SWFC Director Interviewed for Local Podcast

SWFC Director Sarah Altemus-Pope recently sat down with EugCast podcast host Jojo Jensen to talk about wildfires, restoration, and the Rigdon landscape. Sarah shares her perspectives on living with fire, increasing the pace and scale of restoration, and the value of shared learning. She also talks about what may be in the works for Rigdon and future projects, especially as Covid restrictions are lifted. The episode is a great introduction to the work of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative for newcomers as well as for folks who could use a refresher on the projects the SWFC is involved with.

EugCast is a volunteer-run conversational podcast based in Eugene, Oregon. Monthly episodes feature guests from Eugene and the surrounding areas discussing a broad range of topics. In addition to Sarah’s episode, collaborative members may be interested in the March 2020 interview with Ian Appow, who coordinates the Wildfire Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Project. Ian has been engaged with Firewise efforts in and around the Oakridge-Westfir community.

65th Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting Festival

Here's the rundown of all we accomplished:

Friday - May 4th - Tree Prep

In preparation for the parade Saturday 15 volunteers helped bag 600 Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pines, 200 Douglas Firs, and 200 Incense Cedar.

Saturday - May 5th - Parade

20 volunteers walked alongside the Tree Planting Princess float, passing out 1,000 trees donated by the Bureau of Land Management. The float caught the judges' eye and we received the 2nd place ribbon! 

Sunday - May 6th - Open House + Conversation

We hosted an Open House followed by a Community Conversation for community members.

At the Open House community members learned about a range of topics: the next steps the Rigdon Collaboration Committee will take as the Rigdon Collaborative Landscape Project moves forward. Biomass market opportunities for Oakridge, and how forest byproduct manufacturing could create jobs and boost local economy. How the Implementation Advisory Committee makes collaborative recommendations to the Forest Service for Stewardship Contract Projects that benefit forest health and contribute to local economies. Recommendations include the boundaries for local workforce area and restoration work such as trail maintenance, road maintenance, weed extraction, stream improvements, etc. How the Good Neighbor Authority partnership between the State of Oregon and the Forest Service can increase the pace, scale, and quality of restoration on federal lands, support local economies, and engage local communities through collaboration. Community Wildfire Preparedness: how the Forest Service and our community are undertaking preventative measures to mitigate the threat of wildfire.

Following the Open House community members gathered to discuss and share their perspective on what it means to live in an rural community surrounded by forests, how residents value the forests we live in, how the downturn in the timber economy affected Oakridge and Westfir and how we’ve moved forward. This community conversation was hosted by the Conversation Project where Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state's future.

The folks who participated mentioned they felt we should be having more discussions like this within the community. Everyone agreed it is a worthwhile event and the SWFC hopes to host Oregon Humanities again for this topic.

Join Us for a Community Conversation!

The Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting festival is around the corner and the SWFC will be hosting an Open House at Greenwaters Park Sunday followed by an Oregon Humanities discussion about stewarding our public forests: "Seeing the Forest". Through the Conversation Project, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state's future. 

Conversation Topic

Join us to talk together about what it means to live in an rural community surrounded by forests, how residents value the forests we live in, along with discussing how the downturn in the timber economy affected Oakridge and Westfir and how we are moving forward.

When:
Sunday May 6th
5:00 - 6:30 PM

Address:
48362 Highway 58
Oakridge OR 97463

To participate in this free community discussion, please click here to RSVP

Meet the Host

Mariah Acton is a soon-to-be graduate from the University of Oregon where her master’s work focuses at the intersection of conflict resolution, nonprofit management, and public administration. As a recent social science researcher for the US Forest Service and a volunteer facilitator with forest collaboratives in the southern Willamette Valley, she recognizes that this is an exciting time for public-driven, sustainable forest management, and she appreciates that there are more conversations to be had. 

Acton’s program is made possible by funding from Oregon Humanities, which connects Oregonians to ideas that change lives and transform communities. More information about Oregon Humanities’ programs and publications, which include the Conversation Project, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, Public Program Grants, Responsive Program Grants, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at oregonhumanities.org. Oregon Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.

See you at the Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting Festival parade!

Find Us in the Parade!

See you at the 65th Annual Oakridge-Westfir Tree Planting Festival May 4-7th. You can spot the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative volunteers handing out tree seedlings alongside the Tree Planting Princess float during the parade Saturday May 5th at 10AM!

For the past three years, SWFC volunteers have handed out 1,000 tree seedlings donated by the BLM. This year we will hand out another 1,000 seedlings of mixed Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine, Incense Cedar, and Douglas Fir.

The parade starts at 10am on Saturday, May 5th, on 1st Street in Uptown Oakridge - we hope to see you there!

More Opportunities to Learn About SWFC

• Stop by our Open House on Sunday, May 6th from 2:30 - 5:00 pm, at Greenwaters Park in Oakridge to learn about projects taking place on the Southern Willamette National Forest.

• Following the open house, Oregon Humanities will host a community conversation between residents and interested stakeholders on what it means to live in a rural community surrounded by national forest lands. 5:00 - 6:30 at Greenwaters park community building. 

Click Here to RSVP