Just as the Spokane River and regional waterways connect Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, so does the love of our home and its natural resources. With over 70 lakes within an hour's driving distance of the city of Spokane, and thousands of miles worth of hiking trails, rivers, and forested land, it’s hard not to see the charm and beauty of the Inland Northwest. At The Lands Council, we recognize the importance of the land we live on and the need to protect it. Whether by reducing clearcutting and roadbuilding by over 80% in our region’s National Forests in the 1990s or helping found the Spokane Salmon Restoration Collaborative just last year, our collective work as The Lands Council has spanned 40 years. To celebrate our efforts as a community to help protect the Inland Northwest, we wanted to take a moment to remember all of the hard work of our founders, board members, volunteers, and countless hours devoted since ‘85.
With humble beginnings in 1983, a group of medical interns enjoying their lunch at Sacred Heart Medical Center spawned the idea to begin a non-profit organization with an environmentally focused mission. They cared deeply about the home they all shared and the potential loss of areas such as the wildlands in the St. Joe and Clearwater River regions of Northern Idaho. They recognized the need for a group of individuals who cherished the region’s natural resources and were prepared to put boots on the ground to preserve it for generations to come. At the helm was John Osborn, a medical intern who would later add many impressive titles and accomplishments to his name. In 1996 he was named one of the “Ten American Land Heroes” by the Wilderness Society, served on the Executive Committee for the Spokane chapter of the Sierra Society, developed and ran the AIDS program at the Spokane VA Medical Center for 23 years, where in 2010 he was named Chief of Medicine.
Whether he was fighting to protect a person's physical well-being or the land they lived on, the focus remained consistent - creating a healthy community where both people and nature could thrive. Taped to his office cabinet, a line from the American Medical Association's Code of Ethics, "A physician shall recognize a responsibility to participate in activities contributing to an improved community.” Those words weren't just a professional obligation to John, but the heartbeat of a vision that has sustained four decades of environmental stewardship.
After just one meeting in a hospital breakroom, the group decided to found the Spokane Resident Physician’s Action League, which later became known as the Inland Empire Public Lands Council in 1985… which eventually became known simply as we know it today, The Lands Council.
Since its inception, The Lands Council has prioritized collaborations with the community, other environmental agencies, government entities, and local tribes to protect the forests, waterways, and wildlife of the Inland Northwest.
Over the last 40 years, we have helped our region by reducing clearcutting in National Parks, started programs aimed at preventing mining contamination, and protecting wildlife areas across three national forests. We’ve educated the public on wildfire safety, river toxins, and contaminated fish, we’ve raised funds, collaborated with partners, and protected animals, lands, and water resources. The efforts of our organization are kept alive by the work of passionate individuals who all share a deep-rooted love for our region and the health of our environment.
Reflecting back over the organization’s beginnings and history for the 40th Celebration, The Lands Council Executive Director Amanda Parrish says: “We’ve always been born from this community and really care about the region of the Inland Northwest. Today we know that our mission is to protect and restore the forests, water, and wildlife needs and to go beyond that and include the people that depend on those things as well, because the ecological crisis is a human crisis as well.”
Recognizing the challenges facing our lands and communities is just the first challenge that The Lands Council is up against. The second challenge? Creating action and getting the people who live and enjoy these natural resources involved.
To make all the programs and initiatives a reality, we aren’t shy about the need to work alongside like-minded organizations, businesses, government agencies, and community members. Throughout the years, The Lands Council has even out-stretched a welcome hand to organizations who seem unaligned with our mission, to bring every voice to the table for mutual benefit. We proudly believe collaboration is key to our success in conservation and environmental justice and we walk that walk.
Kat Hall, our Restoration Program Director for the Lands Council was more than happy to talk about some of the partnerships we rely on, including the Spokane School District, the Spokane Conservation District, the Inland Northwest Lands Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the City of Spokane to name a few. Kat goes on to say, “We do very little on our own it seems... I like to think of it as a one plus one equals five because when we get together and pool our resources and join efforts, this synergy gives us more than if we were working on our own.”
Collaboration has been key from the infancy of The Lands Council and for our ability to make things happen. While collaboration with partners is a driving force behind the success of The Lands Council, the one partnership we rely on the most to stay on mission and make the most impact is with the public we serve.
Carol, a Spokane native, and Lewis and Clark High School alum (shout out class of ‘65!), has been instrumental in the growth of The Lands Council since inception. During her career, Carol was a dedicated teacher in low-income areas. Since 1985 she has donated an infinite amount of volunteer hours, resources, money, and even snowshoes to help the efforts of the Lands Council. She also founded an essential endowment fund that continues to grow with donations helping financially support us even today.
Carol has walked, sometimes ran and even more so hugged a tree or two, alongside The Lands Council for the last 40 years because she believes in the work we do and knows we trust in the voices of our supporters. “It’s not really all about money, I have a personal relationship with them… I can email them if I have a national issue I want to inform them about or if I want to make a connection between their group and another group. I feel like I’m welcome to present ideas and energy and caring.”
As we celebrate all that we’ve accomplished, we hold dearly Dr. Osborn’s ideals, that people should have a voice when it comes to the health of the land and our community.
In a sunny, plant-filled room in the Lands Council’s offices, Carol’s eyes began to fill with tears as she answered the question: Why is it so important for individuals to feel they still have power? She says, “I think that at the local level, you can have the most power. To put it simply, just by meeting people and talking to people, and the strength in building movements, you can … get direction and motivation and support and energy, and you can join them. And you can change the world. You certainly change a corner for some people, and they’re in the world. Well, every little bit counts, doesn’t it?”
If you believe, as Carol does, that The Lands Council is an important part of what keeps our home special, that you can make a difference, and that together we hold the power for good and stability for future generations, please join us in celebrating 40 years of growing more than trees.
