Cultivating Common Ground

The Story of the Lakeview Stewardship Group

What if you were put in the same room with other conservationists, timber workers, the Forest Service, and local community leaders and asked how to manage a national forest? At first you might have hesitation and uncertainty, and rightly so as these groups have often worked against each other and had trouble hearing each others seemingly disconnected voices.

This was once the case for the Lakeview Stewardship Group, which was formed in 1998 to restore the 500,000-acre Lakeview Federal Stewardship Unit in Oregons Fremont-Winema National Forest. Yet over time, and through careful discussions, regular meetings and field trips, these groups have learned how to work together to accomplish a common goal restoring the vitality of an unhealthy forest. The Wilderness Society has been a key member of the Lakeview Stewardship Group.

In the age of the Internet and YouTube!, the Lakeview Stewardship Group wanted to tell their success story to as many people as possible. Lake County Resources Initiative director Jim Walls, who helps to oversee and carry-out the goals of LSG, asked The Wilderness Societys Pacific Northwest office if it would be interested in overseeing the creation of a video documentary and we jumped at the opportunity.

Working with Portland, Oregon filmmaker, John Waller of Uncage the Soul Productions, we developed a documentary to share the story of the Lakeview Stewardship Group and its successful forest restoration collaboration with the world.

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Nonprofits & Activism

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