WALTON, Ore. - Ten years of collaboration have paid off in the Siuslaw National Forest, with a national award for a group that designs forest and watershed restoration projects and even champions some timber sales.

That combination would have been unheard of during the "timber wars" of Oregon's past, but the Siuslaw Stewardship Group has brought government, conservation groups and timber companies to the same table. Johnny Sundstrom, a founding member of the group, says its focus is on making the forest healthier in ways that benefit local communities.

"The birth and nurturing of a restoration economy, while it'll never replace harvest income to the communities, it's still a way for some people to keep their equipment running, to keep their jobs. And so, there's remarkable opportunities for collaboration and getting together."

This week, the Siuslaw Stewardship Group received the "Two Chiefs Award" from the heads of the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service for their work. The group is being touted as a model for modern forest management, in Oregon and around the nation.

Money generated by the timber sales helps with the restoration work. However, the Siuslaw is home to several endangered species, so Chandra LeGue, a spokeswoman for Oregon Wild and a former Stewardship Group member, says the group had to agree on some important ground rules.

"When you take things like old-growth logging off the table, there's a tremendous amount of common ground that can be found. And so, that's worked really well in the Siuslaw - we came to the table with that understanding."

Building trust was not easy at first, says Sundstrom, chairman of the local soil and water conservation district.

"Before we start the finger-pointing - like, 'Well, the problem is those guys' - first, we get a goal that we can agree on. Can everybody in the room agree that we'd like to see sustainably harvested timber coming down the road, and abundant fish runs going up the creek, in 30 years? And we've never found anybody that didn't like that picture."

More information about the stewardship group and others on the Siuslaw National Forest is online at fs.usda.gov.


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The federal government is investing $161 million into restoration projects across the West.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has selected 21 projects, including three in Idaho, for the funds - which originate from the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year.

Rob Thornberry is the Idaho field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. He said the investments help a variety of the state's landscapes.

"In the Upper Snake area, it could be benefit for sage grouse," said Thornberry. "In central Idaho, the benefits could be for threatened and endangered species such as bull trout, salmon and steelhead."

Thornberry said the funds also could be used to replace culverts or do riparian restoration. The three projects in Idaho total nearly $27 million.

Thornberry said this is good news for people who use public lands.

"BLM's commitment of $161 million to restore 21 landscapes across the West will benefit fish and wildlife," said Thornberry. "It will benefit hunters and anglers, and it'll benefit local economies in the areas where BLM lands are going to be restored."

Thornberry said the projects are a chance for a variety of groups to collaborate on the ground. BLM wants input from tribes in the region as well.

The Nevada hunting and fishing community is sharing its top 10 conservation priorities for 2023 with Gov. Joe Lombardo's office, as they seek to "ensure the continued conservation," of species and diverse habitats in the state.

The priorities range from supporting science based management techniques to conserving big game corridors and seasonal habitats.

Larry Johnson, president of the Coalition for Nevada's Wildlife, said wildfires present "the greatest adverse impacts," to wildlife populations in Nevada. He added in a bad wildfire year, the state can burn over a million acres.

"Unfortunately, at our lower elevations and everything but our very high elevations, those wildfires, we destroy the native vegetation, and it is taken over by invasive species such as cheatgrass," Johnson explained.

Johnson pointed out cheatgrass is not only poor wildlife forage, it is fuel for wildfires.

According to Johnson's group and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, nearly one quarter of the approximately 20 million acres of priority and greater sage-grouse habitat in Nevada has burned in the last 30 years. Greater sage-grouse numbers have also significantly dropped by almost 80% in the Great Basin since 1960.

Johnson argued most human activity has an effect on wildlife. His group supports developing a statewide plan for siting energy projects. He added both traditional and renewable energy projects, transmission lines and other energy infrastructure can have negative effects on wildlife if not located and operated responsibly.

Johnson emphasized highways and fences pose negative impacts to big game. Despite the challenges, Johnson remains optimistic policymakers will listen.

"Things need to be done very carefully with our existing wildlife resources in mind," Johnson contended. "And it can be done. We just have to be smart about it, that is all."

Johnson hopes the priorities will be heard and considered as people are relocating to Nevada for its vast public lands and traditional love for the sporting heritage.


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This Saturday, June 3, thousands of Californians will be among hundreds of thousands of Americans heading into the great outdoors to celebrate National Trails Day.

Thousands of events are planned nationwide from hikes to cleanup events and more.

Alanna Smith, parks program associate for the nonprofit Save the Redwoods League, noted most trails cross the unceded ancestral homelands of native nations, adding the holiday is a good time to give back.

"Thinking about how these trails are created, and ways that we can help maintain them, that's a big part of National Trails Day," Smith explained. "Any way that we can give back is really a great way to celebrate National Trails Day, also."

This year is special, because it's the 30th anniversary of the first National Trails Day. The original was held on June 5, 1993, sponsored by the American Hiking Society. You can enter your ZIP code on their website, AmericanHiking.org to find an event or service project near you.

Smith added getting out on the trails has many benefits, both to physical and mental health.

"You also don't have to be out doing some strenuous activity," Smith pointed out. "You don't have to be trail running or mountain biking in order to reap those benefits. You know, just the act of being on the trail. It helps to promote calm, it lessens stress, it helps us to regulate negative emotions."

Organizers also encouraged people to consider other ways to make use of the trails this weekend from biking or bird-watching, to geocaching and nature photography.

The national system of recreation, scenic and historic trails was created in October 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Trails System Act into law.