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Kinsley's revival gospel aims to save communities Speaker focuses on assistance for ex-timber towns BY PAUL FATTIG Michael Kinsley likes to roll up his sleeves and preach revival. But this is no man of the cloth seeking religious converts. Rather, his sermon focuses on economic revival in the aftermath of the timber industry's big tent collapsing on small Oregon towns like Butte Falls, Prospect and Shady Cove. The head of the economic revival program for the Rocky Mountain Institute of Colorado, who met with upper Rogue River residents Friday night, has been spreading the word about economic revival in small communities for 15 years, from Alaska to Pennsylvania. The Friday session was cosponsored by the upper Rogue Watershed Association, the Rogue Institute for Ecology and Economy and the Southwest Oregon Resource Conservation and Development Council. "There are some extraordinary, positive things that people are doing that can help show us the way," Kinsley said in an interview before his presentation. But finding that way requires residents working together who aren't afraid to embrace new ways of doing things, he said. "We try to combine the conventional with the unconventional," he said. "The fact it is unconventional makes it scary in a subtle sense. The worst thing you can do as a community leader is to look foolish. "In many ways, in terms of the dynamics of a real community, it's more comfortable to chose a conventional option, even if it's wrong, than an unconventional one that might be right," he added. "You don't want to look weird. And that's the fundamental problem we have in communities." The result is that the institute has developed a long process to help community members adjust to change, he said. "I attempt to `seed' the community with these ideas, then teach them that process so that they better understand how to involve people from all walks of life in any important decision making," he said. "You want the results to be broadly supported." The gospel of economical revival preached by the institute calls for sustainable development at the community level. It's based on four main principles: Plugging the economic leaks to keep money circulating in the community; Supporting existing businesses; Encouraging new businesses; Recruiting compatible new businesses. "People are attempting to confront the dilemma of wanting to have jobs in their communities, but they don't want to screw the place up at the same time," he said of environmental concerns. "Everybody is saying that now." Kinsley, 51, who majored in political science in college, was reared in Los Angeles and Houston. But he ended up in Aspen in the early 1970s where he realized his voice would be heard. In fact, he was elected to the county commission. When a large mining operation was being discussed for one small community, residents were all for it because they saw it as the only opportunity, he said. But his research showed the economic result would be the usual boom-and-bust cycle, leaving the community flat busted, he said. He joined forces with the institute, helping to develope a sustainable approach to economic development that is sensitive to the community and the environment. Those communities who bank their economic revival on the hope of big business coming to save them are invariably disappointed, he said. "In 99.9 percent if the cases, it ain't gonna happen," he said of big industry stepping in to replace lost mill jobs. Instead, they need to diversify by finding creative ways to use natural resources, he said. He will meet with Applegate Valley residents this afternoon, following up on a session he had with them a year ago. "Frankly, that's more for our benefit," he said. "It's a two-way street. We also learn from local communities." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA