Oregon Wildblog

Webcast: Beyond Bears Ears

Public lands advocates and conservationists rejoiced last month when the Biden administration announced the restoration of the Bears Ears National Monument. But what is Bears Ears, where did the proposal come from, and what is the significance of this landscape for the five tribes united for its protection? How does it fit into the long-term vision for protection of the spectacular cultural landscapes of Utah's 8.4 million-acre America's Red Rock Wilderness Act?

Even Oregon’s smallest streams play big role in fate of the climate

Leaders need to act on federal, state action to advance Oregon’s efforts to protect waterways
 

A river, as all great things, must start somewhere. Like the network of blood vessels in your body, our watersheds are interconnected. You have big arteries running to your organs, and from those arteries stems a complex network of millions of tiny blood vessels that allow the rest of your body to function.

So too is true for our watersheds.

Oregon and the 30x30 Conservation Initiative

Oregon is known for its wild forests, rivers, estuaries, mountains, and deserts that stretch across the state. These landscapes purify the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and support the salmon and other wildlife that are part of our region’s identity. But Oregon’s communities and wildlife are facing unprecedented environmental challenges in the face of climate change and ongoing logging, grazing, and development. Given these impacts, the need to conserve the natural world for both people and wildlife has become even more apparent. 

Webcast: Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail

From wide beaches and lush forests to windswept bluffs and dramatic sea stacks, the stunning wild coast of Oregon is emerging as the next great long-distance hiking experience. This world-class hiking trail right in Oregon's backyard is an increasingly popular destination, and now it finally has a dedicated guidebook!

The Forest Service Doth Protest Too Much

Not long ago, we asked our members and supporters to speak up for Eastern Oregon’s old-growth forests. As expected, Trump's Forest Service didn’t listen. Now the Biden administration is defending a grievous mistake.

Worse yet, in a recent email many of our members received, the Forest Service claimed they had strengthened protections. It’s simply not true, and we want to set the record straight.

Webcast: Unpacking the Status of Oregon's Wolves

Wolves once had a range that covered a vast majority of North America. A concentrated killing campaign drove wolves to the brink, and it is only through hard-fought conservation efforts that these native animals have started to re-establish across their range. Wolves are still slowly returning to the places their ancestors once howled and roamed. Unfortunately, short-sighted politicians have resumed the last century's war-on-wolves, threatening to undo decades of recovery. This webcast provided a thorough overview of the status of wolf protections.

Key Points:

Global Warming Commission Says it's Time to Put Oregon’s Forests to Work Fighting Climate Change

It’s no secret that Oregon needs to do a better job of stewarding it’s amazing wildlands and waters — this is especially true for its forests. While the overall forest area has remained relatively steady in our state, the same cannot be said for the quality of those forests. They have been logged extensively, and some estimates show that as little as 10 percent of old growth forests remain. This poor management has led to degraded watersheds, impacted fish and wildlife, and millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.