Oregon WildBlog

Oregonians love their Wilderness areas. But some of these fragile landscapes are becoing overwhelmed with visitors. How do we protect what we love?

Many Oregon elementary school children have the opportunity to attend Outdoor School, essentially a blend of camping-plus-school that takes children into the forest to talk about wildlife, water, geology, and plant life. Through songs and traditions, as well as hands-on learning, it’s a fantastic experience that sticks with students for their entire lives. Oregon children are instilled at a very young age with an appreciation of nature.

It’s officially prescribed fire season in many parts of Oregon. Here is a bit of background and a run down of some of the advantages and disadvantages. 

As uncomfortable as it is for many of us to accept it (human nature), wildfire is a normal process for Oregon’s forests, a process that was suppressed for much of the last century. Our forests have evolved over thousands of years with fire, with some of our tree species like the knobcone pine requiring fire to reseed. 

This is the third in a series of blogs highlighting the stories behind the stories of “wolf conservation” under Curt Melcher and Governor Brown’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.

On Saturday, April 14th, brewers, beer lovers, and environmental advocates alike gathered to celebrate the forests and public lands that house our watersheds and to support their protection by raising a pint. Great beer begins with clean water after all!

Earlier this month, Oregon State Representative Dallas Heard was appointed to fill the State Senate seat of Jeff Kruse, who resigned this year following the release of an independent investigator's report that confirmed he had engaged in unwelcome physical contact with coworkers in the Oregon legislature.

Congress passed a spending bill last week after a month of negotiations produced a $1.3 trillion budget that will keep the federal government open for – gasp – a whole six months. The bill almost failed to become law after a whirlwind few hours that had President Trump threatening a veto, only to reverse himself, sign the bill, and pledge to never let another bill like it pass again.

^{Last year the Forest Service proposed an illegal logging project on one of Oregon’s most precious landscapes. In response Oregon Wild and Greater Hells Canyon Council took the agency to court. Judy Treman of Walla Walla, Washington has been visiting the Lostine River Canyon for over 70 years. When she heard about the logging project she wrote this piece:}