The Applegate Partnership

In 1992, a pair of unlikely collaborators, Jack Shipley (an avid environmentalist) and Jim Neal (a long-time logger), were
fed up. They were tired of the gridlock, fighting about "lizards and logs" and figured it was worth trying a different
approach. Shipley and Neal began discussing the idea of managing the half-million acre Applegate watershed in an
entirely different way - one based in collaboration between private land owners and land-managing agencies. Located in
southwest Oregon and northern California, the Applegate watershed includes Forest Service, Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), state, county, and private lands. About 3,000 people live in southwest Grants Pass which is part of
the watershed; the other 9,000 or so people live in mostly rural areas with no incorporated towns.

Shipley and Neal talked informally with neighbors, loggers, environmentalists and natural resource agency personnel for
months. These grass roots discussions reinforced their belief that they had more common ground than differences. People
wanted "healthy forests and healthy critters" as well as healthy humans. Shared interests included maintaining the long-term
health of the watershed and stability of local economics. With cautious but hopeful interest from diverse individuals, a
coalition of people formed a "Board of Directors" and soon agreed on a vision, goals, and objectives. The Applegate
Partnership now includes community residents, people affiliated with environmental groups, timber, farming, and ranching
interests, schools, natural resource agencies, and anyone else interested in the Applegate watershed. The vision
developed in 1992 still provides inspiration:

The group has been meeting nearly once a week for years with regularly scheduled meetings open to all people. Initially,
volunteer facilitators assisted in conflict resolution which was particularly important, given the long history of animosity.
Ground rules for communication were developed by the group; attention to group process issues is still needed. The
motto is "Practice trust -- them is Us." Though people are aligned with various constituencies, the meeting dynamics
encourage them to come together more as caring individuals, respectful of differing values, rather than representatives of
interest groups. Positions and agendas are "checked at the door." Jack Shipley is recognized as the charismatic leader of
the Applegate Partnership, but his style is such that leadership and responsibility are shared equally among participants.
All people have equal access to power, information, and action. Decisions are made through consensus. A common
question asked is "Who else needs to be at the table?"

Especially important to the Applegate Partnership is the community focus. Each person brings genuine and powerful
feelings about this common place and for the people who live in the Applegate watershed. This strong attachment is a
significant factor in their ability to unite and re-create community despite conflicting interests (Sturtevant and Lange,
1995). Being out on the land through field trips is essential to resolving issues and creating what people want to see. The
merging of maps across all ownership through Geographic Information System (GIS) has reinforced the perspective that
this place is unique and merits a comprehensive integrated approach.

Most of the Applegate Partnership's focus for projects is restoration while also creating opportunities for local
employment. Examples include riparian planting on private lands, installation of fish screens, fencing off streams, putting
roads to bed, and reducing the risk of wildfire. Individuals in the Partnership work actively with the natural resource
agencies to encourage landscape projects which will improve the overall health of the watershed. A newsletter is
published and distributed to all households in the watershed about resource and community issues.