NODC partnered with PNNL and regional stakeholders, including local governments, tribal communities, public utilities, and economic development agencies, on an Energy Futures Conference for the North Olympic Peninsula.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will explore the feasibility of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) to increase grid resilience on the North Olympic Peninsula. As a partner on the project, NODC will build on previous regional planning processes for climate change adaptation, natural disaster resilience and energy to develop and lead a multi-criteria decision-making approach to engage communities and Tribes across the Peninsula in the project to identify needs and define important project metrics.

Our Vision: The Clallam County Broadband Team will build on local and regional broadband expansion efforts to ensure that the entire Olympic Peninsula has high capacity broadband infrastructure and services.

NODC has hired an Economic Recovery Coordinator to work with local governments and economic development agencies in Jefferson and Clallam Counties.

The North Olympic Peninsula Resource Conservation & Development Council (NODC) is the Economic Development District of Jefferson and Clallam Counties on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. These organizations oversee regional efforts and strengthen partnerships to advance economic development strategies.

In June 2019, NODC was one of 48 organizations across the US to receive a technical assistance award from the USDA Rural Economic Development Innovation (REDI) initiative. USDA is funding Rural Development Initiatives (RDI), based in Eugene, Oregon, to assist NODC in using the WealthWorks model to develop strategies for increasing community benefit from our region’s working forest lands. Strategies might include: Value-adding of under-utilized species like native hardwoods. Expanding production from non-industrial private landowners. Developing community forests. Thermal modification of wood products. Support for entrepreneurship in the wood value-adding sector. As part of the planning process, NODC has convened a series of small meetings with stakeholders. With the help of analysis from RDI, NODC will hold additional meetings with partners and stakeholders to narrow the focus of the work and develop a plan for next steps in support of selected strategies.

The NODC was awarded a planning grant of $38,891 from USDA Rural Development’s Local Food Promotion Program in December 2019 to identify the most effective strategies to expand regional wholesale markets for producers on the North Olympic Peninsula. NODC worked with partners WSU Clallam County Extension , The Local Food Trust and Eat Local First Olympic Peninsula on a study targeting producers who are interested in expanding and could benefit the most from assistance with aggregation, distribution and capacity building, as well as buyers who want to increase their purchases of local food but have faced barriers in working with multiple small producers. Specific objectives of the project included: Determine the needs and capacity of both buyers and producers across the Olympic Peninsula. Identify local assets and supply chains to increase market channels and acquisition. Provide recommendations for needed infrastructure appropriate to the scale of producer, buyer and regional needs. The report on the project, Developing Regional Wholesale Markets for Farmers on the Olympic Peninsula: Assessment, Barriers and Recommendations , can be read here .

The NODC was awarded a $10,000 stipend from the Citizens Institute for Rural Design , with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the USDA and the Orton Family Foundation. This award supported a community-wide 2.5 day workshop and design charette and to plan for transportation and infrastructure improvements at the intersection of Highway 19 and Center Road. The project also received in-kind design expertise and technical assistance valued at $35,000. The award was a competitive process with seven communities receiving funding out of over 60 applications nationwide. Partners include (and are not limited to): Jefferson County Department of Community Development, Jefferson Land Trust , Finnriver Farm and Chimacum Corner Farmstand . ​Project partners were also awarded a Futurewise Livable Communities Award in 2016. Read more about the award here . ​ Read more about the project here.

The project is funded by a grant from WA State Department of Ecology and Commerce, received by the NODC. Climate change poses a variety of threats to the North Olympic Peninsula (NOP), including the potential to increase air temperatures, change precipitation patterns, reduce snowpack, and alter the biochemical cycle of the forests and oceans. This project was aimed at reducing risks due to climate change through the detailed assessment of climate related vulnerabilities and the creation of a Climate Preparedness Plan. The resulting plan provided the comprehensive and strategic planning processes of the cities, counties, tribes, Public Utility Districts, and ports within the NOP. The plan includes: A compilation of detailed local observations and projections of climate change using best available science; A prioritization of highly sensitive or vulnerable resources and locations; A prioritized set of adaptation strategies and actions based on both the science and the knowledge of local stakeholders.