Individuals, organizations, and projects that have made outstanding contributions to preserving Oregon heritage will receive Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards on April 25 in Medford. The public is invited to attend the presentation with pre-ticketing required. “The award recipients represent the extraordinary efforts to preserve Oregon’s heritage,” said Beth Dehn, coordinator for the Oregon Heritage Commission. “They also serve as models for others on how to develop new ideas, approaches, and innovations.” The recipients will be: — Building a Better Community: The Canby Women’s Heritage Trail, the first heritage trail in the state to focus on accomplishments of women, with a multi-layered approach to community engagement. — Cultural Resources Department of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, for 30 years of dedicated work as a department to preserve and celebrate the Tribe’s cultural history, recently culminating in the Rise of the Collectors exhibit. — David Dittman, for reporting an archaeological find on private land going above and beyond expectations to engage the public with the find. — Ann & Owen Nicholson, for their critical role in providing Nehalem Valley Historical Society with a museum and archive. — Kylie Pine, for going above and beyond her professional capacity as curator at Willamette Heritage Center to impact the community through teaching, volunteer work, board service, and publications related to local history. — Richard & Judith Wagner, for extraordinary research, writing, and community engagement related to Coos Bay area history. — Salem Depot, an excellent preservation project spearheaded by the Oregon Department of Transportation that overcame challenges, worked across agencies, and merged multiple modes of transportation to rehabilitate an historic building. The Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards are a project of Oregon Heritage, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. This year’s awards are being presented in conjunction with the Oregon Heritage Summit. The awards banquet will be held from 7:00- 9:00 p.m. at the Inn at the Commons (200 N Riverside Ave, Medford) on the evening of Thursday, April 25, preceded by a no-host reception at 6 p.m. Special guests include Gary Buck and Harold Hartman from the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum, who will share a history moment about southern Oregon. Presenters include Oregon Heritage Commissioner Chelsea Rose and former KDRV news anchor Ron Brown. Tickets are available by using the online registration system that is available through www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OHC/Pages/Conference.aspx. For more information, contact Beth Dehn at 503-986-0696 or Beth. Dehn@oregon.gov
