The economic
transition from reliance on timber production to one in which timber production
is one of several major economic sectors has been a relatively painless one
from a regional perspective. From a local standpoint, the pain has been evident
for individuals, families, and communities.
2. A commuting
economy
The most
widespread theme of what citizens reported is, "We have become a commuting
economy." While this appears to be an obvious observation, the frequency of its
statement and the detailed descriptions provided by residents emphasized the
profound meaning this change has created. The positive aspect is that workers
have been able to adjust to a post-timber world. Many people said,
"We used to
travel up the mountains for work [in the mills] but now we travel down to the
cities for work." The urban labor market has expanded and draws from a much
larger area. In many cases, we were told this change has been positive
for quality of life and for standard of living. Once past the political
rhetoric about whether or not reduced timber production has been appropriate,
people indicated that their income often went up and that their life options
had expanded. Particularly, the educational and career choices available to
young people had expanded, residents reported.
The post-timber
commuting economy has had a number of negative consequences as well. People are
busier. The commuting time takes a toll on leisure time and family life.
Finding positive outlets for children and youth has become a major challenge in
small towns and big towns alike. Unsupervised kids for longer hours of the day
were a key issue voiced in communities throughout the region. Towns that a
generation ago would not have used their resources for kids programs are now
developing after-school programs with the schools, skate parks and other
facilities.
Significantly, the
smaller communities reported a loss of leadership because of the commuting
economy. Professional people especially are now commuting to the cities and are
less involved in community life and leadership functions in their communities.
Finally, the
commuting economy has had an enormous negative impact on the economies of small
rural communities. Rather than a "family wage job" at a mill, workers have 2 to
3 lesser paying jobs in recreation and support services. Rather than the
seasonality of the timber sector, they deal with the more severe seasonality of
the tourism sector. The loss of a timber base has shrunk the number and output
of local commercial and retail enterprises, and the loss has been accentuated
by the rise of "box stores" - the large commercial stores in the more urban
communities. As a result, the small rural towns have experienced tremendous
"economic leakage" whereby local residents spend a large and increasingly large
proportion of their salary outside their communities. With the establishment of
commuting patterns, it has become easy and common to shop for the family as
part of the work routines, thereby further debilitating the ability of the
small communities to sustain their local businesses. One person called it "the
death of the small business class."
3. A growing and
aging population
A doubling of the
area's population is projected in the next 50 years (Southern Willamette
Valley, A Profile of the Southern Willamette Valley Region, Region 2050 and
Lane Council of Governments, April, 2001). In the 1990s for the first time,
there are ore Oregonians over the age of 70 than there are teenagers (1999
Salem/Oregon Metropolitan Area Community Profile). The senior population will
double by 2030 in the state of Oregon (Portland State University, Population
Research Center). New residents are urban in outlook, very interested in public
lands, active in using public lands, but lacking the knowledge base of earlier
generations about the Oregon ecology.
4. A population
that is re-distributing itself geographically
The
population figures from the 1990 and 2000 censuses, included in this report,
indicated a common pattern. The urban centers grew from 14-18% generally during
the last decade, while the very rural areas lost population or held steady. The
very rapid growth happened in the small towns near the urban centers - Aumsville
(28%), Dallas (21%), Gervais (47%), Independence (26%), Monmouth (19%),
Silverton (21%), Stayton (25%), Sublimity (29%), Woodburn (30%), Philomath
(26%), and Tangent (22%).
This
phenomenon reflects the rise of the commuting economy and the search for
affordable housing in driving distance of the urban labor market. It also
reflects what the literature calls "amenity migration." Around the west, people
are settling in areas that have high quality of life characteristics. Made
possible by the decentralizing nature of our present economy, especially the
computer and internet, the literature is showing that, rather than creating
jobs that attracts people, people are bringing jobs with them to attractive
areas.
B. The Social and Political Environment of Public Lands
Management
1. Orientation to
public lands
a.
The urban centers are the source of recreational impacts on public lands and
reveal a diverse but patterned orientation to public lands. The research
revealed numerous patterns in public land use in the urban centers.
1.
The Willamette River remains an important boundary in most of the area. West of
the river, people relate more to the coast, while east of the river people orient
to the Cascades and central Oregon.
2.
The primary users of public lands are individuals who are not particularly
organized. Salem has its Chemetekans hiking club and Eugene has its Obsidians
hiking club, but by and large, urban uses are not organized.
3.
The urban centers showed differences in the degree to which citizens are
oriented to public lands. Salem, for example, is on the low end of involvement
with public lands. Although innumerable boats and RVs were observed in the
neighborhoods, the number of stores devoted to recreational uses of public
lands seemed far fewer than the other urban centers. Moreover, the language of
residents revealed a perception that public lands were too far to be very
accessible. While Eugene residents boasted that any number of recreation
amenities were "only an hour away," Salem residents said the nearest public
land was 45 minutes away and "too far to be worth it." By contrast, Albany
residents described an active pattern of public land use and long-standing routines
related to public lands.
4. The urban areas
exhibited strong values for outdoor aesthetics and environmental stewardship,
but expressed them closer to home through parks and trails programs, outdoor
education, and social programs. The urban governments are very active, even
with current budget difficulties, in providing these programs, as well as
responding to habitat and species needs in direct ways. Corvallis and Eugene,
for example, are responding in the requirements of the Endangered Species Act by
conducting a resource inventory of sensitive habitats and in promoting policies
that support habitat sustainability. Springfield and Eugene are cooperating to
purchase tracts of land for regional parks and open space.
5.
Urban leaders described the ties between these urban interests and the federal
land management agencies as weak. Leadership expressed active interest in
collaboration about mutual environmental concerns such as water quality and
species habitat, as well as sharing research and monitoring functions.
6. Urban uses are growing,
and will become more organized over time, older in orientation and more
specialized. Research revealed a large number of schools, civic and social
groups organizing outings on public lands. JKA believes that this is a trend
that will accelerate over time.
Retired people will make up a greater proportion of public
land users as they come to make up a greater proportion of the total
population. Organized tours that incorporate history seem especially popular.
We also observed proliferating uses on public lands that were uncommon just a
few years ago, such as snowshoeing, kayaking, and tree climbing.
b.
Traditional Oregonian, those with long-standing ties to the state and to the
economic activities of timber, agriculture and mining, generally expressed
regret for the loss of favorite places because of increased density. An
attraction to "secondary" areas is now evident because they are not as crowded.
For example, the Sweet Home corridor has become special to traditional people.
While Sweet Home leadership wished for highway upgrading for Highway 20 like
that of Highway 22 through Mills City and Detroit, it is clear that many people
appreciate the area because it is not upgraded. This finding may reveal a
possible marketing niche for the natural resource agencies as the respond to
different social interests.
c. Citizen issues related to public lands are mainly
oriented to recreation and economic development. (Gates, access, road closures,
Northwest Forest Pass, grant development, special forest products). The reader
is referred to individual chapters for details on citizen issues.
2. The Forest
Service Mission
a. The Forest Service still has a bank of
residual good will from its generations of service to local communities.
b. The Forest Service is currently given
good marks by a great number of people who commend it for recreation amenities,
information and guidance on enjoying the forest, trail maintenance, community
responsiveness, and community development functions (leadership, assistance
with programs, knowledge of grant sources, direct grant support).
c. Many question the current mission of the
Forest Service if it is not a grower of trees. If it is protection, let it
become the National Park Service and acknowledge the change, say the critics.
If its grantmaking, let other agencies better equipped do that.
d. Some individuals at either end of the
political spectrum, that is, those within the timber industry and within the
environmental community, expressed anger, bitterness, and skepticism about
federal land management of the last decade and the prospects for the future.
They are still waiting for the timber harvest to begin again or, alternately,
for the agencies to try big tree timber sales once again. These individuals,
perhaps considered the "entrenched old guard," tend to still dominate public
discourse in some locales and prevent more progressive voices from being heard.
e. The emotionality notwithstanding, many
people still believe that a legitimate timber harvest is permissible in the
current climate, and desirable from a forest health and community health
standpoint. They are waiting for the Forest Service to assert itself that an
environmentally responsible timber sale program is possible to what they see as
the vocal minority within the environmental community.
f. Other community members
are grateful for the leadership and support role the Forest Service has played.
Participation in community development efforts, guidance in location of
granting opportunities, and direct grant support have been very much
appreciated. The support refers to the Rural Community Assistance program,
whose funding is currently in jeopardy in the next budget cycle, as well as
support to the Watershed Councils and other programs of the agency. This aspect
of Forest Service management has been the major, positive alternative to a
timber program.
Final Recommendations
The
final recommendations from James Kent Associates are provided in four
categories: fundamental, programmatic, immediate, and overarching.
Fundamental
Recommendations: twin
goals of both rural and urban support
1. Sustain the
commitment of federal land management agencies for economic transition in
communities formerly dependent on timber production. Some communities in which
the Forest Service presence is strong have done very well through the
relationship - Detroit and McKenzie. Other communities still struggle with the
economic transition currently underway - Mill City, Sweet Home, Oakridge, Alsea,
and Philomath.
a.
Make special efforts to sustain remaining timber sector, especially the last of
the family owned, mid-sized companies such as Freres, Swanson Brothers, etc.
These companies not only represent continued competition in an industry
dominated by giants, but historically they have contributed substantially in
dollars and labor hours to the local communities in which they are located.
b.
Support value-added production of material coming off federal lands. Residents
appreciated the policy change that prohibited the export of federal logs, and
are very interested in maximizing the economic value of forest products.
c.
Develop the labor force and the contracting mechanisms necessary for the new
kind of forest health projects coming on line. The Forest Service and the BLM
have been leaders in this regard, but the changes are too slow.
d.
Foster greater knowledge of and responsiveness to emerging economic activities
on federal lands. Special forest products and secondary forest products
manufacturers deserve special mention. Special forest products people had very
specific recommendations to the federal agencies about fire closures,
permitting, and other regulatory features that could be done in a way that
accomplished agency mission while being sensitive to their needs.
Secondary
forest products manufacturers tend to engage at the margins, fitting in new
activities amidst multiple strategies for making a living. Consequently, they
come and go. Currently, no one seems to be tracking these experiments nor offering
technical, financial or business support.
e. The community development efforts of the Forest
Service must be extended and strengthened in the next tier of communities,
Oakridge, Alsea, Philomath, and Sweet Home. Sweet Home is farther along than
others, and efforts have been made in Oakridge and Alsea. It seemed to JKA that
agency approaches in these communities need to be more intentional, systematic
and sustained. Agency staff mentioned several times that they are not trained
for "partnership" work and training would be useful to create "traction" on the
ground.
2. Broaden and
deepen urban ties in order to enhance the agency mission through "Forest
Service Express." JKA propositions related to the urban environment are these:
a. Small numbers of vested interests in urban zones
hold the agency hostage with fixed, extreme positions;
b.
Increasing uses on public lands come from urban zones;
c.
Urban people are crucial partners in managing urban uses. For example, the avid
interest expressed by Eugene area mountain bikers in developing and maintaining
trails in the Oakridge area is an opportunity to create shared ownership and
responsibility for management outcomes. Many, many similar offers would be
forthcoming with sufficient agency capacity.
d.
To succeed in its mission, the Forest Service must engage diverse urban publics
in order to re-create a moderate middle ground, capable of understanding and
supporting agency initiatives.
Forest Service
Express refers to small, dispersed satellite offices with low numbers of staff,
low maintenance requirements, and in areas of high volume contact, high
visibility and familiarity. It is worth quoting a community development person
who has had to deal with the negative consequences of dealing with the
anarchist movement in Eugene for many years. This person's advice for the
federal land management agencies in responding to extreme elements included:
- Publicize projects that have greater
public appeal from a green perspective;
- Be assertive in the community by attending
Saturday market and other community events;
- Put out storefront displays of Forest
Service programs;
- Put out information in a number of
different formats;
- Don't wear uniforms because they
symbolize authority;
- Connect to the community in a broad
sense - teach workshops, co-sponsor green events, assist smaller
organizations, "through the use of a truck or anything;"
- Publicize and reinforce the community
benefits created by natural resource agencies.
The management
challenge in dealing with urban publics is the creation of urban/rural ties, or
upland/lowland connections, so that both ecological awareness and a public
lands constituency are broadened. Examples of some ways in which an urban
presence might be created are drawn from citizen ideas:
a.
Information dissemination; better maps, personal presence;
b.
Education connecting uplands and lowlands; Expand natural resource education
from the rural schools to include the urban schools; Raise awareness of forest
etiquette but also build a constituency and broaden ties Watershed Councils are
a major though not exclusive means;
c.
Foster the creation of hiking and biking trails in the urban zones through
technical expertise and access to grants, and so on. Especially focus on trail
systems that have potential of linking uplands and lowlands. Structure this
action in a way that educates as it is implemented.
d. A concerted visual public education campaign
about the distribution of dollars from Recreation Pass fees;
e. Improve internal capacity to foster and support
citizen-based initiatives. Promote citizen ownership. Give away control to get
power. Develop an urban/rural constituency capable of creating middle ground.
These twin,
"fundamental" recommendations have to be reviewed in light of the declining budgets
within the federal agencies. It is our hope that the criteria for evaluating
difficult budget choices includes these twin considerations.
Programmatic Recommendations
1.
Create a
systematic and intentional campaign to demonstrate accountability with the
revenues of the Recreation Pass fees. Show in a visual way on a site-by-site
basis where the dollars have gone. Address the public value of low-income
access to public lands in the context of a fee system. Commit to a "one stop
shopping" approach that requires people to pay only once, simplifies the
procedure, and expands sales outlets.
2.
Continue and
expand the grant provisions possible through Rural Community Assistance
programs. Even though this funding may be at jeopardy with the 2003 budget,
these efforts are needed and valued in these communities.
3.
Commit to a
community-based approach to timber sale development. There is much latent
support in both rural and urban communities. Undertake an inclusive process to
bring in all relevant voices and to develop sales that reflect a true
bio-social approach - responsiveness to both biological and social environments.
The NEPA vulnerability remains with the agencies with this strategy, but JKA
has witnessed several federal land management units practice with integrating
formal and informal strategies in implementing a community-based approach.
Informal contact that precedes the Notice of Intent, for example, is useful for
disciplining NEPA to real interests. Instead of "issue stacking" which
generates controversy, NEPA can be used as a tool to create citizen ownership.
4. The Watershed Councils are the greatest
single mechanism to voluntarily link uplands with lowlands, and public lands
with private lands. The Forest Service has played a useful role in many of these
Councils in leadership, facilitative functions, and grant support. This work
should be strengthened.
Immediate Recommendations
1. Help the Stayton chamber of commerce become
the information center it wants to become for public land information
2. Assist Blue River Market in dealing with
information demands in light of the closure of the Blue River Ranger District.
3. Some
of the rural communities have made successful regional affiliations, while
others have not. Monmouth, Independence, and Dallas have successfully banded
together in search of financing to accomplish common objectives, yet Detroit,
Gates, Lyons, and Mill City have not. It would not take much effort to
facilitate mutual learning across this landscape in order to foster needed
regional coordination.
The need for
ongoing citizen consultation will not go away. Public interests are
increasingly complex and diverse. Federal land management agencies must
continue to commit to the development of applied social science methodologies
capable of building citizen ownership of management decisions. This requires
not only the means to understand changes in the social environment, but to
mobilize constituents for collaborative action around stewardship of community
and bio-physical resources. To be successful, this capacity has to be
institutionalized within the federal agencies.
In
this regard, JKA encourages the federal agencies to consider a Human Geographic
Issue Management System (HGIMS)Ô. The GIS product of JKA has created opportunities for an
on-going issue management system. The system is in place but no commitment for
its implementation has been discussed. Having completed the first phase of an
HGIMS, the Discovery ProcessÔ revealed
communication patterns, natural resource issues and opportunities in a wide
range of communities. The federal agencies are now in the position of being
"dressed up with no place to go." Commitment to implement is the second phase
of HGIMS. It involves the following components:
1.
Strengthen on-going issue management through management commitment and staff
capacity. Training involves mapping the social networks and human geography in
order to identify and respond to emerging issues. When emerging citizen issues
are integrated with management concerns, a powerful force for collaborative
stewardship is created. The applications of an effective Issue Management
program are:
Project troubleshooting;
New initiatives/programs;
and,
Community-based ecosystem
stewardship projects.
A number of
individuals from the federal agencies participated in the training program in
Social Ecology held in conjunction with this project. These nine individuals
(listed in Chapter One) engaged in the community fieldwork that made up this
report. It is likely that those with the most interest chose to participate.
Those that did participate did very well and a few showed exceptional
experience and promise in community liaison work.
2.
Develop a broader accounting process to capture the social and economic
benefits created by BLM and the Forest Service - what JKA calls "Social Cost
Benefit Accounting."
The need for
"Social Cost Benefit Accounting" has been growing across the country in light
of the new planning efforts by BLM and the Forest Service. The notion is that
the benefits of the community support work engaged in by natural resource
agencies should be documented so that the budget process is not just commodity
oriented but amenity oriented. Specifically, there is little budget support for
the collaborative, community-based work that is now being promoted by policy
and regulation in both the BLM and the Forest Service. In fact, collaborative
work is difficult to justify given the present structure of the budgeting
process. As a result, the benefits to local communities from leadership and
community development, from grant writing and grant making assistance, from
successful efforts to create community-based programs, all should be measured
and included in the budget process.
3.
Use Social Ecology in the Forest Plan Revisions - a geographic-based,
citizen-centered, issue-oriented approach to Land Use Planning. The Discovery
Process is used as a method of direct contact until the patterns of the
informal networks and the issues they carry become clear. Communication strategies
are developed based on caretakers and culturally-appropriate communication. JKA
has found that early resolution of emerging issues is the single best way to
encourage and accommodate citizen interest in land use planning.
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