Can we allow some industrial development on West Hayden Island, while leaving enough of the area untouched so it can useful as wildlife habitat?

Thursday’s vote on the Portland City Council is a tentative,  ”yes”.

What the council decided was to begin planning for annexing the 800+ acres of undeveloped land on the west half of Hayden Island. Ultimately, about 300 acres could be developed by the Port of Portland as marine terminals – places to bring in imported automobiles. The other 500 or so acres would be restored as wildlife habitat.

Some commissioners stressed that the decision isn’t final, and that they might change their minds when the planning work is done in December. But when planning work gets underway, it becomes more difficult to undo.

The vote was unpopular with most of the people who attended the hearing. Environmentalists, like Willamette Riverkeeper and the Audubon Society of Portland, want all of West Hayden to remain wild. It’s the largest area of undeveloped, but unprotected, land in the metro area. They say the best thing to do is to preserve it as wildlife habitat.

The Port didn’t exactly get everything it wanted either. It said 300 acres is as small as they can go, and still have a viable operation on the island. Originally, the Port was hoping to develop another 100 acres. By expanding onto West Hayden Island, the Port projects creating more than 1,000 jobs and $20 million annually in tax revenues.

Here’s the issue. Should the area remain undeveloped and preserved for nature? Or should the Port of Portland be allowed to build a new marine terminal?

Despite being close to Portland, the 800+ acres on the west half of Hayden Island have somehow avoided the bulldozers and cement trucks. Only a small portion is developed.

The area has become, in the words of Willamette Riverkeeper, “critical wildlife habitat” for more than 100 species of birds and fish. That list includes the bald eagle, and endangered species such as four types of salmon and the western painted turtle.

A proposal by Mayor Sam Adams calls on the city to begin work on a plan to annex West Hayden Island and let the Port have about 300 acres to develop.

Riverkeeper and the Audubon Society of Portland are fighting the idea. They say it’s a mistake to allow any more development in one of the few large, intact wild areas remaining on the riverfront. Instead, they want to city to restore all of West Hayden Island as a permanent nature preserve and as a place for people to hike and paddle.

The Port and its allies in this debate have got some strong arguments, too. A new marine terminal, they say, could create 1,000 new jobs and pump millions of dollars into the local economy.

Adams is trying appeal to both sides. Turning over 300 acres to the Port still leaves 500 acres untouched for nature.

Getting agreement on this issue won’t be easy. For nearly two years, a citizens working group has been trying – without success – to find a compromise. In the report that will be presented to the council on Thursday, only a small majority of the working group supports a split between development and nature.

Riverkeeper and Audubon are trying to get their supporters to the council meeting and oppose Adams’ plan.

The hearing will begin at 6:00pm, Thursday, July 27, in council chambers at Portland City Hall.

The Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge in Oregon. From Wikimedia Commons. Photographer unidentified.

The company behind Oregon’s newest natural gas pipeline will donate at least $22 million for conservation projects in our state and across the West.

It’s the result of a three-way deal between the Oregon Natural Desert Association, Western Watersheds Project and El Paso Corp. The money will be used to undo some of the environmental damage that results from building the Ruby pipeline, and to preserve sagebrush habitat.

Brent Fenty, ONDA Executive Director, tells me his group is expecting somewhere between $7 and $12 million for conservation projects in the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in southeastern Oregon and the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Nevada.

The ultimate goal is to restore sagebrush areas and help the species that live there. Some of the projects include:

• Expand the refuges by buying up private land from willing sellers. Could be as much as 10,000 acres.
• Reduce grazing and stress on the land by paying ranchers to retire their grazing permits.
• Remove fences to make it easier for wildlife to migrate through the region.
• Restore habitat around springs.

The money doesn’t actually go to ONDA. The group and the Ruby pipeline company are forming a new non-profit to oversee the work. The donation will be paid out over 10-years.

Western Watersheds has a similar arrangement for about $15 million.

Fenty says between Oregon and Nevada, about 5 million acres of land will benefit. “I can’t think of another agreement in this region,” he says, “with the potential to do as much restoration work as this one.”

About The Pipeline

The Ruby Pipeline runs 675-miles from southwest Wyoming to Malin, Oregon. But only a small portion of the line runs through our state. The pipeline just received right-of-way permission from BLM and is awaiting the final green light from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Construction will probably start very soon. Most of the natural gas will be sold to utilities in California.

But here’s what else makes the pipeline really interesting, from an environmental point of view.

The pipeline competes for the same markets as the proposed Jordan Cove LNG project near Coos Bay. But instead of bringing in imported LNG, Ruby will supply cleaner and cheaper natural gas from domestic sources in the Rocky Mountains. The bankruptcy of Bradwood Landing is a sign that the LNG industry is on shaky ground. The Ruby pipeline just might kill off Jordan Cove.

A scene along Wassen Creek in the Devil's Staircase area. Photo by Kristian Skybak. For more see http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristiansven

Update: Adding Press Release by Cascadia Wildlands

A bill to protect the Devil’s Staircase, and another that expands the Oregon Caves National Monument, have been approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The vote is a “milestone” according to Senators Wyden and Merkley. The bills now go before the full Senate for consideration.

What The Bills Do

One creates a 30,000 acre Wilderness Area to protect the Devil’s Staircase near Reedsport. This contains one of the largest concentrations of virgin rainforest left standing along the Oregon Coast. It’s also one of our state wildest places. There are no trails leading to the Staircase, a series of small waterfalls along Wassen Creek. GPS devices don’t work in this area either. First time visitors are strongly urged to have an experienced guide leading them.

Cascadia Wildlands describes Devil’s Staircase as, “An historic gem and one of the last and best remnant reminders of how the Coast Range used to be.”

Congressman Peter DeFazio has similar legislation before the House.

The Grand Column inside the Oregon Caves National Monument. Photograph by Shawn Thomas.

The other bill adds another 4,000 acres to the Oregon Caves National Monument. It transfers the property from the Forest Service to the National Park Service. Wyden and Merkley hope this will encourage more tourists to visit the caves, and help restore surrounding forests. The bill also adds a scenic designation to the caves’ River Styx, the first for an underground river in the U.S.

For More Information:

Cascadia Wildlands Press Release: Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Passes Out of Senate Committee

Cascadia Wildlands: Devil’s Staircase Web Page

Oregon Wild: Devil’s Staircase

I’ve written before about attempts by environmental groups to protect Steens Mountain from energy development.

Environmental groups wanted the state to add Steens Mountain to a list of places in Oregon where energy development is prohibited. But the Energy Facility Siting Council – which decides where large wind farms are located – recently rejected the idea.

The decision is a blow to the Oregon Natural Desert Association, Portland Audubon and other groups trying to keep wind turbines and other types of energy development away from the slopes of this Southeast Oregon icon.

The most immediate threat – in their view – are plans by Columbia Energy Partners of Vancouver to build three wind farms near Steens in Harney County. The three projects are located next to each other, totaling more than 300 megawatts of power and 120-180 turbines. Environmental groups say they should be treated as one single large project, instead of three smaller ones.

Oregon has a list of official State Protected Areas where energy development is off limits. It includes the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area. ONDA and Audubon argued that Steens Mountain deserves to be on the list, too. They say large scale wind development threatens the wildlife and scenic values of Steens.

ONDA Executive Director Brent Fenty says, “There are appropriate places for energy development in Oregon’s high desert but Steens Mountain is not the right place. Steens is an area that the public has made clear should not be developed, but instead should be permanently protected for its iconic vistas and incredible wildlife habitat.”

It probably didn’t help matters that the EFSC meeting where the issue was decided was held in Harney County. Local officials are big supporters of the proposed wind farms because of the jobs they’d create during construction and operation of the facilities.

Related Story:

Wind Farms, Sage Grouse, And Loopholes

If you’re in the Portland area you may want to attend a meeting this evening on a new management plan for BLM land in Southeast Oregon.

The Oregon Natural Desert Association sent out an alert about this meeting early this afternoon.

It says BLM is writing a new plan for the Lakeview and Southeast Oregon districts after an earlier version was tossed away by a federal judge two years ago. ONDA says the agency and environmental groups are close to agreeing on an update. This meeting is an early step towards making the changes official.

Details:

• When: 5:30pm to 8:30pm
• Where: Portland Audubon, 5151 NW Cornell Road, Portland.

Key Issues:

ONDA says they want BLM to protect some of the wild areas by closing them to off-roading and other motorized vehicles. The group says it’s identified three million acres in the SE Oregon and Lakeview districts that could potentially be new wilderness areas.

It wants BLM to take another look at protecting habitat for the Greater Sage Grouse. The Interior Department has put the sage grouse on a waiting list of species that deserve to be added to the Endangered Species List. Oregon has about 20% of the nation’s remaining sage grouse habitat.

ONDA also says BLM should consider ways to convince ranchers to voluntarily give up grazing permits. The group says these lands have been overgrazed and wants to find ways to reduce it.

For More Information:

ONDA Alert: Ask BLM for better protection for SE Oregon

The Chetco River in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Photo by Lee Webb, U.S. Forest Service.

Plans for a huge gold mining operation has put the Chetco River in Southern Oregon on this year’s “Most Endangered Rivers” list.

What’s at stake is a river praised for it’s wild salmon and steelhead, and needed for supplying clean drinking water for the town of Brookings.

The threat comes from a Washington state real estate developer who’s filed for a permit to operate suction dredges on 24-miles of the Chetco. All of those miles fall within the area of the Chetco that’s been designated a Wild and Scenic River. Six of those miles are in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness.

The environmental group, American Rivers, put the Chetco as number seven on its 2010 “Most Endangered Rivers” list. It highlights rivers that face serious problems – and a major decision that could change the outcome.

In the case of the Chetco, American Rivers and several Southern Oregon groups want the Interior and Agriculture departments to withdraw the river from entry under the 1872 Mining Act. They hope that will give Congress time to pass a law to permanently protect the Chetco.

“It’s hard to believe a law passed in 1872 can still be used to hold a priceless wild river and its abundant salmon hostage. We need to use 21st century knowledge to protect our natural resources. The Chetco River should be protected for its fish, rather than degraded for the short-term profit of a Seattle-based developer.”

-Lesley Adams, Rogue Riverkeeper

Meanwhile, DEQ is writing new regulations for gold mining in Oregon’s rivers. It would force gold miners to use smaller dredging machines than they can now use. It also tightens standards for water turbidity in several wilderness areas. That would include the portion of the Chetco River in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness area. DEQ is taking comments until June 8 and hopes to finish work on the rules by the end of the month.

The Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has renewed rules that protect what are known as “roadless areas” from most types of logging, mining, road building and other development. The rules apply to roadless areas in National Forests and Grasslands.

In Oregon, this includes about 2-million acres.

Getting permanent protection for roadless areas is an important goal for environmental groups. President Clinton agreed, and in the final days of his administration released what’s known as the 2001 Roadless Rule.

When the Bush team took over, the Roadless Rule came under attack – leading to court fights – decisions by judges – and a huge legal mess. One federal judge sided with the Bush administration and its business allies, another upheld the Clinton rules.

So when the Obama Administration announced a year ago it would follow the Clinton rules on a temporary basis, environmental groups let out a sigh of relief.

Today’s decision by Vilsack keeps those rules in place for another year, while the legal mess makes its way through the appeals process.

The D-Bug Debacle

Last summer, the Umpqua National Forest proposed a plan for logging in a roadless area near Crater Lake National Park. Called the D-Bug Timber Sale, it allows various levels of logging on some 10,000 acres.The Forest Service says the logging is needed to prevent the spread of bark beetles and fires.

What has groups like Oregon Wild up in arms are plans to build 14-miles of new roads to support the logging, and logging on almost 1000 acres of official roadless areas.

In the past few months, a coalition of environmental and recreation groups have proposed an alternative logging plan.

Photo from Friends Of Mt. Emily.

An icon of Northeast Oregon has a date with the logger, unless a lot of money can be raised quickly.

What’s at risk is 500 acres of the Mt. Emily Recreation Area near La Grande. A timber company is getting ready to cut down most of the big trees in the Trails Unit, a section that’s hugely popular with hikers, bikers and horseback riders.

Local efforts to save the trees are falling behind and falling short. So the group Friends of Mt. Emily is appealing statewide for help.

Here’s the threat. Forest Capital Partners owns most of the timber rights in the Mt. Emily Recreation Area even though the land is owned by Union County. The company wants to begin logging the 500 acre trails unit on July 1st.

Here’s the rescue plan. If Union County can raise $600,000 by the end of May, it can buy the trees and would operate the area under a sustainable forestry plan.

Sue Miller of the Friends group says with two weeks to go, they still need $500,000. “This is a one time opportunity for our generation to leave a legacy of sustainable forestry” she says. “We urgently need all donations, large and small.”

Complicating things – this is an all or nothing proposition. Raising some of the money won’t save some of the trees. The timber company wants all of the cash up front before calling off the harvest.

If you want to help out, check out the donation page on the Friends of Mt. Emily website. There are two ways to donate, either through the county or the Blue Mountains Conservancy. Either way, the contributions are tax deductible.

The Film Club at Eastern Oregon University has produced a short video about efforts to save the trees.

Video: MERA Trails Unit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcZXpjl-yOo

Cathedral Rock along the John Day River. Photo from the National Park Service.

It looks like the Wyden-Merkley bill creating a new Wilderness Area in Eastern Oregon finally gets a hearing this morning.

The Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests will take testimony starting at 11:30am Pacfic time.  The hearing will be streamed live.

The bill sets up a complicated land swap between the federal government and private landowners. The result is two chunks of land, totaling 16,000 acres, to be preserved as Wilderness.

Some of the land holds a unique place in Oregon’s history. It was home to the followers of Bagwhan Shree Rajneesh. It now belongs to a Christian Youth Camp.

Here’s the link to the web stream. Remember the hearing may not start on time, and the Cathedral Rock and Horse Heaven Wilderness Act may not be the first item on the agenda.