Kelsey Maass
Email: Kmaass@co.clackamas.or.usOrganization: Clackamas County Sustainability and Solid Waste Program
Community: Clackamas County
Meet Kelsey Maass:
Kelsey earned her undergraduate degree this past year in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon. With this background, she is interested in exploring how local governments can work with communities to reach climate action goals. In the future Kelsey hopes to work within the public sector in natural resource management and is excited to use her skills to work alongside rural communities in Oregon. In her free time she loves to be outdoors and is looking forward to spending the next year exploring more of Oregon.
Community and Organization:
Clackamas County is a unique mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. With 400,000 residents, it is the third-most populous county in Oregon. Most residents of the county live in the urbanized northwestern part of the county, bordering the Portland Metro boundary. Other residents reside in smaller rural and agricultural towns and neighborhoods. The county still maintains a strong agricultural heritage, which can be seen through the variety of local farmers markets throughout the year. Clackamas County is located within driving distance of the coast, Mt. Hood and Portland. The county has abundant outdoor opportunities from hiking and biking to fishing and floating the Clackamas River.
Project:
While serving with Clackamas County during her first year, Kelsey focused her efforts on renewable energy. She assessed opportunities and barriers for community solar initiatives, coordinated public engagement and outreach and identified partners and participants for a community solar installation. Kelsey also assessed opportunities for solar development on county owned property to aid Clackamas County in moving towards becoming a low carbon emitting organization. Kelsey worked with a variety of stakeholders from local community members and neighborhood groups to county departments and local businesses. Through these projects, Kelsey helped rural Clackamas County build resilience, preparedness and clean energy resources.