In 1983, John Osborn, then an intern at Sacred Heart Medical Center, decided something needed to be done to protect the land he called home. A group of area physicians, concerned about the environment's effect on people's health, agreed.

And thus The Lands Council, a local grassroots, non-profit dedicated to protecting the quality of life in the Inland Northwest, was born. At first, Dr. Osborn ran the organization out of his apartment, but today we are the leading conservation voice in the Inland Northwest.

Since our humble beginnings, The Lands Council has protected thousands of acres of public land, and in the process worked to preserve the forests, water, and wildlife we all depend on for life.