Mitch Rohse, AICP Mitch Rohse, AICP 1943-2024

One of our own has passed. A pioneer in Oregon land-use planning, author and photographer, Mitch Rohse, AICP, was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico in 1943. With his wife Louann and several friends by his side, Mitch passed away on November 29 from cancer.

After World War II, his parents moved to Oregon and Mitch graduated from McMinnville High School in 1961, where he was a member of the National Honor Society, band president, and a four-year letterman on the track and swim teams. An adventurous spirit, Mitch became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Borneo, a weather observer for the Air Force in Texas and Vietnam, and a graduate teaching assistant in Hawaii.

Mitch had the great fortune of meeting Louann, a woman who shared his joy for life and love of travel. In 1979, they left their wedding in a hot air balloon and continued adventuring together for the next 45 years. In 1983, they quit their jobs to backpack for six months around New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia, where they celebrated Mitch's 40th birthday by summiting Borneo’s Mt. Kinabalu. Other favorite trips for Mitch and Louann: the Galapagos Islands, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Greece, a hike across Sicily, a safari in Zambia, and visiting family in Ireland. For 30 years, they took annual rafting trips with friends on the Deschutes and Rogue Rivers, and Mitch developed some mean whitewater kayaking skills. Other beloved places were the family ranch in Eastern Oregon and his parents' cabin on Devil's Lake, where Mitch perfected his slalom water skiing skills by going backward, barefoot, and once — after a dare — skiing on a lawn chair! Mitch and Louann enjoyed sea kayaking and loved encountering whales “up close and personal” off in both Maui and Baja, Mexico.

Mitch graduated from the University of Oregon with a Master's in Urban Planning, and worked as a land-use planning professional with Lane and Polk Counties before joining Oregon's Department of Land Conservation and Development in 1980. He served as the agency’s Communications Manager and continued consulting after his retirement. Mitch also volunteered his time with the OAPA, serving on committees, task forces, and the OPAPA Board, culminating in his service as Chapter President.

Mitch was a skilled writer, expressing this talent through several articles and two books. The first of these was 1987's "Land Use Planning in Oregon," and he served as lead author of the award-winning "Cool Planning: A Handbook on Local Strategies to Slow Climate Change," a recipient of the American Planning Association's Award of Excellence for a Best Practice in 2012. His humorous poetry was always in demand for friends’ birthdays, retirements, and other celebrations. He was also the consummate master of puns, often to the dismay of family and friends. In retirement, Mitch took up photography, and his website "Just My Nature”, features his fantastic photos of wildlife, travel, and landscapes (justmynature.smugmug.com).

Mitch will be greatly missed by his friends, family and the community of Oregon’s professional and citizen planners. He’ll be remembered for his kindness, wit, curiosity for life, generosity, enduring friendships, and for having made a real difference in helping to preserve and promote the Oregon we all value and strive to protect.

Donations in his memory can be made to the Nature Conservancy or the Oregon Humane Society.

David Siegel, FAICP

David M. Siegel, FAICP, is a former OAPA Chapter President, and served APA’s national organization on the Board of Directors and ultimately as the organization’s President. Dave had the great opportunity to work with Mitch at Polk County and at DLCD, and was blessed to have accompanied Mitch and Louann on many travels and adventures.

Just My Nature

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