2017-2018 Accomplishments

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Here’s a snapshot of our accomplishments from the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

Protecting Special Places

  • Continued our campaign to permanently protect the Ochoco Mountains by:
    • Teaming up with our partners at Soul River to connect veterans and disconnected youth  the area and advocating in Washington, D.C. for its protection.
    • Successfully challenging a sprawling off highway vehicle proposal from the Forest Service that would have sliced almost 200 miles of new OHV trails into sensitive habitat.
  • Moved the Nehalem River to the precipice of permanent protection as a State Scenic Waterway.
  • Defended the Deschutes State Scenic Waterway from attempted development that would have violated hard-won statutory protections for the river. 
  • Continued our court fight with allies to keep the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument protections in place.
  • Saw the reintroduction of the Oregon Wildlands Act by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to protect the Devil’s Staircase Wilderness, expand the Wild Rogue Wilderness, and secure a National Recreation Area designation for the Molalla River area.

Defending and Restoring Oregon’s Forests and Waters

  • Published a new report, “Forest Defense is Climate Defense” to highlight new science outlining the critical role that improved forest management and protection can play in fighting climate change.
  • Re-launched our “Clearcut Oregon” campaign with:
    • An 80-foot advertisement on the side of a TriMet MAX train for two months.
    • Extensive media coverage of Oregon’s outdated logging laws.
    • A massive petition effort aimed at pressuring the Governor to step up to protect people and the environment from industrial logging. 
  • Helped persuade Multnomah County to withdraw from the timber industry-friendly Association of O&C Counties, shining a light on how pro-clearcutting politicians use public funds to lobby stripping protections from public lands.
  • Filed a lawsuit challenging industrial-scale logging in the Lostine Wild & Scenic River corridor.
  • Watchdogged a total of 111 projects that impact public lands, protested/objected to 65 projects that would have had unacceptable negative impacts, and secured improvements on 11 of those projects prior to litigation.

Helping Native Species Thrive

  • Continued our work as the leading voice for wolf recovery in the state by:
    • Stopping ODFW from adopting an inadequate wolf plan that would have allowed for public hunting and a quicker trigger on killing wolves.
    • Garnering front page Oregonian and national stories on wolves, public lands grazing, and problems with the state’s compensation fund.
  • Held a series of panel presentations and education events on the Oregon Coast about lost and imperiled species.
  • Convinced the Fish and Wildlife Commission to increase protections for the Marbled Murrelet under the state Endangered Species Act. Filed litigation with our partners when the commission brazenly reversed their decision just months later under pressure from the logging industry.

Connecting People to Wild Places

  • Led almost 40 hikes and outings across the state while deepening our partnerships with Vive NW, Soul River Inc., and Passport Oregon with the goal of getting people of color and underserved communities outdoors.
  • Hosted over two dozen Wild Ones activist trainings helping to give Oregonians the tools needed to speak out for wildlife and wild places.
  • Grew the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance to over 60 breweries and partners in almost every corner of the state, while raising nearly $20,000 to support forest and waters conservation. 
  • Hosted or co-hosted dozens of public forums and town halls including an 800-person multimedia presentation in the aftermath of the Eagle Creek Fire and a series of Forest/Carbon events that drew over 500.