Oregon WildBlog

When we safeguard our rivers and waterways, we’re not just protecting them for people. An incredible diversity of wildlife reap the benefits of Wild & Scenic River designations!

Beavers 

These ecosystem engineers (and Oregon’s state animal) provide a number of benefits to riparian environments such as creating and restoring habitat like wetlands, capturing excess sediment, recharging groundwater, and much more. It has been said that next to humans, beavers do more to shape their environment than any other animal.  

Indigo Creek: Indigo Creek is a textbook example of how important tributaries are to a watershed, and how critical it is to maintain healthy waterways from the headwaters on down. This remote stream feeds into the Wild & Scenic Illinois River, which itself is a tributary of the Rogue River. Indigo Creek is known for its exceptional water quality and near-pristine fish spawning and rearing habitat, and during summer’s low flows it provides 15-20% of the Illinois River’s water.

Kirk Blaine, an avid fly angler and the Southern Oregon Regional Coordinator for the Native Fish Society, discussed some of his favorite Wild & Scenic fishing spots and the role protected rivers play in maintaining healthy native fish populations.

Wins for wildlife and clean energy, but little progress on forestry reform 

Oregon’s legislature has become increasingly dramatic in recent years. The last several sessions have featured high-profile walkouts by the Republican super-minority, which has stalled consideration of important business like climate change legislation and, in the early 2020 short session, preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic. The drama in Salem reached its climax with violent protestors breaching the State Capitol in December of 2020 at the apparent invitation of Rep. Mike Nearman, who opened the door for them.

June is Pride month, one of my favorite months of the year. But of my many memories, my most joyous year has to be the year my dad walked the Pride parade with me.

Paddleboards, it turns out, aren't just for flatwater! For adventurous river-lovers, paddleboarding is another way to explore all the wonderful things our public waterways have to offer. Writer and athlete ambassador Krystal Marie Collins gives us the rundown on how to train and pack for ultra paddleboard missions and shares a few stories of her own. Collins has paddleboarded some of America's greatest Wild & Scenic Rivers, including a solo 70-mile section of the John Day River and 21 days in the Grand Canyon.

2020 was a record year for public lands recreation in Oregon, and this year is projected to see similar high use in National Forests, parks, and Wilderness areas. Meanwhile, popular trails are crumbling, there aren't enough campgrounds or restrooms to accommodate demand, and public lands agencies don't have the funding they need. Watch this presentation to learn how these issues are being addressed for quality recreation. 

Once again, conservation groups have been forced to take the Ochoco National Forest to court to protect sensitive fish and wildlife habitat. And once again we’ve prevailed.

Contributed by Sofia Green