Oregon WildBlog

As you’ve heard by now, Oregon wildlife officials voted last night to strip state Endangered Species Act protections from Oregon's wolves. If you have read previous Wolf Pack emails on this process, you know that this decision was coming and exactly what we were expecting.

Here in Oregon, a little less than half of the land is forested. Almost all of that forestland is owned either by private timber companies, the State of Oregon, or a federal agency such as the U.S. Forest Service, or the Bureau of Land Management. In Western Oregon, there are two very different sets of rules that these forestland owners follow. Most federal lands are governed by the Northwest Forest Plan; State and private lands, however, are governed by the Oregon Forest Practices Act, or the OFPA.

By Seth Heller

Fisher cat – polecat – pekan – martes pennanti – woolang. The pacific fisher’s abundance of monikers contrasts their slim existence in Oregon. Despite an alarmingly low presence in the Oregon wild, the pacific fisher remains stubbornly labeled a species of ‘least concern’. Given the incredible rate of poisoning due to illegal marijuana growers, it’s a title that should give pause to conservationists throughout the Pacific Northwest.

As we approach the 2016 Presidential election, we're hearing a lot about public lands and the best use for them. Everything from drilling in the arctic wildlife refuges to privatizing and selling off public lands for development have been proposed. While public lands have always had their detractors, this minority has become much more vocal in recent years, and their attacks on public lands have increasingly drawn the attention and support of national politicians.

by Beckie Elgin

Last week Oregon Wild hosted its first ever forest management film festival at the Bijou Art Cinema in Eugene. With the help of organizations like the Sierra Club, Pacific Rivers Council and Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics we filled the cinema with forest lovers. This successful event brought people from all walks of life, and all across Oregon to listen to the stories told by our three featured films.

Today, Oregon Wild announced the publication of new trail images on Google Maps, in partnership with the technology company. With the help of some other staff and volunteers, I "collected" these images earlier this summer - possibly drawing a few interested double-takes from anyone who saw us out hiking with a big spherical camera system on a funny looking backpack…

By Julia Haskin

Hello!

My name is Julia, and I’m a volunteer for Oregon Wild. I primarily work on the Crater Lake Wilderness campaign - the citizens-led push to add a wilderness designation inside the National Park and the lands around it. Many of the big Western parks, like Denali, North Cascades, Mount Rainier, Yosemite, and Olympic, already have wilderness designations. But Crater Lake does not.

Reflecting on a Summer with Oregon Wild

by Phil Brown, Wildlife Conservation Legal Intern

Hi there!

My name is Phil Brown and I spent this summer as Oregon Wild’s Legal Intern. Like all good things, my time with Oregon Wild had to end, but I’m fortunate to have been able to take away invaluable experiences and memories from my short time in Oregon.

This Thursday, August 20th, celebrate a classic Oregon brewing institution and their commitment to watershed protection across Oregon.

Having recently joined the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance, McMenamins is kicking off their partnership and pledge to keep Oregon forest watersheds pristine by hosting a three-city happy hour in Portland, Eugene, and Bend! Between 3-6 p.m., $1 per pint sold at three different pubs will benefit the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance.