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IRIS: Initiative for Rural Innovation & Stewardship
Initiative for Rural Innovation & Stewardship fosters sustainable rural communities in North Central Washington by building on the successes and supporting the innovative spirit of its people and institutions. We gather stories that focus on stewardship success and contribute to a common vision of what the community can achieve in North Central Washington. We use this expanding knowledge bank of what works to build partnerships and programs that yield practical, sustainable and replicable models for use by others in our region and beyond.
The Nature of North Central Washington celebrates the rich diversity of life that makes this portion of the Northwest special. The 12-minute video explores the natural systems and species that characterize the alpine, coniferous forest, shrub steppe and freshwater habitats of the north central region of Washington state. The program combines the expertise of regional scientists with that of local residents to create a portrait of biodiversity resources along with the actions people are taking across the region to conserve this natural wealth. Illustrated with photographs contributed by more than 50 local community members, The Nature of North Central Washington serves as a platform for developing additional place-based programs that focus on individual counties or habitat types and contribute to a greater understanding of the biodiversity resources of the region.
Learn the details of the process for creating The Nature of North Central Washington
Witnessing Change is a program that enables visitors to see the landscapes of this region through the eyes of a land manager working to improve the health of the land. Citizens are invited to visit locations in the Witnessing Change network, take photos at designated places along the trail and then upload their photos to the WitnessingChange.org website, where they can be compared with others being used to evaluate success of management actions. Read more
