Landscapes and Inclusion: Examining Nature-Based Integration and Mountain Landscapes Among Oregon’s Slavic Community

Abstract

Nature and landscapes are increasingly recognized as integral to human health, well-being, and sense of belonging. As such, nature and landscapes offer potential benefits for nature-based integration (NBI) efforts aimed at fostering a sense of inclusion among new residents. Although such linkages are recognized, NBI research remains limited with fruitful potential for place-based and immigrant-oriented community organizations or governments interested in fostering a sense of inclusion, belonging, identity, and even environmental responsibility among new residents. In this article, we demonstrate the application of a collaborative NBI study among Oregon’s growing Slavic immigrant community. This study, through a community geography and community-based participatory research approach, sought to gauge community interactions with and sense of place to Oregon’s natural environment, notably mountain landscapes. Although with limitations, this study demonstrates the potential of NBI to enrich nature-based programs, immigrant advocacy organizations, government engagement efforts, and landscape planning with opportunities to better understand and tools to potentially engage diverse populations.

Key Words:

• community geography
• immigration
• inclusion
• nature-based integration
• sense of place

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the participation of Oregon’s Slavic community, a community underrepresented within regional interdisciplinary research. The authors would also like to recognize the seminal geographic work of the late Dr. Susan Wiley Hardwick.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to acknowledge the generous financial support for this research project provided by Mazamas.

Notes on contributors

David J. Trimbach

DAVID J. TRIMBACH is the Conservation Social Scientist at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA 98501. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include sense of place, environmental justice, and human–environment interactions.

Andrii Nagornyi

ANDRII NAGORNYI is the Slavic Leadership Program Coordinator at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Portland, OR 97220. E-mail: [email protected]. He is a community liaison and leader. His professional specialization includes providing and enhancing services for Oregon's Slavic community.

Olena Bilyk

OLENA BILYK is a Slavic and Eastern European Center Coordinator at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Portland, OR 97220. E-mail: [email protected]. Her professional specialization includes providing and enhancing services for Oregon's Slavic community.

Sara O’Keefe

SARA O’KEEFE is a Graphic Designer at the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships & Research, Lawrence, KS 66047. E-mail: [email protected]. Her professional specialization includes graphic design, graphic recording, and blending the visual arts with the social sciences.