Ore. group releases '10 Most Endangered Places' list

Report highlights areas threatened by harmful development.

An Oregon conservation group issued a report this week highlighting what it believes are the 10 most endangered places in Oregon.
 
Number 1 on Oregon Wild's list was Crater Lake National Park.
 
The Rogue River came in at 10th.
 
The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area near Florence was 7th. The Siuslaw National Forest, which manages the dunes, is proposing to expand into road less areas to allow greater access for off-road vehicles. Stretching for nearly 40 miles, the Oregon dunes are the largest coastal sand dunes in North America. The proposed expansion could threaten the wildlife that calls the dunes home.
 
"But the Siuslaw National Forest that's managing it is allowing for a new road to be built through the roadless area to connect some ATV areas. And we just don't think it's appropriate in this very serious, sensitive area for wildlife," said Chandra Legue with Oregon Wild... "There's threatened birds that live in the Dunes, and so it's important to have different management areas, um, that are off limits."
 
Oregon Wild was formerly called the Oregon Natural Resources Council. The 10 sites were chosen based on the size and immediacy of the threat.
 
"You know we go out to hunt, to fish, to hike, to ski in the back country. And with this report we just hope to show people that the places that they enjoy in this way, shouldn't be taken for granted," Legue said.