Restoration Program
The Task Force’s programs are deeply rooted in the foundation of ecological restoration—assisting the recovery of resilience and adaptive capacity of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.
We work throughout the Northwest to reconnect fragmented landscapes so fish and wildlife habitats can survive floods, fire and drought – all of which are predicted to increase in intensity and occurrence with climate change. We work in multiple locations in the Northwest while retaining a focus on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. For example, we work with coalitions in Oregon and rural community members in Washington to prioritize closure of roads, which can be turned into trails or other non-motorized recreational areas while restoring fish and wildlife habitat.
Public lands restoration could be what Civilian Conservation Corps projects were to the West during the Depression. For example, after ten years of advocacy by the Task Force Hemlock Dam was removed from one of the Wind Rivers main tributaries making the Wind River free-flowing from its source to its confluence with the Columbia. Hemlock Dam removal provided high quality jobs throughout the summer for two full-time crews from the James Dean Construction Company, based out of Glenwood, Washington.
Hemlock Dam removal also illustrates one of the reasons why we believe the GPNF serves as an ideal location to demonstrate the biological, social and economic values of restored ecosystems and thriving wildlife populations. Our vision for the GPNF, outlined in Restoring Volcano Country, is a solid foundation for a return to healthy and abundant salmon runs in our streams, large contiguous blocks of ancient forest thriving with wildlife, watersheds that harbor magnificent top predators and local family-wage jobs in the woods that help revitalize our rural communities.
The dramatic challenges faced by public lands managers today – from climate change and threatened species to budget crunches and political fallout – mean that they need external partners like the Gifford Pinchot Task Force to hone in on restoration priorities and successfully restore degraded and fragmented habitats while providing local, family-wage forest jobs.
A restoration-focused public lands management strategy will: 1) recover important habitats and native species; 2) create landscapes more resilient to disturbance from fire and climate change; and 3) create stable, family-wage economic opportunities in rural communities.
