• Between 4 and 6 pm on June 19, the Peace and Dignity Indigenous Runners will be stopping in Eugene at the Lane Community College Longhouse. “Peace and Dignity Journeys are spiritual runs that embody the prophecy of the Eagle and Condor,” according to information from local organizers. “This prophecy mandates that at this time all Indigenous Peoples in the Western Hemisphere shall be reunited in a spiritual way in order to heal our nations so we can begin to work towards a better future for our children and generations to come.” The journeys are every four years and Indigenous runners start on opposite ends of the continents, running for six months carrying prayers and communications from community to community. “When the runners meet at the Kuna Nation in Panama City, Panama, it will symbolize all Indigenous Peoples joining together in a spiritual way to manifest the prophecy of the Eagle and Condor.”
There will be a Native American welcome and ceremony upon arrival and a potluck dinner to follow. The local community will be hosting these runners on their journey to Panama. And on June 10 the runners will start again, heading to Reedsport and Gold Beach on the coast, and then down to Smith River, California. Donations such as running shoes, running socks, power bars, granola, seeds, nuts and dry fruit are appreciated. Organizers request that any monetary transactions take place outside of the Longhouse. For more info call 541-344-1846. The Longhouse is at the LCC main campus, 4000 East 30th Avenue.
• The city of Eugene seeks public input on its first local comprehensive transportation plan. The 2035 Transportation System Plan (2035 TSP) “sets expectations for how the roads, sidewalks, bike paths, rail lines and airport should change with the growing community over the next 20 years,” according to a press release. The TSP addresses pressures such as growth and climate change as well as “people’s desire for more travel options, convenience and safety.”
The final draft of the plan is available at eugenetsp.org. A public hearing is 6 pm Tuesday, June 21, at Harris Hall at 125 E. 8th Avenue, and people can submit comments or suggest changes. Comments can also be submitted to Kurt Yeiter, transportation senior planner, at kurt.m.yeiter@ci.eugene.or.us.
• Common Cause Oregon and more than 35 democracy and environmental organizations have come together to showcase “how the oil industry tries to influence the state government” in a series of Dirty Energy & Dirty Money forums. The Eugene forum is 6 pm Tuesday, June 21, at the Unitarian Universalist Church. Speakers include Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson, Angela Crowley-Koch from the Oregon Environmental Council, Daniel Lewkow from Common Cause Oregon, Lisa Arkin from Beyond Toxics and Linda Lynch from the League of Women Voters of Lane County. Forums address dark money and how much money the oil industry and its allies give to the Legislature, money spent on lobbying and how “shadowy-organizations used scare tactics and attack ads to try and dissuade legislators” from passing the a recent bill addressing climate change. The Eugene forum is free and open to the public.