The Siuslaw Institute, Inc.


Watershed Arts, Science and Health

Our Values

There is only one habitat – all of the life-forms, material substances and naturally occurring processes that belong to a place are related, and they influence and affect one another.

 We share this habitat with all of our neighboring species, elements, and the functions that bind us all together – where we live is a commons and the rights of property and management include the responsibilities of stewardship.

 Sustainable improvement of both production and protection is the key to healthy communities and watersheds – if we respect the past and protect the future, we can still have what we need in the present.

Healthy communities are indispensable for healthy watersheds – economic vitality, physical well-being, a diverse mix of generations, and broad-based citizen participation are among the factors that make for community strength.

 Landscape restoration is as much a social and cultural process as it is a physical transformation – developing understanding and communicating about what is being done is every bit as important as the actual work itself.

Local experience, expertise and knowledge should provide the leadership in the identification and approaches to local issues and projects – locally-led processes that rely on good education and on voluntary, incentive-based participation rather than regulation and enforcement are most successful.

Partnerships working between the public, resource managers, organizations, and agencies are essential for success both on-the-ground and with the process – collaborative assets and the strengths of multiple entities are required in the pursuit of common goals for the balanced use and preservation of nature’s gifts.

Living within nature’s budget and restoring our only habitat should make us feel good – joy, humor and celebration should be present in all of our work as we strive to overcome the doom and gloom of negativity and short-term thinking.

Those who have come before us in this place have much to teach all of us – the presence of prior human inhabitants should be seen as a beneficial asset, and the “old ways” and place-based knowledge should be sought out and included in our assessments, our planning, and in our activities.

We can become a people at home in a place –our culture and our vision will be woven from our experiences and our history to create a legacy for the future.