Resources

Protests Planned For The Next I-5 Bridge Meeting

March 11, 2010
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Groups opposed to the current plans for a new I-5 bridge between Portland and Vancouver are calling for a protest Friday morning.

Stop The Columbia River Crossing and the Coalition For A Livable Future are asking people to show up at 9:30am outside ODOT’s offices at 123 NW Flanders in Portland. That’s where the Project’s Sponsor Council will be meeting at 10am.

Another new development, a large coalition of environmental and other activists are taking on the Governors of Oregon and Washington for their support of the project.

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Oregon Sierra Club: We Won’t Support Wyden Logging Bill

March 10, 2010
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The Oregon Sierra Club says it won’t support Senator Wyden’s logging bill for Eastern Oregon.

The group had been withholding judgement ever since the deal was announced almost two months ago. But now, the group’s Conservation Director Ivan Maluski tells me that without some changes, the Sierra Club will oppose the measure.

His critique of the logging bill is, in many ways, similar to concerns raised by the Obama Adminstration.

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‘No Time To Wait’: Wyden Urges Approval Of Eastern Oregon Logging Bill

March 10, 2010
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A view of Steins Pillar in the Ochoco National Forest. Photo from BLM.

Long time adversaries in Oregon’s timber wars told the Senate today they’re ready to make peace, at least in Eastern Oregon.

The setting was a hearing on the Eastern Oregon Logging bill sponsored by Senator Wyden. Based on a historic compromise between timber and conservation groups, the bill hopes to revive the region’s logging industry while at the same time protecting old growth trees and restoring forests.

But despite the talk of peace and collaboration, it’s clear there are still some hard feelings out there.

About the only thing all the witnesses agreed on is that Eastern Oregon’s forests are in deep trouble and need help.

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Senate Hearing On Eastern Oregon Logging Billl

March 10, 2010
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See streaming video of hearing at this link.

1:29pm: Kerr admits the conservation community is split over the bill. Many groups still believe in preserving forests from development because that activity has been harmful in the past. More are recognizing that restoring forests are now what’s needed.

1:05pm Not a fan of the bill, Larry Blasing of the Grant County Forest Commission. Calls it a bureaucratic nightmare that doesn’t address the need for jobs and the economy.

12:48pm: John Shelk of Ochoco Lumber. The bill is an “agreeable compromise” that protects forests and the Eastern Oregon tax base. Nearly two dozen mills have closed. Eight are remaining. How much longer than can survive depends on a steady supply of logs from federal forests.

12:42pm: Oregon witnesses are up.  Andy Kerr of Oregon Wild says, “It’s not a perfect bill, but it is nonetheless a great bill.”

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Preparing For “Historic” Drought In The Klamath Basin

March 9, 2010
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While no one is using the “D” word yet, officials at the state, federal and local levels are bracing for what could be the worst drought ever in the Klamath Basin.

Governor Kulongoski was in the region this morning for a meeting with area officials about what needs to be done now to prepare.

Senators Wyden and Merkley added to the urgency with a letter to federal officials warning of a “crisis of historic magnitude”, and asking the feds to take immediate action.

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Historic Eastern Oregon Logging Bill Goes Before Senate

March 9, 2010
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A Whitebark Pine in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Photo by Dave Powell, U.S. Forest Service

Tomorrow, the Senate gets its first look at a compromise logging bill for Eastern Oregon.

Ideally, the bill is supposed to end years of timber wars. No more logging for the sake of logging. Instead, timber harvests happen as part of a greater effort to restore forests. Old growth trees are off limits. But Eastern Oregon lumber mills get a steady supply of smaller trees to help them stay in business.

The compromise came after 18-months of negotiations between Oregon environmental and timber groups. Senator Wyden, who helped organize the talks is sponsoring the bill and Senator Merkley has joined him.

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Breaking: Sage Grouse Won’t Be Listed – At Least Not For Now

March 5, 2010
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A Greater Sage Grouse near Burns, Oregon. Photo from BLM.

Faced with a difficult decision about protecting – or not protecting – the Greater sage-grouse, Interior says it’s going to split the difference.

Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday morning that the sage-grouse deserves to be listed by the Endangered Species Act, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The official label is that listing is “warranted, but precluded.”

So it becomes a candidate species. The bird’s status will be reviewed yearly. But Interior says it can’t protect every species that deserves it, and it has to set priorities. The sage-grouse falls into the bottom third of the candidate list.

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Restoring The Willamette Basin Could Top $1 Billion

March 4, 2010
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Along the Willamette River Water Trail. Photo from Oregon Parks and Recreation.

If we’re ever going to restore the Willamette River basin, it’s going to cost a huge chunk of money.

Anywhere from about $593 million to $1.2 billion, according to Oregon DEQ.

In a new report, DEQ says decades of farming, logging and urban development have degraded the basins streams and rivers.

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Merkley Joins Wyden On Eastern Oregon Forest Bill

March 4, 2010
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A Whitebark Pine in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Photo by Dave Powell, U.S. Forest Service

Senator Wyden’s logging bill for Eastern Oregon forests picked up the support of Senator Merkley today.

Merkley’s office issued a press release saying he’ll co-sponsor the bill, officially known as the Oregon Forest Restoration and Old Growth Protection Act of 2009. It has a first hearing March 10 with the Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests.

The bill has divided Oregon’s environmental community.

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They’re Not Forests, Think Of Them As Lungs For The Earth (VIDEO)

March 4, 2010
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A view of the Calapooya Mountains in the Umpqua National Forest. Photo from U.S. Forest Service.

We all know there’s something special about Oregon’s forests.

A new study by the Wilderness Society says if you’re looking for a place to store carbon, Oregon forests are the best in the nation.

Using Forest Service data, the Society says the top ten best forests for storing carbon are all in the Pacific Northwest. Six of them in Oregon, three of them are in Washington and one is in Alaska.

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