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Written by: Jessica Alvarez, Communications & Content Manager

Lomakatsi Restoration Project is a nonprofit, grassroots organization that develops and implements forest and watershed restoration initiatives, programs and projects throughout Oregon and northern California. Its mission is to restore ecosystems and the sustainability of communities, cultures, and economies.

For over 28 years, Lomakatsi has partnered closely with local, state and federal agencies, Tribal nations, nonprofits, community members, and many others to restore thousands of acres of forest and miles of streams. Lomakatsi strives to advance social equity by layering in education, Tribal partnerships, and workforce training and development programs, while helping to create more resilient ecosystems and communities across all lands.

Over the past two years, Blue Forest has been working with Lomakatsi to identify opportunities to collaborate on high-impact and high-priority projects in the Rogue Valley, and we are now collaboratively developing a Forest Resilience Bond around two of these projects.

The West Bear All-Lands Restoration Project is a collaborative, ecological fuels reduction effort where Lomakatsi, in partnership with NRCS and Rogue Forest Partners, will strategically treat over 40% of a contiguous 27,000-acre project area spanning public and private land in the wildland urban interface of Talent, Phoenix, southwest Medford, and Jacksonville. This project improves community wildfire protection and helps safeguard some of the highest wildfire risk areas in Oregon, including 56,000 homes.

The Upper Applegate Watershed Restoration Project covers 52,000 acres of federal land in the Applegate Valley, within the greater Rogue River Watershed. The project prioritizes treatments that enhance wildlife habitat and reduce the risk of severe wildfire to the ecosystem and nearby communities of ~12,000 residents.

“We’re very excited that this partnership is happening particularly on the West Bear All-Lands Restoration Project and the Upper Applegate Watershed Restoration projects,” said Lomakatsi Founder and Executive Director, Marko Bey. “Working with Blue Forest through its conservation financing efforts will be very significant for our operation as we continue to scale our services and deliver outcomes of healthy forests and resilient communities in the Rogue Basin and beyond.”

The goals of these projects include: reduced wildfire risk, improved watershed health by improving ecosystem resilience and function at the landscape scale, providing protection to communities at risk of wildfire, creating sustainable recreation opportunities, improving community awareness around land stewardship, improved wildlife habitat including that of threatened and endangered species, and local workforce capacity development with an emphasis on Tribal communities. Both organizations anticipate creating hundreds of seasonal jobs through these projects, one more area of alignment between our missions.

“I think we’re at a really powerful moment in time with where we’ve evolved over the last decade in achieving zones of agreement between industry, Tribes, agencies, and NGOs,” explained Marko. “That makes it an exciting moment in the history of landscape resiliency and restoration. Working with Blue Forest is key to that success, and we’re really grateful.”