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Oregon Wild’s Erik Fernandez Wins Skidmore Prize

Award recognizes a decade of hard work to protect the wildlands and rivers around Mount Hood, and throughout Oregon

Erik Fernandez of Oregon Wild is one of five recipients of the 2006 Skidmore Prize. The Willamette Week presents this prize to recognize the work of young Portland residents working for non-profit organizations.

Erik Fernandez, Wilderness Coordinator for Oregon Wild (formerly Oregon Natural Resources Council), is a recipient of the 2006 Skidmore prize. The prize recognizes the work of young Portland residents who make less than $35,000 a year and are helping to make the region a better place.

"It is an honor to be recognized with the Skidmore Prize," said Fernandez. "Protecting old-growth forests and clean drinking water from logging and development can be a difficult job, so it is really great to know that people appreciate the value of these wild places, and what they contribute to the quality of life in our community."

Fernandez serves as Oregon Wild’s point person on Wilderness, including the organization’s current campaign to protect Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge chain saws and bulldozers. The US House of Representatives passed Mount Hood Wilderness legislation in July, and the US Senate is now considering a similar plan that would safeguard 128,000 acres of Wilderness and 81 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers and streams.

Oregon Wild is urging Oregon’s elected officials to work together to craft a final agreement and pass a strong Wilderness bill this year.

"Working for a non-profit organization can be tough, but it is incredibly rewarding," concluded Fernandez. "What other job allows you to stand in the middle of a grove of 1000-year-old trees and say ‘I saved this place.’"

"I’ve been working on Mount Hood Wilderness for nearly 10 years, and there are many other people who love the mountain who’ve been at it for even longer," observed Fernandez. "Winning the prize is great, but the real prize will be the preservation of Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge."

For over thirty years, Oregon Wild has worked to permanently protect Oregon’s remaining pristine wild lands as Wilderness. Wilderness protection preserves the public’s ability to enjoy pristine forests through activities like hiking, camping, hunting, and fishing, while preserving the land from logging, mining, road building, and other destructive activities.

A graduate of the University of Portland, Fernandez fist became involved with Oregon Wild as a volunteer. Seven years ago he came on board as paid staff. His work varies from field tours documenting the values of pristine areas, to high-tech mapping and GIS analysis of forest conditions, to trips to Washington DC to lobby Congress to protect ancient forests areas from chain saws and bulldozers.

The Skidmore Prize was created by Willamette Week in conjunction with Momentum Market Intelligence, a local Portland high-tech research firm. The goal of the award is to provide added incentives for people who work at local non-profits and improve the quality of life in the region. In addition to MMI's contribution, Pink Martini and Heinz Records provided the funds for one of the 2006 prizes. Multnomah County Chair-elect Ted Wheeler recently announced the winners at a luncheon in Portland.

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