To protect our region's natural wonders and the health of the people and animals that depend on them, we need more Northwest residents, growers and business professionals to understand that the decisions we make to safeguard our communities from the effects of toxic pesticides really do matter. If you use pesticides at home or at work, learning as much as you can about the effects of pesticides and least-toxic alternatives can help you to advocate for healthier conditions.  Continue reading

Photo taken by NCAP staff at a youth climate rally in Eugene, OR in 2019. (By Eugene Davis, Community Outreach Assistant) Many college students, myself included, have had one of those moments where we realized that if our generation does not take a massive stride in mitigating the effects of climate change, the world will become a drastically harder place in which to live. When I was younger, I used to have a very cynical perspective on the issue. I would say to myself, “It looks like this is just going to be the reality of the world. It’s not like someone with as little influence as myself can do anything to change it.” As I met other students in my first year at the University of Oregon, I began to realize that a lot of other people had these same types of defeatist thoughts. Continue reading

Photos: Western conifer seed bug, left (credit NY State IPM Program at Cornell University), commonly mistaken for the brown marmorated stink bug, right (credit Oregon State University). (By Laura Ray, Communications Coordinator) A couple years ago, my family went away for a few days during winter break for a lovely getaway in the Oregon woods. We returned home to Eugene, well rested and relaxed, and found an unexpected house guest: a rat had taken up residence! We figured that during the start of the heavy winter rains, it was seeking refuge and had somehow snuck into our home. Continue reading

Photo: Native American Girls Gather At Plymouth For Day Of Mourning, November 26, 1992. Credit: Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (By Olivia Thomas, Grants Manager) As the NCAP staff give thanks for family and friends this week and acknowledge with gratitude the labor of farmers and farm workers who make our feasts possible, we also reflect on the history of the land where our food is grown. At NCAP, our work includes expanding organic and sustainable agriculture and advocating for policies and practices that increase the health of our soils and ecosystems. Just like advocating for healthier land management practices, we believe it is important to understand the complex interactions that take place on the land where we reside and have an accurate understanding of the intricate relationships that make up history. Continue reading

For over 125 days, anti-racist Black Lives Matter protests have taken place in the streets of Portland to demand racial justice. Protesters have regularly been subject to massive, indiscriminate deployments of teargas, pepper spray and other chemical munitions. NCAP believes that the federal government blatantly violated federal law when it flooded Portland and the surrounding communities with an unprecedented amount of chemical weapons. Continue reading