Oregon’s natural resources serve as a foundation of our state’s economy and have created a dynamic heritage, one that we want to ensure and sustain for generations. Preparing Oregon’s children to protect this valuable legacy and to understand their relationship to it is challenged by the fact that many of our
youth are utterly disconnected from the natural environment. Our education system often does not provide students with all the knowledge, skills, perspectives and values needed to consider whole systems, to develop a sense of place, or to pursue our responsibility to shared resources (the commons) and each other. 

A comprehensive process involving a broad spectrum of diverse stakeholders and interests was used in the development of this plan. As required by the legislation, the Governor appointed an eleven-member Oregon Environmental Literacy Plan Task Force, including members from Oregon Department
of Education, Oregon University System, Environmental Quality, Fish and Wildlife, State Lands, State Marine Board, Parks and Recreation, Forestry, and Agriculture; The Freshwater Trust; The Environmental Education Association of Oregon, and Metro Regional Government. The task force met regularly from January to September 2010. At various times throughout the process, small working groups were formed to accomplish specific tasks related to the development of the Plan.