Kelsey Maass

Population: 400,000
County: Clackamas

Meet Kelsey Maass (she/her/hers):

Kelsey earned her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon with additional focuses in Business Administration and Public Planning. With this background, she is interested in exploring how local governments can work with communities to strategically plan climate mitigation efforts and reach climate action goals. In the future, Kelsey hopes to work within the public sector in environmental policy and is excited to leverage her skills and work alongside rural communities in Oregon. In Kelsey’s free time you can find her exploring Oregon’s various hiking destinations, kayaking near Mt. Hood, baking treats in her kitchen and playing tennis.

Community and Organization:

Clackamas County is a unique mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. With over 400,000 residents, it is the third-most populous county in Oregon. The majority of the residents in 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, Kelsey focused her efforts on renewable energy expansion, climate action planning and disaster recovery efforts. As Clackamas County worked to create their first Climate Action Plan, she worked closely with rural community members to ensure their voices were incorporated into the planning process. She also updated the biannual Greenhouse Gas Inventory to help better understand Clackamas County’s current environmental footprint. After devastating wildfires in the County in fall 2020, she also looked at how to incorporate energy resilience through recovery efforts. Kelsey continued to work on projects from her first year of service including: planning electric vehicle test drive events, conducting solar assessments for solar developments on county owned facilities, and continuing to connect community members to Oregon’s new Community Solar Program. Throughout her year of service she 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 move towards a more resilient, prepared and clean future.