A SENSE OF PLACE

A REPORT TO PARTICIPANTS IN "COMMUNITY TREASURES OF THE UPPER SKAGIT VALLEY'

C o m m u n i t y

T r e a s u r e s o f t h e U p p e r S k a g i t

Dedicated to the Community of the Upper Skagit Valley In All Its Diversity

FOCUS (Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit) P.O. Box 93

Rockport, WA 98283-0093

mi T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

mi

Acknowledgments . . .

1. Introduction . . .

2. Background: Laying the Groundwork

Northwest Institute for Community Leadership

Bridge-builders . . . . .

Sustainable Forestry/Ecosystem-based Planning Workshop

Preparations for Community Treasures

Getting the Word Out . . . .

3. The Community Treasures Process: Making it Happen.

The Kickoff Meeting

The Original Community Treasures Meeting Process

Kickoff Follow-up . . . . .

Modifications to the Community Treasures Process: What We

Actually Did . . . . . . .

Small Group and Community Meetings . . . .

Community Treasures/2020 Tally

4. Celebrating Community Treasures: The Art Project

5. Putting 2020 Ideas in Practice: The Community Development Forum

6. The Results: What Have We Learned?

Summary of Results

Other Lessons

Community Concerns

Additional Challenges

7. Conclusion: Where to from here?

Follow-up Ideas

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LIST OF TABLES AND APPENDICES

Table I: Top Treasures List

Table II: Top 2020 Ideas List

Appendices:

Appendix I. Community Treasures Contact List

Appendix II. Funding for Community Treasures

Appendix III. Revised Community Treasures Format

Appendix IV. Upper Skagit Valley Fact Sheet

Appendix V. Examples of Promotional Materials

Appendix VI. Continuation of Treasures List from Table I

Appendix VTL Continuation of 2020 Ideas List from Table II

Appendix VTII. Examples of Media Coverage

Appendix IX. FOCUS Mission Statement

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

FOCUS wishes to thank the many individuals and groups without whom Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit Valley would not have been possible. We especially wish to thank the following:

• Milenko Matanovic and Pomegranate Center, for the original inspiration behind Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit Valley, and for working with us through thick and thin;

• The Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission (SEEC), the Dudley Foundation, and Cascadian Farm, Inc., for funding the project;

• The members of the Community Treasures Advisory Committee (see Appendix I), for their valuable feedback;

• Corinna Gill, for creating the wonderful Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit valley logo;

• The student artists who contributed their original works to the Art Project: Jennie Carlson, Zach Coggins, Orion Donovan-Smith, Robert Gillock, Angela Janda, Mary Jo Janda, Caleb Martin, and Rohanna Moffitt,;

• The adult artists who contributed their original works to the Art Project: Teresa Fisher, Corinna Gill, Don Smith, Sherry Tolman, and Mel Wheatley;

• The judges for the Community Treasures Art Contest: Teresa Fisher, Stephen Murray, and Don Smith, who judged graphic art submissions; and Deborah Money, who judged the writing contest;

• The members of the Community Treasures Art Contest Committee: Mary Janda, Teruyo Koshimiya (co-chair), Harlyn Meyer (co-chair), Deborah Money, Barbara Smith, and Sherri Tolman (with special thanks to Sherri for the art classes she gave at the Middle School;

• Cherie Donovan-Smith (parent), for coordinating the Art Contest among home-schooled students;

• Carol Starck and the staff of Cascadian Farm, Inc., (CFI), for their tireless efforts with copying and other logistical support;

• Joan Provo and Don Smith of the CFI Graphic Arts Department, without whose efforts the art cards could not have been produced; and

• John Parent, for keeping us honest.

COLOR PLATE #1

F R E S H PURE W A T E R by Jennie Carlson,

9th Grade, Rockport. Oil pastel

C O M M U N I T Y TREASURES L O G O by Corinna Gi l l , Marblemount.

Mixed media

S A U K M O U N T A I N by Orion Donovan-Smith, 3 r d Grade, Concrete. Charcoal

B & W M O U N T A I N by Mary Jo Janda, 9th Grade, Marblemount. Watercolor

ST. M A R T I N ' S - ST. FRANCIS ' C H U R C H by Teresa Fisher, Rockport. Oil pastel

E A G L E by Caleb Martin, 1st Grade, Marblemount. Crayon

1. INTRODUCTION

y t ^ l This report represents the culmination of the Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit Valley project. There were five primary goals FOCUS (Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit) wanted to accomplish through the Community

Treasures project:

• to identify the people, places and things that those who live in this valley hold in common appreciation - the Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit Valley — so that we begin to build common knowledge about what we value;

• to envision goals for the future - Ideas for the Year 2020;

• to use the knowledge gained to foster further dialogue and awareness about our community and the landscape in which we live;

• to build a greater sense of community and trust among people living here; and

•• to foster a sense of stewardship for the upper Skagit valley, including both the areas where we live and work, and the surrounding wild lands.

Why Community Treasures?

FOCUS members feel strongly that the futures of our community and the protected, wild areas of the North Cascades ecosystem are closely linked. In the long run, to ignore one may be to condemn the other. The protected areas of the upper Skagit watershed are a repository for the diversity of animals, plants and microorganisms that once flourished over the entire ecosystem. A number of these species are in serious decline outside of protected areas. Their survival depends on estabHshing and maintaining corridors for migration between protected areas, and on practicing careful stewardship of surrounding lands. Without this interconnectedness of the landscape, protected areas become virtual "islands" where some species eventually go extinct. As residents of the upper Skagit, we are the "gatekeepers" of the wild North Cascades, and are responsible for maintaining and restoring those landscape connections.

Just as the health of wild lands depends on our stewardship of the surrounding lands where we live and work, so too the long-term ecological and economic health of our community depends on our connection to protected areas. Old-growth forests

Just as the health of wild lands depends on our stewardship of the surrounding lands where we live and work, so too the long-term ecological and economic health of our community depends on our connection to protected areas.

Introduction

are a reservoir from which the diverse species critical to forest health can re-colonize lands now managed for production of timber and other commodities. Old growth forests, and other native plant and animal communities, also provide us with a "blueprint" for sustainable management of the areas where we live and work.

The central concern here is that we can no longer look at the landscape piecemeal, i n terms of political and ownership boundaries. This is a basic tenet of landscape-level planning, an approach that was considered radical only a few years ago but has now gained almost universal scientific acceptance. While there is great disagreement among both professionals and lay people about the specific application of these principles to land management, the need for landscape-level planning has been embraced by land managers in government agencies and timber companies alike.

FOCUS' hope for Community Treasures is that in sharing both what we value and our visions for the future, we residents of the upper Skagit valley can begin to overcome polarization, reconnect with each other, and become

. better stewards of the entire landscape.

What Is Community Treasures?

In our search to have as broad an involvement as possible, we held seventeen meetings throughout the Concrete School District, engaging community members in identifying treasures and ideas for the future. Nearly 200 people participated in the Community Treasures process. The result is a list of some of our community's most treasured assets, and a list of ideas (2020 Ideas) that can help us plan for the future.

The list of our treasures clearly demonstrates our collective love for our community and our natural environment. Reading the entire list of nominations, we were struck with how many special places, buildings, events, activities, creatures, and people coexist here. Here are some points that really stand out:

• We, the residents of the upper Skagit valley, have a strong sense of place. No matter what disagreements we have, the valley and the river tie us together.

• We treasure the natural beauty and richness of the valley as a whole, as well as special places within it.

• We treasure the individuals and institutions, such as schools and churches, that are at the center of our community life.

• We deeply value the human history of the valley and the people, places and buildings that link us to that history.

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• The natural resources of the upper Skagit, particularly forests and farmland, sustain us economically and spiritually.

The 2020 Ideas show that residents of the upper Skagit care deeply about the future of our community. The following points stand out:

• We are deeply concerned as a community about the economic future of our valley;

• Many of us in the upper Skagit valley desire the expansion of efforts to protect and restore our natural environment;

• The future of education in our community is of critical importance; and

• We are concerned about a variety of infrastructure and transportation-related issues.

We encourage you to read the Top Treasures List (Table I on page 13), the Top 2020 Ideas list (Table II on page 14), and the list of Treasures and 2020 Ideas nominations (Appendix VI.). Over 320 treasures were nominated, and you may be amazed how well they convey who we are, and what makes us unique. Each individual i n the community could come up with their own list of treasures. But that was not the point. We undertook this project so that we could come to understand how together we see our valley. The list of the top thirty-four treasures reflects our collective sense of what we value. This list is not definitive and final. We hope, however, that it can be a foundation on which to build future conversations. In years to come, as we revisit the Treasures list, we wil l know what changes need to be made.

The Treasures list has already been used as a resource for creating a Community Treasures Student Art Contest, resulting in an exhibit at the 1998 Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival. The contest was so successful and well received in the schools that there is a plan to make it an annual event. We are delighted by this, since this process wil l help students learn about our community which, in turn, makes them better citizens.

We hope for other opportunities to demonstrate how the Treasures list can be utilized in our discussions of economic issues, tourism, historic preservation, and public art.

The process also highlighted significant differences that exist here. Some community members felt threatened by the project, assuming FOCUS had hidden agendas. Some felt that any planning is counterproductive to their personal liberty and independence. We tried our best to include everyone in this process and we intend to continue this approach of inclusiveness. We are committed to finding ways to not only present our ideas, but to listen to those of others. We believe that

Introduction

it is not possible to solve common problems unless we talk with each other, listen to our differences, and try to reach mutually agreeable solutions. We need to come to the table together to have any chance of shaping our community constructively, or we may face the loss of what we each treasure most. In short, we wi l l need to continue to search for common vision. In a healthy community, that vision arises out of the community process. FOCUS wil l continue doing its part in promoting this process. Over time, we hope that trust within our community wi l l increase, and, with that trust, the ability to find pathways to success.

We hope that you wil l take time to read this report. We invite your comments and ideas, and look forward to hearing from you.

2. BACKGROUND: LAYING THE GROUNDWORK

We saw continuing change in the valley to be inevitable, and hoped that our community could work together to anticipate and plan for that change, instead of letting it roll over us.

jgye One evening in the fall of 1995, ^ *IPf members of FOCUS gathered to ^ » talk about new directions for the

organization. The group's members felt discouraged in their efforts since 1988 to address the accelerated harvesting of

^ corporately owned timber lands in the upper valley. Our most visible success had been the protection of over 200 acres of

m forest, including a critical bald eagle night roost area, on the steep slopes of Sauk Mountain above the town of Rockport. Although this effort had been supported by many local people, including a number who were involved in the timber industry, it

* i still seemed that FOCUS was often seen as "the enemy", and that the polarization over the spotted owl issue made finding common ground difficult.

With the strong encouragement of some new members, we decided that evening to "put aside our activist approach to timber issues for the time being and work to promote dialogue within the community. We felt that despite differences over

m issues such as logging and land-use planning, many community members share a love for the valley, and for the qualities and people that make it special. We

^ sought to find a way to bring people together to share what they value most in the upper Skagit and to share their ideas about the future of the valley in a safe, non-confrontational atmosphere. Our hope was that, once we

pj discovered how much we all held in common, it would be easier for the whole community to work together to resolve some of the more difficult and divisive issues we face. We saw continuing change in the valley to be inevitable, and hoped that

"mji our community could work together to anticipate and plan for that change, instead of letting it roll over us.

Northwest Institute for Community Leadership

A n opportunity to pursue these goals soon presented itself in the form of the m Northwest Institute for Community Leadership, a series of two-day workshops

conducted from February to May of 1996 by Northwest Small Cities Services. The purpose of the workshops was to look at the challenges facing our rural community and to develop skills, such as consensus building and conflict resolution, to deal with those challenges. At the workshops, we were expected to form small groups and put our skills to work on specific projects that would benefit the community. Participants came from diverse backgrounds, and included high school students, local business people, community development advocates, and representatives of

m local government. FOCUS members who participated in the series included J im and Harlyn (Davida) Meyer, Martha Bray, and John Day.

Background: Laying the Groundwork

For their project, Jim, Harlyn, Martha, and John planned for a series of community presentations and discussions on sustainable forestry and sustainable development. Toward the end of the four-month program, they wrote a successful grant proposal to the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission (SEEC) for the first of the educational series, a weekend community workshop on sustainable forestry to be held i n November, 1996.

During the final leadership session i n May, Milenko Matanovic of the Pomegranate Center of Issaquah, Washington, made a presentation to the group about his work as an artist and community facilitator around the world. He then led an exercise called "Community Treasures", i n which he asked each participant in the group to identify the places and things he or she treasured most in the valley. While it was a scaled-back version of what Milenko had done in other communities, the exercise revealed that people of diverse backgrounds and political persuasions in this community valued many of the same things. The F O C U S contingent was impressed that Milenko's session got a diverse group of people talking in an exciting and open way. They decided to propose to the FOCUS membership the idea of putting on a larger, more inclusive, version of "Community Treasures".

Over the following summer, FOCUS held several meetings for its members to discuss the Community Treasures idea and what it would mean for the organization. Milenko Matanovic participated in the meetings, sharing with us valuable insights gained from his work with a variety of communities, and giving FOCUS members the chance to get acquainted with him. In September we held a strategic plarining session, facilitated by Milenko, in which we revised our Mission Statement (see Appendix VIII.) and developed long and short-term goals and objectives reflecting our change in direction. We decided to go ahead with "Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit Valley", and, that fall, wrote successful funding proposals for the project (see appendix for funding information). F O C U S contracted with Milenko and Pomegranate to help coordinate the project, facilitate certain community meetings, and train volunteer facilitators.

Bridge Builders

In October 1996, we held a dinner meeting, the first of two, with a group of upriver community members and leaders who we hoped could be "bridge builders" to the wider community for our planned sustainable forestry workshop in November, and for Community Treasures. Milenko facilitated the meeting, encouraging everyone to speak briefly about what we value in the upper Skagit valley and what we would like to see here i n twenty years. The intent of the gathering was to encourage people to share their feelings and concerns. Approximately twenty-five people attended, and the discussion was lively. It was clear that community members welcomed the opportunity to talk and share ideas.

Background: Laying the Groundwork

Sustainable Fore stry/Ecosystem-based Planning Workshop

The Sustainable Forestry/Ecosystem-based Planning Workshop with Herb Hammond of the Silva Forest Foundation of Slocan, British Columbia, took place on the weekend of November 8 t h through 10 t h, 1996. During the workshop, Herb explained the philosophy and practical application of ecosystem-based planning and "Wholistic Forest Use". Herb told participants that we must put protection and restoration of ecological functions ahead of our desires to make profits and maximize yields of forest products. He said "... we are part of the forest - what we do to the forest we do to ourselves. We must focus on needs, not greed." Herb made it clear that he believes people Uving in forest communities can make a decent living from resource-based jobs while at the same time protecting and restoring the ecosystem. He stated his conviction that the sustainable harvesting, processing, and finishing of forest products in fact keeps more money within the local community, creating a more stable local economy in the long run.

A diverse, enthusiastic group including local loggers, environmental activists, and -interested citizens attended the workshop. The majority of our "bridge builders" also participated. Many who attended expressed interest in learning more about Herb's model of ecosystem-based planning and how it could help us here in the Skagit valley.

Preparations for Community Treasures

During late winter and early spring we prepared to put on Community Treasures. A local artist, Corinna Gi l l , donated her time to create a beautiful and colorful logo representing the human and natural treasures of the upper Skagit. Various products were created from the logo to promote the project (see appendices for examples). We formed a Community Treasures Coordinating Committee and invited a number of community members, including several who had participated in our "bridge builders" meetings, to join a Community Treasures Advisory Committee (see Appendix I for a list of Advisory Committee and Coordinating Committee members). Several local volunteers were trained by Milenko to serve as small-group facilitators for the initial "Treasures Kickoff' meeting.

Getting the word out

With the help of the Advisory Committee, we put together a list of 200 people to invite to the Kickoff meeting. We hoped this initial large meeting would inspire people to bring Community Treasures to their organizations, neighborhoods, classrooms and towns. Everyone on the list received a mailed invitation and a reminder phone call.

3. THE PROCESS: MAKING IT HAPPEN

> jl The "Kickoff' meeting

Sixty people came to the Kickoff meeting at the Concrete High School Commons on Apri l 18 t h, 1997. The event began with a slide show of local people and places, old and new, to get people thinking about the unique qualities of the upper Skagit valley. Following the slide show, Milenko explained the concept behind Community Treasures and how the process worked. Participants then divided into small groups led by the FOCUS facilitators. Below, we describe the original Community Treasures and 2020 Ideas process that Milenko Matanovic developed. Because of time constraints, we did only the first half of the process, identifying Community Treasures. It was hoped that people could participate in subsequent meetings to complete the second half, sharing their vision for the upper Skagit valley in the year 2020.

The day after the Kickoff meeting, nine volunteers returned to the Concrete High Commons for additional training in facilitating Community Treasures meetings with Milenko Matanovic and Robin Harris of Pomegranate Center.

The Original Community Treasures Meeting Process

The original Community Treasures meeting process as conceived by Milenko Matanovic was to have taken approximately two hours to complete and was to have been divided into three parts: an introduction, lasting about 20 minutes; identification of community treasures, 50 minutes; and identification of ideas for the future (2020 Ideas), 50 minutes. During the introduction, the facilitators would describe the project and answer questions. For the remainder of the meeting, participants would split into small groups, each with at least one facilitator.

To begin the Community Treasures segment, facilitators would distribute brainstorming forms, directing participants to record up to eight of their favorite treasures, and encouraging them to be as specific as possible in their descriptions. During the next ten minutes, each participant would select his or her top five treasures, writing each of them on separate forms. The facilitators would collect the forms and tape them to the wall, clustering similar treasures together, then read each of the nominations to the group. Each person would then be asked to select his or her favorite five treasures by placing a "red dot" sticker on each item. When all the "votes" had been cast, facilitators would make a master list of all nominated treasures with the number of times each had been selected. The completed master list and all nomination forms would then be placed in an envelope. The date, location of the meeting, and facilitators' names would be written on the outside. Then all participants would sign the envelope.

The Process: Making it Happen

The 2020 Ideas segment was to begin similarly to the Community Treasures portion, with the participants recording their ideas and goals for the future of the upper Skagit valley on a piece of paper and describing them in no more than four words each. Next, the facilitators would call upon each participant to describe their top idea to the group. As each idea was described, facilitators would write it on a flip chart and assign it a number. When most of the ideas had been collected, each person would be given five index cards and asked to write down their top five favorite ideas, one per card, from the flip chart. The participants would then prioritize their selections, writing the number representing the priority on the card. At this point, the facilitators would start a new flip chart page listing all of the nominations by number, then go around the group collecting each person's priority rating for each of the nominations. When this was done, ideas with the highest collective ratings would be identified and each person asked to sign the flip chart ratings sheet.

Kickoff Follow-up

In early May, we convened a meeting of our Advisory Committee to solicit feedback .on the Kickoff meeting and how we should proceed from that point. One of our concerns was that there had not yet been much response from groups wanting to sponsor Community Treasures meetings of their own. Several members of the Advisory Committee remarked that the process took too long, and most people were unwilling to go to another meeting. They recommended that the process be condensed into one lasting no longer than twenty minutes, and suggested approaching organizations about including one of these shortened sessions on their regular meeting agenda.

We in turn asked the Advisory Committee to help us identify key individuals to approach in various local groups and organizations. Once the list was completed, volunteers were recruited from among our advisors to contact these individuals to see i f they would be willing to talk to their groups about hosting a Community Treasures meeting.

Modifications to the Community Treasures Process: What We Actually Did

Based on input received from the Advisory Committee, and the experience with the Kickoff and subsequent meetings, we decided some changes to the Community Treasures meeting process were necessary. With help from Milenko, the meeting process was pared down until the Community Treasures and 2020 Ideas together could be completed in about 45 minutes. This was a very difficult task, as even the original, full-length version had seemed rushed. After much consideration, the interactive parts of the session were significantly shortened, and the group voting part was eHroinated entirely. Although the shortened version was still over twice

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The Process: Making it Happen

as long as the Advisory Committee's recommended twenty minutes, further cuts were avoided in order to preserve the essence of the process.

Small Group and Community Meetings

Over the spring and summer, approximately fifteen meetings were held with classes of schoolchildren, community organizations, and scouting, neighborhood, and church groups. By the beginning of August 1997, over 150 people had participated in Community Treasures meetings. We were happy with the generally positive response of participants, but still wanted to reach more people in the valley. We decided to make one more push and hold a series of meetings, one each in Birdsview, Rockport, Marblemount, and Newhalem. The meetings were open to any upriver community members regardless of which community they resided in. We elected not to have another meeting in Concrete since the Kickoff meeting was held there in Apri l .

In early October, a mass mailing was sent out to all of the approximately 2,500 boxholders in the Concrete School District inviting them to the meetings. The

.mailing also contained a sample Community Treasures/2020 Ideas ballot which people could fil l out and send back i f they wanted to participate but were unable to make any meetings. Color posters were displayed around the valley and an information table was staffed one weekend in front of Albert's Grocery in Concrete to promote the project.

Community Treasures/2020 Tally

When the meetings were completed in November, the FOCUS Community Treasures Committee tackled the task of compiling all the Community Treasures and 2020 Ideas into two computer databases for sorting and counting. This turned out to be a bigger job than anticipated. A l l of the forms were hand-written, and sometimes difficult to decipher. Once all the Treasures entries were transcribed into a computer document, key words were assigned to each one, based on what seemed to be the central item or concept. For example, we assigned the key words "Sauk Mountain" to all Treasures votes that contained Sauk Mountain as the central item. If a Treasures vote mentioned specific aspects or characteristics of the central item, we appended the specifics to the key words. For example, "The view from the top of Sauk Mountain" became "Sauk Mountain- View from the top".

The Committee worked as a group to decide when votes that differed in their original wording were close enough to assign the same wording for the tally. When we couldn't agree, items were kept separate and the original wording used. Once we had assigned key words and combined as many of the votes as possible (keeping track of the number of votes for each specific item), a computer database was used to sort and count the results. The top 34 Treasures are listed in Table I (page 13); see Appendix VI for the continuation of the list.

The Process: Making it Happen

A somewhat similar process was used for the 2020 Ideas, but this job proved to be even more challenging than with the Treasures. Most of the Treasures referred to some specific person, place or thing. In contrast, the 2020 ideas were much more varied, less specific, and more conceptual. Using the same group decision-making process as with the Treasures, similar ideas were assigned to a "Combined 2020 Idea". For example, "Address increased traffic situation" and "Lower (slower) speed limits" were both assigned to the Combined Idea "Address traffic-related problems". Individual items that were considered too different to put with others were assigned their own" Combined Idea.

After all the 2020 votes were assigned to Combined Ideas, the Combined Ideas were further sorted into "Categories". Because a number of the categories were related, keywords were added to the Category names that allowed them to be grouped together. For example, several categories of ideas related to the economy. Beginning each category name with the key word "economy" allowed al l of the economic ideas to be kept together when the results were printed. The top 35 Ideas are listed i n Table II (page 14); see Appendix VII for the continuation of the list.

Clearly, the process of tallying the results involved some unavoidable subjectivity. Questions and comments are welcome. The original handwritten Community Treasures and 2020 Ideas sheets are available for review, by appointment, by calling John Day at 360/873-2542.

"The moss is so thick and varied (especially in early spring, March-April), it's like carpet in some areas. There are so many types, and the way it grows on everything is quite interesting and beautiful (many shades of green). Maybe a Moss Festival in early spring would make people aware that moss is not always something to get rid of. The Japanese have great love for moss. They have gardens devoted to it. Why not us??"

David Collins, from mail-in ballot

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The Process: Making it

TABLE I: TOP TREASURES LIST

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES The Skagit River 38 Sauk Mountain 36 Eagles 20 St. Martin's-St. Francis' Episcopal Church 17 The Historic Concrete Theater 15 The Henry Thompson Bridge over Baker River 15 Mountains 15 North Cascades National Park 13 Baker Lake 12 Forests 12 Mount Baker 12 Rockport State Park 12 Trees 12 Wildlife 12 The old Concrete silos 10 Floating the Skagit River 9 The Skagit River Bridge at Rockport 9 Cascadian Farm 8 Fresh, pure water 8 Organic farms 8 The upriver elk herd 8 Albert's Family Grocers 7 Mount Baker Presbyterian Church 7 Salmon 7 The Cascade River Road 6 Concrete Airport 6 Fishing 6 Fresh, clean air 6 Friends 6 State Highway 20 6 Ladder Creek Falls 6 The old school buildings in Concrete 6 A sense of community 6 The new skate park in Concrete 6

See Appendix VI for the continuation of the Treasures nominations.

The Process: Making it Happen

TABLE II: TOP 2020 IDEAS LIST

COMBINED IDEA NAME NO. OF VOTES

Support and improve local schools 19

Children's/teen's activities and facilities 14

More light industry, businesses and jobs 14

Maintain and develop arts and music 11

Retain rural character 9

Maintain Concrete's historic, small-town character 9

Increased community cooperation and involvement 9

Retain and/or enhance farms and farmland 8

Limit commercial development 8

Maintain and/or enhance public transportation 8

Healthy natural environment 7

Tourism 6

Maintain and/or develop sustainable forestry and forest products

6

Library and museum 6

Enhance library system 5

Downtown Concrete businesses 5

Develop a multi-purpose community center 4

Resource-sustaining jobs 4

Affordable housing options 4

More services 4

Education opportunities enhanced by technology 4

Wildlife 4

Festivals 4

Environmentally friendly work 4

Maintain and/or restore salmon runs 4

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The Process: Making it Happen

COMBINED IDEA NAME NO. OF VOTES

Better quality care for elders 4

Community pride in appearance of neighborhoods 4

More recreation opportunities 4

Develop destination resort accessed from local area 4

Develop theme for Concrete (like Winthrop) 4

More cottage industries 4

Limit development 4

Community gathering places 4

Resource-based jobs, including value-added 4

Events 4

See Appendix VII for the continuation of the 2020 Ideas nominations.

COLOR PLATE #2

E A G L E by Angela Janda, HISTORIC CONCRETE T H E A T R E 7th Grade, Marblemount. Mixed media by Teresa Fisher, Rockport. Sepiatone

N O R T H C A S D A D E S N A T I O N A L P A R K H E N R Y THOMPSON BRIDGE by Corinna Gi l l , Marblemount. by Don Smith, Concrete.

Mixed media collage Watercolor

S A L M O N , by Robert Gillock, 4th Grade, Concrete. Felt marker

E L K , by Mel Wheatley, Cedar Grove. Carved plate

4. CELEBRATING COMMUNITY TREASURES: THE ART PROJECT

J$$g In the fall of 1997, FOCUS sponsored the First Annual Community Treasures Student Art Contest to celebrate the results. Students were invited to choose any of the top 34 Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit

Valley and to create art or writing (or one of each) based on the Treasure(s) they chose. In preparation for the contest, artist Sherri Tolman gave an art lesson to several middle school classes, using supplies purchased by the Community Treasures project. Over 100 Concrete School District students and home-schooled children, many of whom had taken part in Community Treasures meetings, submitted drawings of their favorite treasures.

A panel of local adult artists judged art submissions, and Deborah Money, Concrete elementary school teacher, judged written entries. A l l entries were exhibited as part of the Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival in February 1998, and received a warm response from students, parents, local residents, and visitors. The top two art entries in each grade group (K-3, 4-6, middle school, and high school) received an

-art supply gift certificate, and their art became one of the Community Treasures note cards. Winning written entries received bookstore gift certificates. A l l participants were awarded a "Participant" ribbon entitling them to a free ice cream cone at Cascadian Farm's roadside stand. Winning art included pictures of salmon, eagles, mountains, and rivers. Additionally, several local artists created and donated new art works, including paintings, pottery, and a woodcarving, depicting some of the top treasures.

With a $2,500 grant from Cascadian Farm, Inc. (CFI), and production work donated by Don Smith and Joan Provo of the CFI Art Department, the winning student art and adult contributions were printed on full-color note cards that are now available for sale. The cards are available in four different sets of four cards each: two sets of Kids' Cards for Art, one set of Historical Treasures, and one of Natural Treasures. Middle school students in Mary Janda's Service Learning Class put together the card sets and students are selling cards to family and friends. Cards are also being sold at several local retailers and by mail order.

Proceeds from the sale of the Kids' Cards for Art (minus shipping and handling) go directly to the Concrete Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO), which is using the funds for art supplies and instruction in the classrooms. Sale proceeds from the Historical Treasures cards go to the Concrete Heritage Museum Association to reprint the book They Called the Town Concrete, by Charles Dwelley. Sale of Natural Treasures note cards wi l l help FOCUS continue its work in promoting stewardship of the natural resources of the upper Skagit. A l l three organizations have agreed to set aside one dollar from the sale of each set as "seed money" for reprinting cards or creating new items, making the fund-raiser self-perpetuating.

17

Celebrating Community Treasures: The Art Project

The Second Annual Student Art Contest wil l be held in early May of 1999, and the entries wi l l be displayed at the Concrete Fly-in on the weekend of May 15 t h and 16 t h. This wi l l give the students an opportunity to benefit from additional art instruction and practice in the new year before submitting their entries i n May. (For information on purchasing Community Treasures note cards, please see the order form sent to you with this report, or call Harlyn Meyer at 360/853-7095.)

18

5. PUTTING 2020 IDEAS IN PRACTICE: THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FORUM

sJ^Kfe As follow-up to Community Treasures, FOCUS co-sponsored a Community Development Forum in the spring of 1998 with Skagit Valley College. The purpose of the forum was to take a fresh look at community development in

the upper Skagit valley, incorporating the ideas generated from the Community Treasures process. The planning process brought together a number of organizations with different interests. Over the course of several meetings, and with the help of a professional facilitator, the group was able to blend these diverse agendas into one.

The forum was held Friday, Apr i l 17th and Saturday, Apri l 18th at Concrete High School. For three hours on Friday evening, with forty-eight people attending, four guest speakers described how their communities in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia are addressing some of the critical issues that face al l of us i n the rural Northwest. The speakers included Ann Donnelly of the Coos Bay Watershed Association of Coos Bay, Oregon; Mike Dickerson, Managing Director of Shorebank Enterprise Group, a nonprofit business development organization in Ilwaco, WA; Jack Shipley of the Applegate Partnership of Grants Pass Oregon; and Kelly Vodden, Project Coordinator of Community Economic Development for Forest Communities, a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. The speakers addressed a variety of approaches to community-based economic development. Two themes recurred throughout the presentations: the importance to communities of a shared sense of place, and the need for a safe, neutral forum where constructive conversation can occur.

On Saturday morning, with thirty-four people in attendance, the speakers participated in a panel discussion, followed by a question and answer session. The main question asked of the speakers was "OK, how do we do it here?" One answer that all three agreed upon was: "With lots of cups of coffee and tea and beers". In each example community, one-on-one conversations for months, or sometimes even years, finally led to greater trust and the ability to engage in a broad-based dialogue. This opened the door to action with a wider base of support in a diverse community.

After the panel discussion, participants split up into smaller discussion/work groups, several of them with one of the speakers in attendance. The groups consisted of four to thirteen participants each, and were facilitated by a team of professional facilitators from Rob Kelly and Associates of Bellingham. Each group focused on one of four proposed up-river community development projects and was asked to formulate six-month and two-year goals for their project. The four project areas were the development of a Community Resource Center, the promotion of

Putting 2020 Ideas in Practice: The Community Development Forum

Sustainable Timber Harvest, Business and Workforce Development, and Ongoing Community Development Dialogue. As of this writing, the Family Resource Center has taken significant steps towards becoming a reality. The Skagit County Board of Commissioners is seeking funding for the construction of the center and has offered a county-owned parcel next to the Senior Center in Concrete as a bunding site. The Concrete Town Council has agreed to vacate a street easement arid donate an additional small parcel to make the building site more feasible. For more information, contact Cheri Cook-Blodgett of Skagit County Up River Services at 360/853-7009. For information on the ongoing Sustainable Timber Harvest work group, contact Mike Brondi at 360/853-8449. For more information on Business and Workforce Development, and Community Development Dialogue, contact forum organizer J im Meyer at 360/853-7095.

The forum participants and organizers felt that it was successful. The speakers shared valuable insights and perspectives, based on their experiences in their own communities. The people who attended the forum were enthusiastic and brought many good ideas with them as well. A major question we were left with was "what will it take to bring upriver business owners and other key people together on an ongoing basis to work on these issues?"

m

20

6. THE RESULTS: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

Summary of Community Treasures Results

Community Treasures participants' responses on the Treasures portion of the project say a great deal about the upper Skagit valley and who we are as a community. Several points really stand out:

• We, the residents of the upper Skagit valley, have a strong sense of place. No matter what disagreements we have, the valley and the river tie us together.

• We treasure the natural beauty and richness of the valley as a whole, as well as the special places within it.

• We treasure the individuals and institutions, such as schools and churches, that are at the center of our community life.

• We deeply value the human history of the valley and the people, places and buildings that link us to that history.

• The natural resources of the upper Skagit, particularly forests and farmland, sustain us economically and spiritually.

Most of the Treasures can be classified under the following headings: Natural Treasures, Historic Treasures, New Treasures, and Human Treasures. Some Treasures fall under more than one category. Others seem to defy categorization.

Summary of 2020 Ideas Results

The 2020 Ideas show that residents of the upper Skagit care deeply about the future of our community. The following list summarizes participants' ideas for the future:

• We are deeply concerned as a community about the economic future of our valley;

• Many of us in the upper Skagit valley desire the expansion of efforts to protect and restore our natural environment;

• The future of education in our community is of critical importance; and

• We are concerned about a variety of infrastructure and transportation-related issues.

The Results: What Have We Learned?

Overall, the economy was the top concern among those who participated. Out of the 373 ideas that were participants' top five choices, 111 ideas, or almost one third of the total, addressed economic issues. Within the economic ideas, the creation and preservation of resource-based jobs was the largest area of concern at thirty-four ideas. Twenty-three of these related to practicing appropriate or sustainable forestry and the development of jobs in "value-added" forest products, followed by eight related to farming. Three ideas expressed the desire for "best utilization" of Skagit forest, fisheries and hydroelectric resources, respectively. Other categories of economic ideas included: a desire for more light industry, businesses and jobs i n general (19); concern about development (19); tourism, both pro and con (12); promotion of downtown Concrete businesses (5); and more cottage industries (4). A n additional eighteen ideas covered a wide variety of economic concerns including the general desire for a sustainable community and economy, more services upriver, more barter and sharing and an expanded Saturday Market i n Concrete.

Ideas related to protection and restoration of the natural environment were the next-largest category at a total of fifty-one. Among other things, participants .expressed the desire for clean air and water i n 2020, intact ecosystems, and healthy salmon runs.

After economy and environment, education was the largest area of concern at thirty-one ideas. The largest number of these (23) related to supporting and improving local schools. Others proposed more use of technology i n education and more community education opportunities.

Transportation came next at twenty-six ideas. The greatest number of these (8) wanted to see the public transportation continued or expanded. Other ideas expressed the desire for more traffic, bigger highways and the year-round operation of the North Cascades Highway. Stil l others wanted to see the winter highway closure continued and limit paving of roads.

The remaining categories of ideas (with number of ideas) were: community involvement (19), maintaining rural character (15), community gathering places (14), youth activities (14), historic places and buildings (13), arts and music (12), libraries and museums (11), festivals and events (8), communications (6), recreation (6), North Cascades National Park (5), churches (4), Native American heritage (4), and housing (4). A n additional four ideas didn't seem to fit into any of the other categories.

The 2020 Ideas demonstrate that many of us share concerns for the future, especially in the areas of the economy, the environment and education. It appears, for example, that many or most of us agree that the future availabihty of decent-paying jobs is of major importance. Some differences are apparent when we start to talk about how those jobs should be created. Some of us would like to see

22

The Results: What Have We Learned?

jobs created through a wide variety of business and light industrial development, while others would like to see job creation specifically in sustainable, natural resource-based areas such as selective timber harvest and value-added forest products. Both the shared concerns and the different approaches suggest the need for expanding the discussion within our community about where we are headed. There appears to be a great deal of common ground already, and the opportunity to discover even more.

Other Lessons

Some of the most valuable lessons from Community Treasures are revealed in the difficulties that FOCUS encountered while carrying out the project.

Community Concerns

Over the course of the project, some community members raised questions or concerns about FOCUS and its intentions with Community Treasures. These concerns came from several perspectives.

Early in the process, several people expressed the fear that FOCUS intended to use Community Treasures to promote tourism in the valley, to the detriment of their traditional, rural lifestyles. Some of the same people commented that they felt the people putting on Community Treasures did not understand what it meant for families to live here in the valley for generations, and that the Community Treasures process was not sensitive to their culture and way of life.

Other individuals expressed the strong concern that FOCUS had a "hidden agenda" with Community Treasures. One said that instead of trying to promote community dialogue and discover common ground, FOCUS was really conducting a disguised exercise in "local area planning" that would be used to justify stricter regulations on the use of private property. This person felt Community Treasures was not open-ended, as stated, but that FOCUS was manipulating the process to achieve predetermined results. Another person stated that FOCUS was using Community Treasures to try to prevent further development of recreation and tourism in the upper Skagit valley.

Criticism of Community Treasures also came from a few past supporters of FOCUS, both local and from outside the valley. They questioned the usefulness of promoting community dialogue and expressed disappointment that FOCUS had moved away from its previous role of activism on specific environmental issues.

The FOCUS Board and Community Treasures Coordinating Committee encouraged open discussion with all of these parties and made its best effort to explain the community-building intent of the project.

23

The Results: What Have We Learned?

Additional Challenges

One other challenging aspect of Community Treasures was adapting the original model for the process to our circumstances here in the upper Skagit. The original Community Treasures process was designed to be carried out in one city or town. In order to make the process work here, it had to be adapted to reach a more dispersed, rural population. We were not as successful in this as originally hoped. However, the Advisory Committee provided valuable insights and suggestions for adapting Community Treasures to reach people in community organizations and churches. With the exception of the Kickoff meeting, significantly more participants were involved in meetings held with specific groups than i n the open meetings held i n Birdsview, Eockport, Marblemount, and Newhalem.

Another issue was the general lack of interest in participating i n community events. The Advisory Committee warned us about this issue as well. It seems that people in the upper Skagit community are much more mclined to attend meetings i f they are angry or afraid about an issue than i f it is seemingly non-controversial. In general, it is difficult to motivate people to get involved in community projects.

Overall, the greatest obstacle was the difficiilty of carrying out Community Treasures with such a small volunteer base. We had a dynamic, enthusiastic group of volunteers, but there often was more work to go around than the available people could do.

It was enhghtening to learn how differing perceptions of our organization can influence what people think of the community work of FOCUS. For example, to some people, FOCUS' history of environmental activism means that any proposal, no matter how innocuous, wil l be seen as having a hidden agenda. Perhaps F O C U S is not the most appropriate organization to coordinate and lead community efforts such as Community Treasures. Some issues and situations may call for a more basic approach. For instance, two speakers at the Community Economic Development Forum suggested that community dialogue starts with individuals. They went on to suggest that participants develop their own process, based on their own needs, as they go along. For FOCUS, this means choosing projects that most appropriately suit the mission and goals of the group, and a clear commitment to promoting understanding of our work throughout the community.

Another valuable lesson is that the scope of any future project must be carefully planned to fit the available volunteer energy. In general, community projects in rural areas are more difficult because of the small pool of volunteers. The same people take responsibility for many aspects of civic activity, such as the School Board, Fire Commissions, Parent-Teacher Organization, Chambers of Commerce and service clubs. Also, whenever possible, groups should look for ways to work together toward common goals and for opportunities to share limited resources.

24 9

7. CONCLUSION: WHERE TO FROM HERE?

There are important questions to address in following up on Community Treasures:

• What can be done to build on the lessons learned from this process?

• What can be done to protect, celebrate, or even improve the upper Skagit's Treasures?

• How can dialogue about the future of the valley and our community continue and become more inclusive?

Other individuals and organizations have already taken on activities that build on Community Treasures; most significantly, putting on the successful Community Treasures Art Contest in the schools for a second year.

Follow-up Ideas

There are many other ways that individuals and groups could follow up on Community Treasures. A number of these relate to children and the schools:

• A Community Treasures Photo Contest and display;

• Individual students or groups of students could research specific treasures and create reports or presentations on the treasures involving writing, drama, still photography, video, and/or other art forms;

• A group of students or a class could work with adult artists to create permanent, public artworks celebrating individual treasures or groups of treasures;

• The annual Community Treasures Art Contest in the schools could be expanded to include a poster contest; and

• A n annual Community Treasures celebration and exhibit involving the community as a whole could be held in the schools.

Some of the ways in which the wider community could build upon Community Treasures include:

• Create an event or events celebrating specific Treasures, groups of Treasures, or the entire list;

• Create banners about Treasures-related events to display near the highway in our towns;

• Start an ongoing series of gatherings for stories by and about people in the community and the history of life in the valley. Some possible topics are: special

Conclusion: Where to from here?

individuals; stories, history and culture of the Upper Skagit Tribe; history of early European exploration and settlement; pioneer women; logging history; mining history; farming and homesteading history; history of hydroelectric development; mountaineering tales and history; animal and hunting stories-there are many possibilities. Some wonderful events along these lines have already taken place, but it would be great to have them on a regular basis; and

• Create ongoing forums to discuss difficult issues facing us in the Skagit, such as planning for growth and economic development. These forums could serve to increase communication and trust in the community and eventually provide a basis for unified action on issues of common concern.

The ideas listed above are only a few of the possible ways to build upon Community Treasures. Hopefully they wil l have stimulated you to come up with some ideas of your own. Who can or should take responsibility for making these things happen? The simple answer is that all of us who want to see them happen need to work together. There are a number of existing community groups that could play an active role i n planning and sponsoring activities such as those proposed above. We hope that other local organizations and individuals wi l l take up this challenge. Our heartfelt thanks to all who participated and to all those who wi l l continue this discussion i n the future.

Who can or should take responsibility for making these things happen? The simple answer is that all of us who want to see them happen need to work together.

26

COLOR PLATE #3

UPPER SKAGIT WILDLIFE & H A B I T A T by Sherry Tolman, Concrete. Watercolor

SKAGIT RIVER by Rohanna Moffit, 7th Grade, Birdsview. Colored Pencil

APPENDIX I

COMMUNITY TREASURES CONTACT LIST

COORDINATING COMMITTEE Mary Kay Barbieri, 4873 Dexter Lane, Marblemount, WA 98267 Martha Bray, 1163 Martin Rd., Rockport, WA 98283 John Day, P.O. Box 123, Marblemount, WA 98267 Linda Jordon, 4873 Dexter Lane, Marblemount, WA 98267 Teruyo Koshimiya, P.O. Box 22, Rockport, WA 98283 Celia Maillet, P.O. Box 26, Marblemount, WA 98267 Kelleigh McMillan, P.O Box 148, Rockport, WA 98283 Davida Meyer, P.O. Box 158, Rockport, WA 98283 Valerie Normand, P.O. Box 233, Marblemount, WA 98237 Steve Sahlen, P.O Box 148, Rockport, WA 98283

ADVISORY COMMITTEE (MAY 1,1997) Pat Betts, 137 Main St. Concrete, WA 98237 Anne Bussiere, 101 Washington Street, Concrete, WA 98237 DeannaRayEnsley, 754 Russell Road, Concrete, WA 98237 Cheryl Holmquist, P.O. Box 112, Marblemount, WA 98267 Mary Janda, P.O. Box 129, Marblemount, WA 98267 Vicki Johnson, P.O. Box 81, Rockport, WA 98283 Mardi Jones, P.O. Box 709, Concrete, WA 98237 Deborah Money, 1058 Evergreen Hill Lane, Concrete, WA 98237 Bill Newby, 6129 Hwy. 20, Marblemount, WA 98267 Merv Peterson, 5992 Hwy 20, Marblemount, WA 98267 Zeke Ross. P.O. Box 426, Concrete, WA 98237 Dan Schei, 941 Alaythia Drive, Rockport, WA, 98283

TREASURES GROUP FACILITATORS: Mary Kay Barbieri Linda Jordon John Day Jim Meyer Kelleigh McMillan Robin Morisette Val Normand Celia Maillet Mike Elliot

C o m m u n i t y

T r e a s u r e s of t h e U p p e r S k a g i t

PROJECT FACILITATORS Milenko Matanovic & Robin Harris Pomegranate Center, P.O. Box 486, Issaquah, WA 98027

Funding for Community Treasures

Funding for Community Treasures camefrom three sources: The Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, the Dudley Foundation, and Cascadian Farm, Incorporated (CFI).

Cascadian Farm, now a major international purveyor of organically grown food products, got its start on a small farm east ofRockport that is still operated by the company. Along with providing critical logistical support (see acknowledgments), CFI funded the Community Treasures Art Contest and the production of the Community Treasures Art Cards (see the section on the Art Contest).

The Dudley Foundation is a Bellingham-basedfamily foundation dedicated to helping "alleviate the suffering of all species by addressing its deep-rooted social and environmental causes ". The Foundation's grant of $7,300provided critical start-up funds for Community Treasures and paidfor the costs of the Community Economic Development Forum (see the section on the Forum for more details).

The Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission (SEEC) provided the largest amount of funding, in the form of a grant for $18,330. SEEC is a bilateral Canadian-US organization which was established in 1985 as a part of the settlement of the dispute over the raising ofRoss Dam on the Skagit. Each year, the Commission funds projects which benefit the Skagit Watershed above Ross Dam. The vision of the organization is "to preserve the beautiful, natural and wild character of the Upper Skagit Watershed". SEEC's goals for its area of concern include the promotion of education, recreation, research, stewardship, and trans-boundary collaboration.

APPENDIX III

REVISED TREASURES FORMAT (35 minutes)

hifroductions. description of what CT project is (5 min) What's a community treasure? • It's something you tike so much that you would be sad if it got lost or forgotten. • It s something that is special to you and that you want your communityto value and

take care of. Definition used at Boy Scout and Girl Scout meetings.

Commuiuty Treasures Bramstoimirig (5 min)

1. Hand out worksheets and pencils. 2. Explain to participants that they have five minutes to:

• write down as many possible Community Treasures as they can on Side One of the worksheet

• pick out and mark their top five treasures. 3. Tell them quietly when two minutes and then one minute are remaining.

Corrimunity Treasures Interactive (5 min)

1. Go around the circle and have each person name their top treasure, telling people they can write down other peoples' ideas i f they like them. (Option: If someone is available and willing, have them write each treasure on a flip chart page, alternating marker colors, so people aren't distracted by trying to write while others are talking.)

2. Repeat this process until everyone's top five treasures have been identified, or you run out of time.

Community Treasures Voting

1. Hand out color markers for voting. 2. Ask each person to prioritize their five favorite treasures (their own and/or

those of others) by numbering them 1 through 5.

Ideas for the Upper Skagit Valley in the Year 2020

Follow the same format as with Community Treasures.

Closing 1. Collect everyone's Community Treasures/2020 sheets. 2. Pass around the big manila envelope and ask everyone to sign their

name and write down their address and phone number (start this as people are handing in their worksheets).

APPENDIX III, continued

COMMUNITY TREASURES (KIDS)

What's a community treasure?

• It's something you like so much that you would be sad if it got lost or forgotten.

• It's something that is special to you and that you want your community to value and take care of.

Here are some things that could be treasures:

• Special places (like hideouts, hikes, caves, special trees, campsites, creeks, play places) • Things people have made (like special buildings, churches, bridges, gardens, paths, artwork) • Historic things (tales and events of things that have happened around here in the past) • Live people (like people who help people or people who know about the old days) • Things you like to look at (like views, waterfalls, overlooks, mountains)

Write down as many treasures as you can think of, using only 4-5 words to describe each treasure. (It's okay if you don't use all the lines.)

APPENDIX IDE, continued

UPPER SKAGIT VALLEY IN YEAR 2020 (KIDS)

IN THE YEAR 2020, YOU WILL BE MORE THAN 30 YEARS OLD! WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD HAPPEN HERE BY THAT TIME?

Here are some things to think about while answering: • What do the grownups that you know do to make money? What would you like

to do? • How do you think your town should be different for kids in the year 2020? • Is there enough for kids to do in your town? What is needed? • How would you like the schools to be for kids in the year 2020? • Do roads and traffic need changes? • What kind of natural environment would you like to have? (Animals, forests,

parks, farms) • Any other ideas?

WRITE DOWN YOUR IDEAS FOR THE YEAR 2020!

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

APPENDIX IV

THE UPPER SKAGIT V A L L E Y A FEW THINGS WE KNOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE PLACE

How many of us are there?

There are approximately 2500 Residences in Concrete, Marblemount, Newhalem, Diablo, and in between. Population of the town of Concrete:

What do we do? Type of Employment:

Laborer Service Tech, Sales & Admin. Professional Farm, forestry & fish Manufacturing

Education: < 12 years

12 years 12 +

>16

1970 573

Concrete* 22% 20% 20% 14% 12% 12%

1980 592

1990 735

1995 740

(Skagit Co.) (15%) (14%) (27%) (22%) (6%) (15%)

(*Laborforce = 59% of population = 433 people) Concrete (Skagit Co.)

27% 33% 24% 16%

(19%) (30%) (26%) (25%)

($28,500) Median Household income (1990): $23,000

What are some of the unique characteristics of Upper Skagit Watershed?

• The Upper Skagit Basin contains over 390 Glaciers, and drains over 2400 square miles • It is the second largest river in the state, and all five species of salmon spawn in the Skagit • It provides 30% of the anadromousfish found in Puget Sound valued at $17 million/year • 5 dams on the Skagit and Baker Rivers produce 85% of electric powerfor greater Puget Sound

Approx. Land Area: Sauk/Suiattle Basin Baker River Basin Cascade River Basin Thunder Creek and east

2400 sq. miles 732 square miles 297 " 185" 770 "

(Upper Skagit Watershed = Baker River & east)

Approximately 79% of the entire watershed is forested (about 1935 square miles) About half the forest land is considered commercial {not in 'protected' status)

Who owns the commercial forest land?

How much timber is cut? Average yearly harvest (1988 - 91)

Private 132,000

2,590

Federal 404,550

940

State 43,550

420

Total

580,100 Acres

3,940 Acres How many people come to visit the Upper Skagit? National Park: 360,000 visitors/year (Campgrounds: 50,000 users/year & Backcountry: 20,000 users/year) Rockport State Park: 116,700 visitors/year (Campground: 17,350 users/year)

Forest Concerns ofthe Upper Skagit (FOCUS) P.O. Box 93 Rockport, WA 98283 April 1997

APPENDIX V

C o m m u n i t y

T r e a s u r e s of t h e U p p e r S k a g i t

What do you treasure in the upper valley? is it a surprise view of Mount Shuksan, looking up the Baker River Valley from Concrete? A favorite teacher? Your church? What about that huge old hollow maple you used to play in all day when you were little, and still love to visit? Is it a special community event, like the Bald Eagle Festival? Or how about that fishing hole that you've never told anyone about? It might be the trail where your family takes its traditional Easter hike. Is it a particular business that represents the values of our cornmunity? Or perhaps it is your neighbor who was bom and raised in the Upper Skagit and has a wealth of stories about how it used to be?

Here's what's in store after the April 18 Kickoff Meeting: • In MAY and JUNE, cornmunity groups will get together and each person will have a chance to nominate and vote

for their favorite treasures. • In JULY, the results will be tallied and given to the community. We will then create a map of all our treasures

and ask local artists (professional and amateur!) to help celebrate and communicate our Valley's richness. • In AUGUST, we will organize a community-wide gathering to look at the treasures we've selected, and, as a

community, begin talking about ways to increase and continue our appreciation of them. Some possible activities might be to create a Community Treasures program for our school children, or develop a tourism strategy that brings more visitors to the Valley, to put together artistic events, or investigate other economic oprwrtunities based on the treasures.

THEN, we will look to our future together and ask each other some key questions -What is important to our community? How do we identify our community needs and more effectively address them? How do we strengthen our abilities to work together towards common goals?

Come join with us as we identify our Community Treasures. Spread the word! Bring a friend! Project Coordinating Committee: Mary Kay Barbieri Martha Bray John Day Linda Jordan Tom Kallman Celia Maillet Kelleigh McMillan Davida Meyer Valerie Normand Steve Sahlin

Community Advisory Committee: PatBetts Anne Bussiere Deanna Ray Ensley Cheryl Holmquist Vicki Johnson Mardi Jones Bill Newby Merv Peterson Zeke Ross Dan Schei

' Mark your calendar! Treasures Kickoff Meeting

Friday, April 18th

7 to 9:15 p.m. ^ High School Commons/

For more information call: Davida 853-8173 Martha 853-8495

Project Facilitators: Milenko Matanovic and Robin Harris, Pomegranate Center, Issaquah, WA Logo: Corinna GUI, Marblemount

Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit is a project of FOCUS (Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit). The project is supported by grants from the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, the Dudley Foundation, and Cascadian Farm, Inc., and by donations from individuals. FOCUS is a local, non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Your donations are welcome and tax deductible!

Upcoriving educational public presentation and workshops: Friday, May 9,7-9pm: MARKETS FOR NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS, Jim Freed, WSU Cooperative High School Commons Extension/Forest Service, with Michael Pilarski, Friends of the Trees. FREE to the public.

May 10-11,9am Sat- 5pm Sun.: SUSTAINABLE WTLDCRAFTING OF MEDICINAL HERBS & Other Non-Timber Forest Products. At Cascadian Farm, Rockport Workshop fee $75 (Sat$45. Sun. $35)

May 5-11, Seven-day Course includes 2-day workshop above. For fees and info call Michael Pilarski 360-738-4972

APPENDIX V, continued

HAVE YOU VOTED FOR YOUR COMMUNITY TREASURES?

C o m m u n i t y

T r e a s u r e s of t h e U p p e r S k a g i t

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE:

Pat Bern Anne Bussiere Deanna Ray Ensley Cheryl Holmquist Mary Janda Vicki Johnson MartB Jones Deborah Money BillNewby Merv Peterson DanSchei Howard Stafford

COORDINATING COMMITTEE:

Mary Kay Barbieri Martha Bray John Day Linda Jordan TomKaBman Teruyo Koshimiya Celia Maillet Kelleigh McMillan Davida Meyer Valerie Normand Steve Sahlin

PROJECT FACILITATORS:

Milenko Matanovic & Robin Harris, Pomegranate Center, Issaquah, Washington

• COMMUNITY TREASURES is a community-wide project based on the belief that the people who live in the Upper Skagit — as varied as we are — share many common values. Through expressing and sharing these common values, we can choose a direction for the future, exploring what we want as a community, rather than arguing about what we don't want The purpose of this project is to bring people together to answer three questions:

0 What are the community treasures we'd like to recognize and take care of? A treasure can be anything - natural or human made - that has great worth or value to us and which the community wants to keep and guard from being diminished, injured, forgotten or lost

0 How can we build upon our community treasures? Perhaps we can agree on activities to bring to the community that would not only preserve and honor these treasures, but also benefit all of us. These activities could be educational, environmental, cultural, or economic.

0 What other issues should we think about as we plan for a sustainable future in the Upper Skagit Valley? Through Community Treasures we will look at our ideas and goals for the future. These goals and ideas can help us map a course of action.

The Bottom Line: Community Treasures is Fun!!!

September '97: There will be additional small meetings happening with various community organizations to allow people to vote on their treasures and share their ideas and goals for the future of the valley. Some Concrete School District classes will also participate.

October: For those who haven't been to a meeting already, there will be four open meetings in up-river towns. Shortly afterwards, the results will be compiled and a written report will be presented to the community.

November- December: Area artists (both professional and amateur) will be invited to participate in an art contest celebrating the community treasures that were selected. Children will be included in this contest.

January '98: Gatherings will be held to build on the treasures we've identified, develop future activities, and continue to celebrate our Treasures.

February: Winners of the Art Contest will be announced and the winning art will be displayed at the Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival.

Spring: There will be a Community Treasures Celebration along with a Forum on Sustainable Economic Development.

LOOK FOR A MEETING NEAR YOU TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! w (please see meeting schedule on back side of this flier)

Community Treasures of the Upper Skagit is a project of FOCUS (Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit, P.O. Box 93 Rockport, Wa 98283). The ^ project is supported by grants from the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, the Dudley Foundation, and Cascadian Farm, Inc., and by donations from individuals. FOCUS is a non-profit, tax-exempt (501 fc/[3J) organization.

wy

APPENDIX V, continued

COME JOIN THE TREAURE HUNT!

What's your favorite Upper Skagit Treasure? Is it that surprise view of Mount Shuksan, looking up the Baker River Valley from Concrete? Is it a favorite teacher? Your church? What about that huge old hollow maple you used to play in all day when you were little, and still love to visit? Is it a special event, like the Concrete Spring Fly-In? Or might it be the trail where your family takes its traditional Easter hike? Is it a particular business that represents the values of our community? Or perhaps it is your neighbor who was born and raised in the Upper Skagit and has a wealth of stories about how it used to be?

At upcoming gatherings you will have the opportunity to identify your community treasures and share some ideas for the future with your neighbors. Come on out, have some fun, and share your favorite treasures!

Pick a gathering that's convenient for you:

COMMUNITY TREASURES MEETINGS FOR UPPER SKAGIT VALLEY RESIDENTS:

DATE TIME PLACE

ROCKPORT: Wednesday, October 15* 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Rockport Firehall

BIRDSVIEW: Saturday, October 18th 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Randy & Deanna Ensley's 754 Russell Road*

(*north on Russell Rd - first house on left)

NEWHALEM: Thursday, October 23 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Currier Hall

MARBLEMOUNT: Saturday, October 25 th 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Community Club

Families and kids are welcome!! There will be refreshments and a good time for all!! For more information call Martha at 853-8495, or Davida at 853-7095.

APPENDIX V, continued

Celebrate the Treasures of the Upper Skagit

Get together and celebrate the upper Skagit! Meet your neighbors! Dance!

View the Treasures Art Contest entries!

The final event of the Community Treasures project is a community-wide party to honor the treasures identified

by YOU during the last 18 months.

Selected beverages and grilled salmon will be provided. Bring a potluck dish to share, your own utensils,

and a musical instrument.

Sunday, June 28th, 5 pm Marblemount Community Club

~ no charge ~

C o m m u n i t y

T r e a s u r e s of the U p p e r S k a g i t

APPENDIX VI

CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST F R O M T A B L E I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES Cascade Pass and River Valley 5 Diobsud Creek 5 Eagles eating salmon at Milepost 100 5 Old fire lookouts 5 The Fish In Cafe 5 The football field 5 The Martin Road Fishing Access 5 Jim Early 5 Howard Miller Steelhead Park 5 Finney Creek 5 Granny's Cabin 4 Moms and Dads 4 My house 4 Old buudings 4 Bud Clark 4 Hazel Tracy & her stories & memories 4 The Jenkins Family 4 Ross Lake National Recreational Area 4 Small farms 4 The Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival 4 The variety of species (biodiversity) 4 The Agg Pond 3 Annie's Pizza 3 Herb Larsen's Camp 7 Logging Museum 3 The Town of Concrete 3 The Concrete Department Store 3 The Diablo Small-bore Range 3 Glaciers 3 Hunting 3 Loggers 3 Pastoral Views 3 The Sauk River 3 The Skagit River watershed 3 The "Sockeye Express" Train 3 Trails 3 Waterfalls 3 Animals 2 Baker Hot Springs 2 Baker Lake Dam 2 Baker River Fish Project 2 Barnaby Slough 2 Birdsview Grange 2 Business & industry 2

Page 1 of 7

APPENDIX VI: CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST FROM TABLE I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES Camp Marion 2 The Carved Bear in Concrete 2 Cascade Mall 2 The Cascade River 2 Churches 2 Concrete churches cooperative Mexico missions 2 Concrete High School over the road 2 Concrete Schools 2 Creeks 2 The Skagit River Dalles area 2 Diobsud Butte 2 Family 2 Horseshoe Cove on Baker Lake 2 Lake Shannon 2 Lake Tyee 2 Law & order 2 The Marblemount Post Office 2 My bike 2 My town 2 Newhalem 2 The Newhalem Big Bore Range 2 The North Cascades National Park Visitor Center 2 Old railroad grade from Sauk City to Rockport 2 Myra Benton 2 Dan Brauer (teacher) 2 Deborah Money (teacher) 2 Julie Meeker 2 Old timers 2 Paul & Shari Loeffler 2 Tootsie Clark 2 Rain 2 Rainbows 2 Rasar State Park 2 A resource based economy (not tourism based) 2 The Rockport Bridge 2 Ron Lewis & Andrea Kings' house 2 St. Catherine's Catholic Church 2 Stories of how mountains got their names 2 The Trail of the Sentinels 2 Trails 2 Wilderness 2 Woods 2 The abundance of nooks and crannies along the 1 Skagit, mile 100 -102 Access to hot springs, lakes, etc. 1

Page 2 of 7

APPENDIX VI: CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST FROM T A B L E I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES Access to the river 1 Accessibility of Sauk mountain and Cascade Pass 1 The ambulance & crews 1 The availability of remote areas 1 Baker Park 1 Baker Street Grill 1 Bald eagle habitat 1 The baseball field 1 Big four wheelers 1 The big rocks at Bend in Skagit River at mile 101 1 Bike riding down Burpee Hil l 1 The bike trails in Cape Horn 1 Birds and squirrels 1 Blue Lake 1 Boyfriends 1 Brown's House 1 Buck Creek 1 Buffalo Run Restaurant 1 The Burlington Northern right of way trail in Birds view

1

Burpee Hil l Road 1 Campgrounds 1 The Cascadian Farm Roadside Stand 1 The caves by my friend's house 1 Children 1 The old church in Rockport 1 Clark's Cabins 1 Concrete Elementary School 1 The Concrete Fly In 1 The Concrete Library Building 1 Concrete Middle School 1 Concrete Senior Center 1 Concrete Silo Park 1 Cow Heaven Meadows (Helen Buttes) 1 The Crofoot Addition in Concrete 1 The Cub Scout feeling 1 The view from the Dalles Bridge 1 Dams 1 Deer 1 Dellinger's Church 1 Devil's Elbow 1 Diablo Community 1 The Diablo Cookhouse/Museum 1 Diablo Dam 1 Diablo Park 1

Page 3 of 7

APPENDIX VI: CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST FROM TABLE I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES The Diablo Swimming Pool 1 DJ's Texaco 1 Dogs 1 Draft horses 1 The Bacon Creek bald eagle pair 1 Early methods of logging, farming, and bunding 1 The environment: lakes, rivers, forests, wildlife 1 Everett Lake 1 Everyone doing his best 1 Family values 1 Family's gravesites 1 Fish 1 Flowers 1 My friend's brother's gravesite 1 God 1 God's Country - mountains, lakes, trees 1 Concrete Good Old Days 1 Good teachers 1 Goodell Creek swimming hole 1 Gorge Dam 1 The gravel bar at river mile 74 (Johnson's) 1 Green Mountain meadows 1 Handcrafts 1 Haskin Forest 1 Hawks 1 Helen Buttes, Diobsud Buttes, Oakes Peak 1 Hike 1 Hippies 1 His Place Church (Burlington) 1 Historic Sites 1 The history of building the dams 1 The history of the valley 1 Horseback riding 1 Hosanna House 1 Huckleberries 1 Hydroelectric Power 1 Illabot Creek & Mount Chaval 1 Indian Lore 1 Indian plum 1 Jackman Creek 1 Jesus 1 Lack of crowding 1 Lake Shannon Woods 1 Lakes 1 Library 1

Page 4 of 7

APPENDIX VI: CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST FROM TABLE I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES Living in the woods 1 Living on the land 1 Local musicians 1 Local volunteers 1 Locally owned & operated businesses 1 The Log House Inn (Marblemount) 1 Loggers' Landing 1 Logging & Mining 1 Logging history 1 The Lone Star Bunding 1 Milky Way 1 The monkey pod trees across from the old Lone Star 1 Office Moranda's brother's grave 1 Moss in springtime 1 Motorless vessels 1 The Mountain Song Restaurant 1 The mouth of Rocky Creek 1 My brother's grave 1 My cabin in the mountains 1 My cat 1 My dad 1 My dog 1 My dog Buddy's grave 1 My neighbors in Rockport 1 The Newhalem Campground 1 North Cascades Inn - dining on the patio 1 North Cascades Institute 1 O'Toole Creek - Marietta Falls 1 The old bridge to the south side of the Skagit 1 The old Cascade highway 1 The old concrete mill 1 Old cultures - Indian, loggers 1 The Old Homestead 1 The old maple on Highway 20 near Marblemount 1 The old school house in Birdsview 1 The old train in Concrete 1 Olson Creek 1 The park in Cape Horn 1 Park trails 1 Bil l Newby 1 Bil l Newby, Vicki Johnson, and Cheri Cook Blodgett 1 Dave Williams 1 The diversity of people 1 Doug Palmer 1

Page 5 of 7

APPENDIX VI: CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST FROM TABLE I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES Ember LaBounty 1 Herb Larsen 1 James Ray Brooks 1 Jennifer Earheart 1 Jim Futrelle 1 Jim Harris 1 Laurence Hornbeck, Weasel Buchanan, Rockport 1 Fire Dept. Marilyn Williams 1 older women of Upper Skagit 1 Tommy Thompson, first forest ranger in the Skagit 1 Warnie L. Johnson (great outdoors man, hunter, 1 trapper, logger) Wes Haight (long term resident) 1 Albert Frank; Ray Arnold; Hum Family 1 Pioneers in the valley 1 The pond jumps in Concrete 1 The ponds near my friend's house 1 Pony Island 1 The Post Office 1 Power Line Road 1 Pressentin Park as it is now 1 Private property 1 Railroads 1 The Remnants of the concrete plant 1 The remodel of Merv's station (It stayed with look of 1 community) Riding my three-wheeler 1 Rivers, fresh 1 Rockport Store 1 Rocks etc at SR 20 mile 102 1 Rural lifestyle 1 Sauk City 1 Sauk Lake 1 Sauk Mountain Pottery 1 Seasonal changes 1 Silence 1 The silence of the valley 1 Skagit Indians 1 Skagit River bottom soil 1 Skagit River Dams & Power Generation 1 Skagit River, North Cascades National Park, 1 Cascade River Skagit Soapstone 1 Skaters 1 Small town atmosphere 1

Page 6 of 7

APPENDIX VI: CONTINUATION OF TREASURES LIST FROM TABLE I

TREASURE NAME NO. OF VOTES Stephenie's Drive-In 1 Stories early settlers logging 1 The story about Tim Roetman driving a truck over 1 motorcycles at Winky's The Superior cement stacks 1 Sustainable timber harvests 1 The Ark 1 The moon 1 The world 1 Throwing a hatchet at my cedar tree 1 Thunder Creek 1 Thunder Creek Cedars 1 Tobias Wolff 1 Thunder Arm Trail 1 Trails made by wildlife 1 My trampoline 1 The tree in my yard 1 My treehouse 1 The trees on my property 1 Upper Skagit Tribal culture 1 The view of mountain ridges & mist off the Skagit in 1 early morning The water tower in Cape Horn 1 The waterfall on the east side of the Skagit River 1 three miles north east of Marblemount Well-maintained town parks 1 Winter 1 The woods by my house 1 The yew trees on Concrete Sauk Valley Road 1

Page 7 of 7

APPENDIX VII

CONTINUATION OF 2020 IDEAS LIST F R O M T A B L E II

COMBINED IDEA NO. OF VOTES

Maintain and/or restore sources of clean water 3

Good local newspaper and other local news media 3

Promote value added wood products 3

Reduce or prohibit clearcuts 3

Continued positive influence of North Cascades National Park

3

Silo Park ~ special events 3

Sustainable Community and Economy 3

Best utilization of Skagit resources 3

Address traffic-related problems 3

Increase church membership/involvement 3

Promote awareness and knowledge of Native American culture

3

Develop area museum 3

Continued authority of state and county governments 2

More local self-governance in eastern Skagit County 2

North Cascades Highway (SR 20) open all year 2

Concrete Theater 2

More people 2

Increased tourism 2

Upper Skagit Watershed Council 2

Barter and sharing economy 2

North Cascades Highway (SR20) winter closure 2

Support parks in general 2

Practice appropriate forestry 2

No or little change from today 2

Community members listen to each other 2

Expanded Farmers' or Saturday Market 2

Page 1 of 3

APPENDIX VII: CONTINUATION OF 2020 IDEAS LIST FROM TABLE II

COMBINED IDEA NO. OF VOTES

Limit paving of roads 2

Expand Community Education opportunities 2

Dismantle large timber company land holdings 2

More self-reliant community, less dependence on welfare 1

Constructive, positive work needs to be developed 1

Natural resources need to be "professionally" preserved 1

More involvement in Emergency Medical Systems 1

Expand signage identnying historic streets/areas beyond Concrete

1

Careful development with community input 1

Non-carbon-based fuels 1

Less tourism dependency 1

Catholic church and all other churches stay same 1

Burpee Hil l view 1

Community activities centered on community needs 1

Environmentally-conscious community that loves one another

1

Small Talk Groups 1

Identify "sacred places" to protect from development 1

Raise more money for community purposes 1

Skagit River - stay same 1

Set up more community gardens 1

Stabilized land prices 1

Drug and alcohol free zone 1

We need to give our children a vision of a better life, raise their goals

1

Environmental/art center 1

English pub 1

Park maintenance done by local labor 1

Page 2 of 3

APPENDIX VII: CONTINUATION OF 2020 IDEAS LIST FROM TABLE II

COMBINED IDEA NO. OF VOTES

Developing natural sites 1

Abandon the use of lead weights 1

More historical preservation 1

Traffic light at the Highway-Superior street intersection 1

Concrete, a small, thriving community 1

Less dependence on tourism 1

Four-lane highway over the pass 1

Well educated local youth staying in community 1

Commercial forestry still a main income-generator 1

Remove dams on the Skagit 1

Quality medical care facility 1

Move Hwy 20 to Power Line Rd. 1

Fewer environmental regulations pertaining to resources 1

Public swimming pool 1

Charter schools 1

More respect from visitors for local area 1

Residential development in rural areas 1

Increase in traffic 1

Spiritual center 1

More commuting to work 1

Preservation and enhancement of local treasures 1

Page 3 of 3

EXAMPLES OF MEDIA COVERAGE

APPENDIX VIII

Page - 6 Courier-Times - Tuesday, February 3,1998

Winners and all participants in the "Community Treasures" art"contest,', sponsored by :Forest Concerns of the ;

Upper Skagit, were displayed at the Concrete Elementary School' cafeteria during the Bald Eagle Festival last Saturday and Sunday.The contest will be repeated next year, said FOCUS spokeswoman Davida Meyer. 100 children submitted entries to the contest; winners were announced Friday. Prizes will be given at awards assemblies in February and March.

Upper Vailoy folks name treasures: Concrete area resident "Tim Meyer, right, led one of four groups last Friday who were identifying treasures of the Upper valley worth celebrating and maintaining. The meeting in the Concrete High School is one of the first of a series meant to involve all residents who are interested. Identifying values is one step proven useful to preserving and enhancing those values, a consultant told the groups. For details, see story this page.

z m z a [ z a .. .m . i :m

Tuesday. April 22.1997 Page 3

Newby called Concrete area treasure by group

Bill Newby is an iipriver citi­zen picked as a "treasure" to be preserved and enhanced at the first of several Concrete meetings Friday, April 18.

"Basically, 'we want steward­ship of the upper valley that will allow our grandchildren to make a living in this beautiful ecosys­tem," explained Davida Meyer, one of the sparkplugs in an effort by various community members to identify treasures and find ways to maintain or improve them.

Other treasures identified Fri- . day include the trees of Ruckpoi t State Park, Diosucl Butte, the North Cascades'National Park, clean water and wildflife, organic agriculture, the view of Ed Dorado ridgeline, floating the Skagit River in boats and canoes,

the Sauk Mountain Trail, Cascadian Farm, the St. Martin Church view, and Sauk Mountain.

' Newby was picked because, said Paula Ogden, this Seattle City Light employee is always helpful to neighbors, has been a volunteer firefighter and Emer­gency Medical Technician, plows people's drives with his snowplow without being asked, and "just gives and gives and gives" to his

.neighbors.

The current treasure identifica­tion effort was developed by a group called Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit when member:; realized they'd get closer to their goals of sustainable stewardship by involving the whole commu­nity, Meyer said.

APPENDIX VIII

/

Foriim t O f O C U S O i l About the Forum I

Concrete development By PETER KELLEY Staff Writer

He said sustainable resource man­agement is the overall theme of the sessions,.but they also will encom­pass questions of municipal develop­ment and building more, recreation

.sites for the area's young people. .^-'Margy Miller,'director of Skagit-'Tsland Head Start, said-the meetings also will address the'idea of a com­munity center in Concrete.

• WHAT: Communtty develop­ment projects forum • WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and 9a.m to 3:30 p m. Saturday-• WHEREr.Concrete High School commons • CALL: Jim Meyer at 853-/0&-5

C O N C R E T E — How should the Concrete area be developed? Can timber harvests support the economy without destroying the. environment?. And-where do the children play?*• ,.3./

Community members will gain information'on- and discuss these topics ini. a two-day conference Fri­day andSamrday at Concrete High'g:-Miller'said Concrete has long School.;: • ••••"•.' • " "* needed a'place for after-school

The Community Development "activities, community meetings and . Projects;.Forum.will begin with 'satellite offices pf-social service

speakersf.Friday ;ev'ening and end. groups. " :With,wdrkshops-and gbal setting ses-.^,-The meetings will runjrom 7 to* "siohs'' Saturday ."'said Jim Meyer ~a~ 10 p.m? on Friday and from 9 a.m. to • . cpTOrgardz r of the forurxu..^. :_.: . 3-30 p.m. S M U K t o y ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ - ^ g a

•"•vf^^^forahrij-sponsored by the; '••^"Friday evening^ speake^wilI':beC? group 'Forest Concerns of the Upper:.. I/- • M i ke D i c ke rson; mana^Ingl SkagitWalonfcwith :Sk'agit Valley%dir"ecto'r of Shbrebahk%m

" College...' f^,......* , -•- » . . . . , , 'Croup"of Hwac'o^ash.,The Shore-.-Meyer said he'd like to see a real «bank gives marketing"and credit,

plan for development and sustain- assistance to businesses thatshowV able use of resources come from the commitment to environmental con-meetings. •> v>.'>!T-• v^v=.*'S*'--v^Vs\ servation.,ev;-.': •.«:*. v ^ r O -

"Ever since the downturn in tim- • Ann Donnally, of the Coos Bay v

ber there's be the question of how do Watershed Association, Coos Bay,? we. develop the community. There's ..Ore. The Coos Bay group researched^ been: a lot of talk, but the ideas gen- i strategies, for deafing 'widijte naiw' erated usually sit on the shelf andv*ing:;bf-c6ho-'saimon-t6-the^ehdah^ gather dust," Meyer said. "We're , gered'-species' list, in 1993,'ahd alsqv hoping to see"this turn into action." "works on habitat restoration. •.- „

• Jack Shipley, with the Apple-gate Partnership, Grants Pass, Ore.. The.partnership brings members of. industry, conservation groups, gov-'.' emment agencies and research sci-' entists .together cooperatively, to help protect watersheds..:. "-•'

' • Kelly Vodden, project coordi­nator for Forest Communities, Simon Fraser University Communi­ty. Economic Development Center. The center has been involved in sup­porting .sustainable .business and community-development ih.Ontario,^ Canada.4w^ rt^ y^'t^-'^^' " ' -~

^Meyer. said previous develop­ment-related meetings in the area have attracted.large-audiences, and he hopes for the same for this one. ..,

iThe^EKeWg is' funded by portions."" of grants-totaling-about $26,000 frpm|the,iSkagitiEnyirbhmental: Endoyimehtand the Dudley Fouhda^ tion T6f^^^0i^::'T^:WoTkshpp, wltb^^'flSget'-'of'abottt^S.OOO^is one of several activities and projects being paid forby the grant money. ••

-Formore.information, call Meyer at .853^095^.:&^^.^^;- 'r , .

W'i :. - ' - -.--—-•<•-••

Concrete community forum: Key is communication Friday evening 48 people met al the Con­

crete High School commons to hear a panel of experts discuss community roles in the future of the valley. Speakers came together from Oregon, Washington and Canada to address a common passion—community development for small, rural areas that can sustain the com­munity and art and al the same time honor its social, economic and environment treasures.

Jim Meyer, coordinator of the forum, invited the audience to explore the concept of com­munity development. "We want to look at our community in a more holistic way. Capital is more than an economic concept. Capital is also

social and environment. We want to preserve the environment of the upper Skagit and live off the interest, so the entire community can survive and grow and thrive."

The theme of the evening began to emerge as each speaker talked about their program. They stressed how important it is to have a cooperative effort to achieve common goals, and how businesses, banks, colleges and the people can work together to create the com­munity they envision.

Community forums, constant open, honest communication in a safe atmosphere and a well thought-out goal, will move a community in a

positive direction. Jack Shipley, Applegate Partnership/Grants Pass.OR, summed it up in a sentence " no one has a single corner on the truth—just different perspective."

Mike Dickerson, managing director of Shorebank Enterprise Group of Ilwaco, Wash­ington started the evening off with a presenta­tion on how Shorebank provides marketing and credit assistance to businesses and non-profit groups that show a commitment to environmen­tal conservation.

Dickerson feels strongly about the 'power of people in a place.' "One area we need to focus on is market demand," he said. "We need

to encourage consumers to support environ­mentally sound products." He strongly urged the upriver community to take action and move in a positive direction now. "Take on tangible projects," he said. "People can and do make a difference."

Ann Donnelly, of the Coos Bay Watershed Association, Coos Bay, OR, spoke on the ne­cessity of a community of place is incredibly important. "The people who live in a commu­nity know it intimately. They know all its bits and pieces."

Continued on page 3

Courier-Times - Wednesday, April 22,1998 Page - 3

C o n c r e t e f o r u m Continued from page I

Donnelly supports a talking group where everyone feels safe. But she encourages a neutral staff to oversee the forum. "This creates a opportunity of constructive conversation."

After Skagit Valley College representatives gave a presentation on their rapidly expanding distance learn­ing centers, Shipley explained how his community put differences aside and rallied to save the Applegate Wa­tershed.

Alarmed at the economic and environment decline in their community, they successfully created a working partnership that includes members of industry, conser­vation groups, government agencies and scientists. These traditional advisories hammered out a partnership that sels aside differences and allows them to work coopera­tively to protect their watershed.

The evening ended with a presentation on community centers by Kelly Vodden, project coordinator of Forest Communities Project at Simon Fraser University, Ontario, Canada. Vodden suggested that shared space can pull community groups together. "Make a community center the hub of local activity," she stressed. "Bring all the community groups together in one setting and they can't help but talk."

Saturday's panel and discussion groups addressed lo­cal issues such as creating a community center in Con­crete, encouraging certified sustainable harvested timber and value-added forest products, and business and workforce development.

Meyer was satisfied will) the turnout and hopes to host

Jack Shipley from Grants Pass, Oregon, was one of die forum speakers.

a similar forum this fall. "Pulling a community together to talk is not a one­

time shot," he said. "It is a process. We want people to feel free to talk openly without fear of retribution or ridicule. There are these pods in our community where good things arc happening. I want to expand that neigh-horliness to include everyone. I think we will find that we arc more alike than different."

r i

this Image of St. Martin's - St. Francis' Church was created In oil pastel 'Salmon' was created in felt pen by Robert Glllock, a fourth-grader from 'Upper Skagit Wildlife and Habitat' is a watercolor by Sherry Tolman of by Teresa Fisher of Rockport. i '•' Concrete. Concrete.

In the cards: Art by Concrete students graces fund-raising project 6y PETER KELLEY Staff Writer

CONCRETE — One card shows a speck­led brown humpback salmon swim­ming neatly between two stalks of sea­

weed. It was created by Robert Gillock a year ago, when he was 9. • And it's available for sale at a reasonable price, for a good cause. '. Robert said Friday that he's pleased to have his art work chosen to be part of the Community Treasures Art Project. He said it took about a week to draw, ana that he'd like to be an artist later in life. The Commu­nity Treasures Art fund-raiser project is ded­

icated to raising money for just such instruc­tion, for Robert and all the other young Con­crete students. ':-

Community jTreasures is an offshoot of Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit (FOCUS) that is seeking to raise money for art instruction and supplies in the Concrete schools and support for the Concrete Her­itage Museum.-

Robert Gillock is only one of several stu­dent artists whose work is available on note cards through the Concrete Treasures Art Project. !

Others are.'Orion Donovan-Smith. Angela and Mary Jo Janda, Caleb Martin, Rohahna

Moffitt and Zach Collins. There are four sets of cards available in

all, including work of students and that of experienced artists in the Concrete area.

Harlyn Meyer, who helped organize the fund-raising project, said she did it partly because of her surprise at the lack of art classes in the early grades at the Concrete School District.

There just isn't money enough. But rather than complain, she and others in the project decided to do something about it.

Meyer said a contest was held last May when about 100 Concrete-area children sub­mitted works of art to be considered fof the

4-

cards. The winners came up with a variety of

interesting scenes. In addition to Robert's speckled salmon, there are colorful views of eagles, the Skagit River, Sauk Mountain and other scenes.

Meyer said if all the cards are sold, it could bring more than $7,000 to the Con­crete Parent-Teachers Organization, which will use the money for art programs mid sup­plies in the schools.

In addition to two sets of cards showing student art, Meyer said, there also are sets called Historical Treasures and Natural Treasures, created by talented adult artists in

the area. Proceeds from the Historical Treasures

will pay for the Concrete Heritage Museum Association to reprint the local history book, "They Called the Town Concrete."

Proceeds from the Natural Treasures sets will go to FOCUS, for its work in support­ing the cultural, natural and human resources of the Upper Skagit Valley.

• The cards cost $5 for each set of four and are available by writing to FOCUS, P.O. Box 93, Rockport, WA 98283. Those wishing more information may also call Meyer at 853-7095.

Forest Concerns of the Upper Skagit

FOCUS MISSION STATEMENT

FOCUS is a group of community members dedicated to bringing people of the Upper Skagit together in caring for the community's natural, cultural and human resources. We believe that long-term economic health is dependent on environmental health, and that both economic and environmental health depend on careful stewardship of our valley.

Our mission is to:

1. Promote community-wide awareness and celebration of our resources, and build upon these assets for the future.

2. Promote discussion and discovery of common ground among those with various viewpoints regarding the best management of our resources.

We believe that our community is one of our most valuable assets and that strong cooperation among all of us is the best guarantee of success.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. We take pride in the beauty and richness of our valley. 2. We believe that a strong cooperative community will strengthen each of its members. 3. We work from a sense of hopefulness. 4. We encourage dialogue to increase inclusiveness in a diverse community. 5. We strive to be good listeners and respect the views of others. 6. We work to build productive relationships throughout the wider region. 7. We strive for quality and integrity in all our activities. 8. We celebrate individual and community accomplishments.

FOCUS LONG-TERM GOALS

Goal #1: Build a cooperative, sustainable, natural resource-based community in the Upper Skagit Valley.

Goal #2: Develop an effective, diverse and functional organization in order to achieve Goal #1.

NOTE: This document was created at a strategic planning workshop on September 13,1996, and revised and approved by the rnembership at FOCUS' Annual Meeting on October 13,1996. It replaces the original FOCUS Statement of Purpose.

FOCUS P.O. Box 93 Rockport, WA 98283