Once a booming timber community, Lake County, Oregon, has struggled to keep itself afloat in the face of change.  Under pressure from a shifting ecosystem and folding economy, citizens of the 7382 person community and natural resources managment organizations wanted to find ways of re-invigorating Lake County. 

The Chewaucan Biophysical Monitoring Project (CBMP) was established to study the Jacabe Sustained Yield Unit in order to help the Forest Service and community determine the condition of the area so that they may develop methods for management and, if necessary, repair.

Lake County Resources Initiative, Fremont/Winema Resources Advisory Council, Lakeview Stewardship Group, Lakeview Ranger District, Paisley Ranger District, Sustainable Northwest, Defenders of Wildlife, The Wilderness Society, The Collins Companies, Red Lodge Clearinghouse, many concerned citizens not listed here.

Not only has the CBMP worked towards helping the community of Lake County to find ways to successfully manage its forestland, it has also helped to strengthen the ties between the community and the landscape.  The monitoring work is carried out by community members—a crew of 6-8 college-age residents of Lake County.  By including the youth of Lake County in the monitoring process, the CBMP ties the future of the community with the future of the land.

Out in the field, the crew collects information about the forest using a set of  indicators that ranges from the top of the trees to 18 inches below the ground.  The data from their studies are then put into an Internet-accessible database, which is available to all.

The goal of monitoring is to not only to accurately gauge the health of the landscape, but also to involve all interested parties in the planning process.  That is exactly what Lake County is doing with the CBMP.