatives, and content experts with experience in similar climate resiliency planning efforts. Participants helped inform a first draft of the climate resilience attributes, which was circulated via this listserv for review in April.

More than 40 people provided feedback via written comments, a survey, and conversations with OWEB and ODFW staff. Respondents generally felt that the draft attributes reflected their work and expertise, appreciated the attributes’ focus on ecological function under changing conditions, and valued that the interconnection between people and environment in achieving resilience outcomes was acknowledged. Respondents also encouraged OWEB and ODFW to incorporate more about the role of productive working lands and waters, surface and groundwater connections, ecological processes, and the people and communities who are stewarding for resilience. OWEB and ODFW have incorporated that feedback into this final version.

In the coming months, state agencies and the Governor’s Natural Resources Office will be using the attributes to inform baseline measurements for the "Ten Percent in Ten Years" target outlined in the EO. Agencies have also launched work groups to articulate opportunities for addressing key directives in the EO and are working to align their 2027-2029 workplans with those directives.

This project has benefitted from a wide range of perspectives from across Oregon and beyond. We appreciate everyone's willingness to share their knowledge, challenge our thinking, and help shape a framework that can guide resilience efforts across Oregon's lands and waters. We look forward to continuing this work together as we move into the next phase of implementation.

Questions:
If you have any questions, please reach out to:

Sarah Reif, ODFW Habitat Division Administrator, 503-991-3587, or
Alexa Schmidt, OWEB Water and Climate Coordinator, 971-718-4904.

Thank you for your interest in climate resilience in Oregon.