Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife
The timber industry has lost the battle to remove the marbled murrelet from the Endangered Species list.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the bird will keep its status as a “threatened” species. It made the decision after reviewing a petition from the American Forest Resource Council and other groups. They were hoping to delist the species along the entire West Coast.
The marbled murrelet is one of the more interesting characters in Oregon’s logging wars.
Save Money On New Light Bulbs
Energy Trust of Oregon is sponsoring state-wide discounts on compact fluorescent light bulbs. No coupon necessary. Retailers across the state are dropping prices. For a complete list of where to get the discount, see this story from the Salem Statesman Journal.
Maybe The Dam Should Stay
Some in Jackson County think tearing down the Gold Ray Dam is a bad idea. A candidate for county commissioner says a repaired dam could provide revenue for the county by producing electricity. From the Medford Mail Tribune.
29 Years Later And It’s Still A Mess
The Army Corps of Engineers starts work this month on removing a million cubic yards of silt from the Cowlitz River. The silt comes from Mt. St. Helens, the result of the “clear cut” explosion from about 29-years ago. The Corps continues to work on a long range silt control plan. From the Longview Daily News.
MONDAY’S STORIES
Did LNG Company Get A “Too Good To Be True” Deal For Land?
LNG opponents are raising questions about a land deal struck between the Port Of Astoria and Oregon LNG. The company is leasing 92 acres of land from the Port for about $38,000 a year. Critics say it should be a lot higher. From the Daily Astorian.
Proposed Wind Farm May Be Doomed By Endangered Bird
Plans to build the first wind farm in Western Washington are running into trouble. The site in Pacific County, called Radar Ridge, is on the flight path of the marbled murrelet. The murrelet lives mostly on the ocean, but nests in coastal forests. From the Longview Daily News.
What We Lose If The Dam Goes
Salmon counts on the Rogue River are considered some of the best in the region. That’s because biologists can count live salmon as they pass through the Gold Ray Dam. But Jackson County wants to remove the dam, perhaps as soon as next year. When that happens, officials will have to rely on counting methods that are not as accurate nor up-to-date. Still, they don’t mind. From the Medford Mail Tribune.
Thinking About Sewers
Coburg is one of the largest towns in Oregon without a sewer system. City officials say that’s limiting Coburg’s ability to grow and threatens the water supply. But building a sewer system would cost about $25 million and residents are in an uproar. From The Eugene Register Guard.
One of nature’s most interesting seabirds, the Marbled Murrelet will remain protected as a threatened species. The bird was first listed in 1992 and survived an attempt by the Bush Administration to take it off the list in 2004.
Today’s decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could have a major impact on the continuing fight over old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. That’s because even though the bird spends much of its life in the ocean, it nests in old growth forests along the coast. The decision says logging of the bird’s nesting habitat is the major reason its numbers have declined 34% from 2001 to 2008 in Oregon, Washington and Northern California.
Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Environmental groups praised the decision as a victory for science over politics, and called on the Obama Administration to do more to protect old growth areas. Kristen Boyles, an attorney for Earthjustice, says the ruling will benefit other species. She says, ““Protecting murrelet forests also helps recover salmon and spotted owl populations, clean our air from excess carbon, and prevent pollution from entering drinking water sources for communities all up and down the coast.”
Timber groups haven’t given up on trying to delist the Marbled Murrelet. They’ve got a petition to delist before Fish and Wildlife. Despite today’s announcement, the feds haven’t decided how they’ll rule on the petition.
