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Partnership hopes to integrate ecology, economy, community By Paul Fattig of the Mail Tribune A partnership has been formed to promote a stable economy and healthy environment for Southern Oregon and Northern California in the 21st century. Called the People and Nature Partnership, the group's goal is to bring a broad-based group together to work for the long-term benefit of the region, from employment to ecology. The fledgling partnership emerged out of a conference in Crescent City last weekend, a gathering that drew everyone from environmental activists to economists and politicians. About 150 people attended. "Things are changing in the region," observed participant Kelpie Wilson, executive director of the Siskiyou Regional Education Project in the Illinois Valley. "People believe there is a need to integrate community, ecology and economy. We can no longer look at any one of these three things separately." Economic developer Rob Pochert, a presenter at the conference who represented Medford-based Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc., is intrigued by the partnership's potential. The effort doesn't come from a traditional environmental base, he said, noting that most participants at the conference were moderates. "They wanted to not only look at the environment, but also the economic impact," he said. "They are interested how we can accomplish both. "They are looking for solutions," he added. "And they are looking to bring the public sector as well as the private sector together, rather than have an adversarial relationship." For additional information on the People and Nature Partnership, call George McKinley at 482-3500 in Ashland. Organizers say the partnership's focus will be on communities in Jackson, Josephine, Douglas, Curry and Coos counties in Oregon and Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Shasta, Trinity, Mendocino and Tehama counties in California. In addition to the Siskiyou Regional Education Project, environmental groups supporting the partnership include Ashland-based Headwaters, the World Wildlife Fund office in Ashland, Klamath Forest Alliance in Etna, Calif., the Northcoast Environmental Center in Arcata, Calif., and Inhabiting Trinity in Hayfork, Calif. Creating the partnership is the first step in a long journey to achieve true collaboration, Wilson said, noting that specific objectives will be ironed out early next year. The point, she said, is that the effort is based on solutions, not conflict. Although the conference resulted in the formation of the partnership, the work on it began early this year, she said. "We've been holding meetings over the last six months, reaching out to people to come together," she said. "Environmental groups have been looking at the economy and other issues." Wilson, who has been involved in the environmental movement in Southern Oregon since the mid-1980s, noted that collaboration among diverse community members wasn't possible then. "It was always a dream back then, but it wasn't remotely possible," she said. "People were so angry with one another. We also didn't know as much about the economy and ecology of the area as we do now. "Now we see that we can have it all. We can have a timber economy that is sustainable. We can have a balanced economy. We can also have a balanced ecology for every creature that lives here." However, she also said success in the partnership will require hard work by all participants for a long period. "It's going to take a lot of energy," she said. "But people have been making connections and talking about this for awhile. Solutions will come out. And people will start acting on those solutions." SOREDI's Pochert said he plans to continue working with environmental groups as well as others to help meet the partnership's goals. But to achieve those goals, there is a need for the environmental and timber industry camps to trust each other, he said. "There is the question of faith that needs to be addressed," he said, adding that it will take time to develop. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA