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Oregon WildBlog
Oregon Wild Blog RSSNews, notes, trip reports, and the lighter side (of the wilder side) of the Oregon environmental and conservation movement.
Taking advantage of the snow
We're well below average snow for the year, but still having fun with what we've got.
I grew up in Michigan, but was happy to escape to the Willamette Valley 10 years ago where I didn't have to deal with snow in the winter. Western Oregon has a good arrangement with winter: you can drive to the snow pretty easily, but you don't have to deal with it on a daily basis.
Though the mountains haven't gotten their fair share of snow this year (which will certainly cause some problems this summer), it's still nice to enjoy what's up there. And judging by the popularity of Oregon Wild's snowshoe trips this year (as usual), other people feel the same way.
The Ripple (and Beschta) Effect
Two OSU scientists continue to help pile on the evidence that top predators are critical to healthy ecosystems
William Ripple, John Beschta, and their students at OSU have made great contributions to the study of ecology. In particular, they have demonstrated and publicized the important role top predators play in maintaining healthy landscapes. Click here to read a recent and fascinating article demonstrating how this fact is being rediscovered across the globe.
Ecology can be understood in very simple terms, but it is also an incredibly complex field of study. I distinctly remember the first time I ever had an understanding of it. I was fishing with my dad on a small Wisconsin lake and asking lots of confounding questions as my dad explained to me how the big lake – that is to say Lake Michigan – was full of critters that didn’t belong there.
Quick action to stop LNG
Support a bill moving through the state legislature.
Just got word that an LNG protection bill has made its way to committee in the Oregon Legislature. There's a brief description of the bill below, and the complete text is here. The long and short: this legislation would ensure all potential LNG projects face the scrutiny they deserve and don't leave Oregonians footing the bill for the environmental damage that could come.
Tax Day
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could decide where your tax money went? If you support Oregon's wildlife, you’re in luck…for now.
Like it or not, your taxes fund a lot of programs. Some you may like, and some - not so much. In today’s tough economy it’s tough to find many programs in Oregon that are overfunded. However, wildlife – especially non-game wildlife - programs are particularly underfunded. But you can help by checking off the non-game wildlife box on your Oregon state tax return this year.
We hope you will.
The value of wildlife to Oregonians goes well beyond dollars and cents. But even by that measure, native wildlife is important. If you don’t believe it, join us next week at the PNW Sportsmen's Show. We’ll be there talking to hunters and anglers about their passion for the outdoors and what should be our shared goal of protecting the big wild places they, and their quarry, need. I enjoyed my time there last year, and I am looking forward to going back.
Is sustainably farmed salmon the next Baconnaise Lite?
Farmed salmon that get the green light by Seafood Watch raise questions, concerns.
I always wondered why people ate Cheese Whiz. I mean WHY would you eat fake cheese when you could just eat the real thing? Similarly, the sushi lovers of the blog world may revolt when I say this, but I feel the same way about imitation crab. EVERYtime I eat sushi people say, “Well, even though you’re a vegetarian, you can eat the imitation crab, since it’s not REAL crab.” I don’t want to eat artificial crab. If I don’t eat the real thing, the last thing I want is imitation. Don’t get me wrong, as a vegetarian I’ve eaten a slice or two of Tofurky, and enjoyed the protein substitute of it all. I’ve probably even sprayed that gross fake whipped cream from a can directly into my mouth once or twice. Yes: Gross.
In the end, I always come back to: Eat the real thing. Eat fresh. Eat local. Eat wild.
A not so public meeting
How the AOCC continues to flout the Lane County Board of Commissioners (and citizens who want a better deal for their taxpayer dollars).
Last spring, Oregon Wild spent quite a bit of time talking to the members of the Lane County Board of Commissioners trying to convince them they were wasting their money.
See, there are 18 Oregon counties that contain the so-called "O&C Lands" -- Bureau of Land Management held forest that many in the timber industry (and local government) view as their own private piggy bank. Of course, this land is owned by all Americans and the 1937 law that put them into BLM ownership mandated a whole host of uses. Here's the language:
"...shall be managed...for permanent forest production, and the timber thereon shall be sold, cut and removed in conformity with the principal of sustained yield for the purpose of providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting watersheds, regulating stream flow, and contributing to the economic stability of local communities and industries, and providing recreational facilities."
Well, the Association of O&C Counties (AOCC) has for years attempted to ensure that the only part of that mandate that gets traction is the cutting down trees part. For decades, they have taken taxpayer dollars (in the form of dues from member counties) and spent them lobbying for bad ideas like the WOPR and selling off public land.
Last year, Oregon Wild and others urged Lane County to disassociate themselves from the Association. And we won.
Funny sign
When nature takes over.
Managing forests for a cooler plant, a critique
Our resident global warming and forests expert, Doug Heiken, takes a look at a new report out of Canada.
Got a note from Doug Heiken yesterday about a new global warming/forests report out of British Columbia. Doug keeps up to the minute on the recent developments in forest carbon science, so he had a few thoughts to share.
From Doug:
I've only had time to skim this new report from a broad coalition of conservation and labor groups in B.C., Canada. It appears to have some good and some questionable recommendations.
MANAGING BC’S FORESTS FOR A COOLER PLANET
See Doug's analysis after the jump.
Models on display
Oregon Wild staff work on more than one "model project" in our National Forests.
Yesterday, the Bend Bulletin printed a story about the Glaze Forest Restoration Project near Black Butte Ranch on the Deschutes National Forest. Our eastern Oregon staffer, Tim Lillebo, has spent more than a few hours working on this project. In fact, he's been called "the instigator" of this project more than once. This project, a model for how we'd like to see many eastern Oregon forests managed, brought together many diverse interests to find common ground on what's best for the forest, and it is finally being implemented.
Also yesterday, a report in the Corvallis Gazette-Times about Senator Wyden's town hall meeting mentioned this eastern Oregon model. The Senator talked about the agreement reached between conservationists and timber industry interests for eastern Oregon forest restoration, and the need to export it to western Oregon.
Weather, sledding, and predators
How a canceled trip to the mountain relates to gray wolves (yes, it's a stretch)
I woke up this morning, took a quick shower, and started to don my winter sledding gear. In the middle of debating which pair of long underwear to wear, I got a call from Erik Fernandez, our Wilderness Coordinator, and resident sledding enthusiast/expert.
The news was no good. Due to less-than-ideal conditions in the White River Canyon (Oregon Wild sledding destination A), it was determined that the day's trip was a no go. Bummer.
The Oregon Wild staff sledding trip is always a highlight of the year (and you can bet we'll be rescheduling it). We've seen busted fingers, beautiful days, and one spectacular flip off a crudely formed jump at the base of the hill.
But the cancellation of today's trip reminds me that you can't always rely on the weather for entertainment and enjoyment. And while we are big proponents of the great outdoors (hence the "wild" in our name), we can all understand when it's time to find some good times indoors.
And that's where the movies fit in.
Taking advantage of the snow