Hands on Lands is a community partnership bridging natural resource management and human resource development in order to revitalize and sustain the culture and landscape of a working community. Large-scale management and maintenance was needed on the public lands within Wallowa County. The condition of these lands affects the environment, economy, and public safety of rural communities in Wallowa County. Federal budgets and staffing to address these needs have declined for the past fifteen years, and are projected to continue to decline over the next three to five years.
The Hands on Lands program required strong cooperation among federal, state, county, and local groups to develop and implement a stewardship work program to provide jobs and job training to local residents while working on federal lands.
Objectives
- To support Wallowa county residents to be independent, self sufficient and productive through collaboration of social, economic, and environmental interests.