Oregon WildBlog

by Tom A. Titus

Last week we sent an exclusive wolf pack update to fill you in on all things wolves. In case you missed it, here’s our blog post that covers the download.

In a state covered in nearly 30 million acres of forested lands, it can be difficult to get a sense of the scale and extent of logging across Oregon.

What would a real wolf conservation plan look like for Oregon? Certainly not trophy hunting, more conflict, and more dead wolves. Unfortunately, that was the plan Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) officials expected Oregon Wild and other conservation groups to approve this week. While we are still committed to fighting for our state’s fledgling wolf population, Oregon Wild and all our sister groups withdrew from this process rather than rubber stamp an ODFW wolf plan that prioritizes killing over conservation.

A little over a week ago, Oregon was on the verge of celebrating new Wilderness designations with the inclusion of the Oregon Wildlands Act in a proposed budget deal in Congress. Unfortunately, last minute objections from Congressman Greg Walden and a late-night tantrum by anti-public lands Senator Mike Lee stopped the bill just short of the finish line.

The good news is Congress committed to a vote on a public lands package again in January (once the government is back up and running again, of course). Now, we have less than a month to make new Oregon Wilderness a reality.

Nearly three years later, Oregon is close to finalizing the state Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Read more to learn about opportunities to weigh-in! 

Humboldt marten, otherwise known as the coastal or pacific marten is one of the 14 recognized subspecies of the American marten. This tiny carnivore can be found only on the west coast.

When I set out to write “Oregon’s Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide” (with a release date of July 2019!), the idea of the research I’d have to do simply sounded fun - discovering and hiking trails in ancient forests across the state, camping out in new places, enjoying time away from the real world… fun stuff. 

Since the election, there’s been a great deal of attention paid to Democrats seizing control of the House of Representatives and flipping several governorships across the country. Here in Oregon, progressives have celebrated Gov. Brown’s re-election and Democrats winning supermajorities in both houses of Oregon’s State Legislature (see Oregon Wild’s 5 Election Takeaways for Oregon's Wildlands and Wildlife).