Oregon WildBlog

Connections with people, wild places, and wildlife provide hope in a time of conflict.

Last week, Oregon Wild held our annual staff retreat in the newly expanded Cascade Siskiyou Monument. It’s a beautiful place full of remarkable biodiversity. It is worthy of protection.

As a remote field staffer, it’s always good to reconnect. Our retreats are serious business. But simply being in community with fellow advocates is invigorating and fulfilling. This year though, it was the experience before and the unexpected passenger after that were the most memorable. 

A month and a half in to my book sabbatical (read Blog #1 here), the summer is flying by too quickly. How does one get started on a book project?! I think I'm figuring it out...

The Antiquities Act is under attack by dark money donors and the Trump Administration. While most Americans are very familiar with the iconic landscapes protected by the Act - places like the Grand Canyon, Grand Teton, and our own Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument - they may not be familiar with the law behind those protections. 

Greetings! My name is Katie Kelly, and I am the new Marketing & Graphic Design Intern at the Oregon Wild Portland office. I’m going into my fourth and final year at Lewis & Clark College this fall, graduating with B.A. in Environmental Studies. My concentration is titled “Climate Justice and Media in Periphery Nations.”

Over the weekend, the head of the Department of Interior, Ryan Zinke, submitted a report to the White House recommending to scale back protections for the Bears Ears National Monument in Southern Utah. In his report, Zinke suggests that President Trump “revise the existing boundaries” of the monument, which was designated by President Obama after many years of hard work by a diverse coalition of tribal and environmental groups.

Since Oregon Wild’s inception in the 1970s, protecting ancient forests has been a key part of the organization’s work

Over the last few months, we’ve seen enormous support for wolf conservation!

On May 19th, I testified in front of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on wolves in Oregon. The Commission listened to hours of public testimony from conservation-minded Oregonians who asked the agency to protect and restore Oregon's fragile wolf population. 

Chairman Finley and Commissioners, thank you for being here today and providing the opportunity to hear public comments. My name is Gaby Diaz and I’m here today to speak on behalf of the voiceless.