Reinventing Community

Series produced by Northwest News Network (N3)

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Profiles of resource-dependent rural communities in search of new economic basis

RE-INVENTING COMMUNITY SERIES. 5 stories. Overview: Parts of the Northwest remain dependent on
natural resources like timber, fish and minerals for economic survival.
But market forces, regulations and environmental damage have shaken
those foundations. Without jobs, people leave towns their families
have lived in for generations. Without a healthy tax base, government
services are cut. In this series, we look at communities that are
changing the way they do business, so they can stay a place for people
to call home.

PART 1: TIMBER TRUCE. Austin Jenkins. In the Northeastern corner of Washington, some environmentalists and timber folks have declared a truce. The Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition is proposing a "blueprint" management plan for the Colville National Forest. It would include setting aside hundreds of thousands of acres as Wilderness while allowing logging in other areas. An environmentalist and mill owner are leading this effort, but not everyone is buying in.

PART 2: LITTLE CITY, BIG PORT. Chris Lehman. Coos Bay OR wants to become an international shipping port, in competition with Seattle, Portland, Oakland and more. It's got the deep water, but does it have the deep pockets? Part of our upcoming series on resource-dependent communities re-inventing their economic bases. [part of our 'reinventing community' series.. see below]

PART 3: GRAY'S ANATOMY. Austin Jenkins. Grays Harbor County on the Washington coast is used to getting battered - by Pacific storms and economic storms. This natural resource dependent county got hit hard in the timber downturn of the early 1990s. Today GHC still has one of the highest unemployment rates in Washington, but community leaders are feeling no shame. In fact, they're celebrating an unemployment rate below seven percent, four-thousand new jobs since 2003 and several new businesses.

PART 4: FORGING A FUTURE. Anna King. A rural renaissance is underway in Joseph Oregon. Bronze foundries crank out art the way sawmills used to crank out finished timber. But is Joseph still a good place to call home? We post that question to a long-time
family.

PART 5: FROM SUPERFUND TO 'SUPERFUN'. Tom Banse. In Kellogg, Idaho, community leaders consciously decided to find a new destiny and reinvent their mining town as a destination resort. The deck was stacked against them given sky high unemployment, a population exodus, and a Superfund designation. But wonder of wonders, it's working. Meanwhile, rising commodity prices have brought the mining industry back from the dead too.
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RE-INVENTING COMMUNITY SERIES. 5 stories. Overview: Parts of the Northwest remain dependent on natural resources like timber, fish and minerals for economic survival. But market forces, regulations and environmental damage have shaken those foundations. Without jobs, people leave towns their families have lived in for generations. Without a healthy tax base, government services are cut. In this series, we look at communities that are changing the way they do business, so they can stay a place for people to call home. PART 1: TIMBER TRUCE. Austin Jenkins. In the Northeastern corner of Washington, some environmentalists and timber folks have declared a truce. The Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition is proposing a "blueprint" management plan for the Colville National... Show full description


Additional Files

5 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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From Superfund to "Superfun:" A mining valley regains its former luster

  • Added: Mar 10, 2008
  • Length: 03:37
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Joseph, Oregon: From beams to bronze

  • Added: Mar 10, 2008
  • Length: 03:32
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Coos Bay: Little City, Big Port

  • Added: Mar 10, 2008
  • Length: 03:31
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Grays Anatomy: On the Washington Coast, a Timber County Embraces Green

  • Added: Mar 10, 2008
  • Length: 03:35
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In NE Washington a Timber Truce, But Not Everyone is on Board

  • Added: Mar 10, 2008
  • Length: 03:36