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This project will bring diverse partners from the community, government agencies and non-profits together to build a Declaration of Cooperation to support a landscape-scale National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process targeting the eastern portion of the Emigrant Ranger District.
Large-scale management and maintenance is needed on the public lands within Wallowa County. The condition of these lands affects the environment, economy and public safety of rural communities in Wallowa County.
The Oregon Sustainability Board has designated seven Sustainable Schools projects, including the Prairie City Sustainable School project. Prairie City School, a K-12 facility located in rural Grant County is undertaking a sustainable beautification effort in combination with a larger community revitalization effort in Prairie City.
The school plans to landscape its grounds using sustainable practices to help conserve water and save money. The school also plans to repaint its facility using environmentally safe products. The Oregon Solutions Team will work to integrate community resources and support economic, social and environmental objectives. Convening the project are Sandy Murray and Oregon Solutions project staff Sharon Fritsch.
Wallowa Resources, a non-profit in Enterprise, has been assisting local mills in Wallowa County to process timber from small diameter trees as part of an effort to improve forest health in the region. One mill in Joseph has obtained chain of custody certification under the Forest Stewardship Council's guidelines to take advantage of the market niche for certified forest products.
The project attempts to achieve a balance of natural resources, family wage jobs, and community vitality. A number of partners assembled to sign a declaration of cooperation to support the project. These partners included state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and local businesses.
Convening the project are Diane Snyder of Wallowa Resources
and Oregon Solutions project staff Martin Goebel of Sustainable Northwest.
- Declaration of Cooperation: Wallowa County Forestry
 [pdf]
- Case Study: Oregon Solutions and Wallowa County Forestry [pdf]
LEO is a non-profit organization with a mission to serve as a catalyst for the development of gold-medal library service in Eastern Oregon. Thirteen counties in Eastern Oregon are partners in this project to update and link the resources of the libraries.
The purpose is to make libraries more accessible to the greater community and utilize their resources to address economic, community, and environmental challenges. LEO staff and board members provide technical assistance to libraries on fundraising and facilities development, as well as create training and networking opportunities for librarians.
In collaboration with OMSI and the Frontier Learning Network, LEO is engaged in a project to "Light up Eastern Oregon" - to develop advanced telecommunications infrastructure for high-speed internet access to serve 40 communities, 10 public school districts and 40 public libraries in Eastern Oregon well into the 21st century.
Convening the project are
Sherman County Judge Mike McArthur, Aletha Bonebrake of the Baker County Public Library and Oregon Solutions project staff Stu Watson.
The City of La Grande and ODS Health Systems have partnered to redevelop a downtown city block to accommodate a new 20,000 square foot library and 15,000+ square foot office complex. The Oregon Employment Department will co-locate in the office building and potentially share resources with the new library. The City is interested in employing green building techniques to save on infrastructure investments and natural resources.
Oregon Solutions helped the partners reach agreement on what they will contribute to the project, along with bringing green building experts to the team and identifying sources of funds to complete the project. Convening the project are
Wes Hare, La Grande City Manager, and Oregon Solutions project staff Jennifer Pratt.
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