We'll be posting more about this in the days to come. Stay tuned!

On Tuesday, August 9th, Sustainable Northwest and our partners on the ground had the privilege of touring some of the innovative work taking place in the eastern Oregon Malheur Region. We were joined by Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), Nancy Sutley, Associate Director for Land and Water Resources at the CEQ, Jay Jensen, and Governor Kitzhaber's Natural Resources Policy Advisor, Brett Brownscombe. This trip signifies the national implications of the meaningful collaborative work being done in rural communities throughout the northwest to address natural resource and economic issues. We are happy to have the opportunity to show our guests the local solutions we have helped convene, that have brought members of a community together and that are working to restore our forest landscapes and strengthen economic systems.

This site visit will highlight community-driven solutions to forest restoration and renewable energy development, common challenges facing rural communities throughout the west. The community leaders in John Day, Oregon have developed unique partnerships between public and private entities to restore the forest and create new energy products. Their work demonstrates the essential role of rural communities in helping steward our public resources and transforming our nation towards a greener economy.

When local leaders invited Sustainable Northwest seven years ago to help convene a solution, the communities were engulfed in disagreement over management of natural resources. Litigation was much more common than compromise, the number of jobs was on a steady decline, and ecological function of the landscape suffered. Now, thanks to continued strong local leadership and many hours of hard work, these communities in eastern Oregon are beginning to define a sustainable and resilient future. Sustainable Northwest is looking forward to continuing our work supporting collaborative engagement in this community and others in the Dry Forest Investment Zone.

There is now agreement on restoration objectives for the dry forested ecosystems, currently at risk of historically uncharacteristic wildfire, that provides resources, recreational opportunities, water delivery and critical habitat for many species. Local residents, environmentalists and timber industry representatives are working together to propose stewardship activities to staff on the Malheur National Forest. The early fruits of their collective efforts are being realized in the forest and are serving to sustain and create jobs in the local economy.

Following a recent infusion of Federal and state investment, byproducts of forest restoration are being manufactured into wood pellets. This resource was once considered waste and was burned in the forest following treatments. The additional production capacity at Malheur Lumber Company and a new business partnership with Bear Mountain Forest Products allowed the community to retain 75 jobs and create 15 new jobs.

To support this new capacity, several community facilities – including the Blue Mountain Hospital and the John Day Airport – have converted their heating systems to utilize the locally-available wood pellet fuel. In so doing, these facilities are reducing consumption of petroleum-based fuels and realizing tremendous savings on energy costs. This both creates community resilience for energy needs and injects dollars into the local economy.

Although there is still much work to do, the overall scope of work in this two-county area is a prime example of potential opportunities in public-land communities. The Malheur region is demonstrating collaboration at its finest and we look forward to continued work with national leaders to help make collaborative efforts like this have significant positive impact on their communities, economies, and the natural resources we all depend on.

Read more about our work in this region at www.dryforests.org

Make sure to read our blog in the coming days for reflections on the trip. Or join our Facebook community and follow us on Twitter for current updates throughout the week.