Taking Action Toward Change
Residents of Kamiah know firsthand the importance of having a plan, a strategic roadmap providing direction for the future of this rural north central Idaho community. Yet they also know that just like having a roadmap and a car with no gas, a community having a plan without leadership goes nowhere. Fortunately, Kamiah, Idaho, bears both a plan and people to bring it to life.
Thanks to enthusiastic leadership sparked through the Horizons program, this industrious town’s strategic vision digs deeper than their detailed 32-page Kamiah Community Action Plan, created through a community visioning process. From the establishment of the Upper Clearwater Community Foundation to keeping the community swimming pool project alive, Kamiah’s people lead their town with hope and determined confidence. As an involved community resident explains: “We now see ourselves working together as a group of tiny puddles, all bringing positive energy together collectively. It creates an ocean of opportunity.”
Kamiah nurtured this community revitalization in early 2005, when about two dozen residents participated in a leadership program. These participants represented various backgrounds — from members of the native Nez Perce Tribe to workers in the local sawmill and forestry industry — yet with a common goal. They shared a commitment to keeping economic opportunity and the small-town and friendly atmosphere in Kamiah thriving. By first developing a community vision statement and forming three action committees — leadership, communication and recreation — Kamiah residents began to take on the challenges and growth opportunities they saw.
One of the first priorities that surfaced was the need to keep the community public swimming pool open. The pool needed funds for maintenance, staff and capital improvements. “This pool forms the spirit and heart of our community all summer long,” explains an area resident. “Kamiah’s pool provides a safe place for the kids to gather instead of swimming in the Clearwater River where the fast current, and unsupervised setting, create a dangerous environment.” Reinvigorating the existing “Save the Pool” group and armed with a well thought-out plan drawing on mentorship and resources from recreation specialists at the University of Idaho, Kamiah residents gathered enough signatures to put a Recreation District Initiative on the ballot. Despite minimal experience in such political undertakings, this group organized publicity, telephone campaigns, mailings and guest speakers to raise awareness of the important role the pool serves in providing public recreation to the community.
The group succeeded in spurring Kamiah residents to come out to the voting booth, resulting in an exceptionally high voter turnout. “While the Recreation District Initiative came up short on votes and lost, we didn’t see it as a failure,” reflects a Kamiah resident. “This issue brought out the spirit of this community and we all learned a lot through the process.” Recreation priorities came to the forefront through this voting initiative, and the importance of the community pool became etched in Kamiah’s immediate priorities. Thanks to renewed strong area partnerships, the pool will remain open this upcoming summer season. Through grassroots community fundraising, $16,000 has already been raised for capital improvements and long-term management.
The community pool challenge highlighted Kamiah’s need for a concrete, strategic plan, enabling the community to name and focus on immediate priority needs. Drawing on expertise from outside consultants and facilitators, residents brainstormed, discussed, researched and gathered input, resulting in the Kamiah Community Action Plan. The Plan encompasses eight goal areas ranging from improving collaborative partnerships to developing technology access to supporting business growth, new jobs and entrepreneurs.
Establishing a nonprofit to fundraise and facilitate local project donations quickly became a plan priority, resulting in the Upper Clearwater Community Foundation. “We chose the name ‘Upper Clearwater’ realizing that Kamiah’s future depends on the collaborative success of our region, and efforts must be made in partnership,” explains an area organizer. With partnership funding from the Kamiah Chamber of Commerce, the city of Kamiah, and the Kamiah Joint School District #304, a community member involved with the leadership program was hired as a paid grant writer for the Foundation.
Other leadership graduates infuse Kamiah with their energy and abilities, often taking on prominent local elected roles. From the current mayor of Kamiah and treasurer of the Nez Perce Tribe to a candidate for Idaho County Commissioner in the upcoming election, these committed residents unequivocally give of themselves for the betterment of the community. “I realized this is my turn, my time to make a difference in Kamiah,” comments a resident challenged to take on new leadership roles. “Collectively we can all make a difference, and I want to do my part to help make Kamiah all it can be.”
An awareness of valuing and understanding different viewpoints, particularly regarding poverty issues, now also resonates within Kamiah. Three study circles — with local residents trained to facilitate these groups — prompt open discussion and dialogue on local poverty issues. “We’ve already learned how complex poverty can be and how important it is for Kamiah to talk about and address it,” expresses a Kamiah native trained to be a facilitator. “Poverty digs deeper than just economic situations, since there’s both situational and generational poverty.”
Commitment to Kamiah’s youth remains a rooted priority. With over 70 percent of area high school graduates not continuing on to post-secondary education, the community realized the importance of developing vocational education and local job opportunities. A Vocational Education Team (VEA), formed under the Planning Committee of the Upper Clearwater Community Foundation to address this issue, resulted in a tremendously successful Community Career Day, exposing area youth to career options including forestry and hospitality. With comments from youth attendees refraining, “I saw careers here I didn’t know existed” to “I didn’t realize there were so many different jobs in the area,” plans are underway to make this Career Day an annual event and include more students and business partners. Additionally, VEA developed a model teaching program for which they are currently fundraising, aiming to better integrate vocational, hands-on educational experiences through local business partnerships.
Tourism provides another avenue for Kamiah to explore and develop, particularly connections to the Nez Perce Tribe. “This is our Aboriginal homeland and we need to take an active interest in Kamiah’s future, particularly tourism opportunities to showcase our heritage,” comments a lifelong area resident of Nez Perce descent. Rich with both Nez Perce and Lewis and Clark historic sites and set against a backdrop of forests, quiet mountain streams and the Clearwater River, Kamiah provides a diverse menu of activities for both outdoor recreationists and history buffs.
Strategic plan in hand, Kamiah sits poised and ready to take on a future ripe with possibilities. Drawing inspiration from the mountains encircling this community, residents see hope and positive change on the horizon, fueled by homegrown, optimistic leadership. “When I travel to other parts of the state and tell folks where I’m from, they increasingly reply that they keep hearing about all the great things going on in Kamiah,” comments an area resident with a smile. “Guess folks statewide are realizing what we’ve known all along — that Kamiah is a special place to be.”