In response to a public comment period on a proposed Conservation and Landscape Health rule, more than 349,000 members of the public and supporters of environmental advocacy groups, including Oregon Wild, called on the Bureau of Land Management to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests managed by the agency.
“Older forests in Oregon are a huge part of what makes this state so special,” said Victoria Wingell, Forests and Climate Campaigner for Oregon Wild. “The benefits to recreation, the climate, clean air and water, and wildlife are enormous. It’s appropriate that so many weighed in to call for protecting our forests. Now it’s up to the Bureau of Land Management, and the Biden administration, to act accordingly.”
On Earth Day 2022, President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling on the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to inventory and conserve mature and old growth forests on federal land. The BLM’s rulemaking, which includes a request for feedback on how the “BLM [might] use this rule to foster ecosystem resilience of old and mature forests on BLM lands” is a step forward in implementing the president’s directives on forest conservation.
Oregon Wild has elected to file an objection to the draft Record of Decision for the Youngs Rock Rigdon (YRR) Project on the Willamette National Forest because it will sacrifice more than 1,000 acres of mature and old-growth forest, including northern spotted owl suitable habitat and critical habitat; it will increase global warming by causing significant carbon emissions from logging; and it will replace mature forests that are relatively resilient to wildfire with low-density forests and shrub fields that are expensive to maintain and pose an increased fuel hazard. We hope our objection can help the Forest Service make a balanced and informed final decision on the project.
The Forest Service’s primary goal with this project is to restore dry Ponderosa pine/White oak savanna similar to the Jim’s Creek Project previously approved in the same area. That project resulted in a significant blowdown event killing several hundred old-growth pine trees that the project intended to save, as well as significantly spread weeds where native wildflowers were intended to thrive. The Jim’s Creek Project was 450 acres. The Youngs Rock Rigdon Project is five times larger.
The YRR Project is located in the upper Middle Fork Watershed above Hill Creek Reservoir. The area harbors a mix of moist and dry forests, including surviving remnants of a rare pine/oak savanna ecosystem that was likely maintained by frequent native burning. For more than 100 years, the Forest Service failed to allow the pattern of cultural burning that maintained these unique forests, so the forest quite predictably grew into relatively dense mature and old-growth stands that now provide important habitat for spotted owls and help to make the Willamette NF among the largest stores of carbon in the entire National Forest System. The Forest Service wants to bring back that pine/oak savanna, but they are taking a nugget of a good idea way too far.
The YRR Project is a large logging project that will commercially log 2,608 acres, including 1,419 acres of mature natural stands, and 531 acres of clearcutting in managed stands. Almost 1,000 acres will be logged with ground-based heavy equipment that can damage soils and spread weeds. Logging will occur in critical habitat for the Threatened northern spotted owl, as well as in riparian reserves, Special Interest Areas, and likely occupied but unsurveyed habitat for red tree voles. The YRR Project will produce 63 million board feet of logs, enough to fill 12,600 log trucks. Ten miles of new roads will be built, but the Forest Service does not disclose where they will be built. Logging and roads will affect ESA-listed species, including northern spotted owls, Chinook salmon, and bull trout. 2,799 acres of suitable spotted owl nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat would be removed (not maintained; not degraded; removed) by heavy logging to create savannas and clearcutting in managed stands. About half of the suitable habitat removal is within spotted owl critical habitat. The project also includes road maintenance, floodplain restoration, meadow restoration, recreation enhancements, and fuel reduction.
There are many aspects of this project that Oregon Wild supports, including floodplain restoration, meadow restoration, variable thinning of young plantations, recreation enhancements, road decommissioning, road storage, and some of the fuel reduction activities that focus on prescribed fire and removing small fuels near roads. Unfortunately, all this good work is overshadowed by unnecessarily aggressive logging of 1,400 acres of native forests, clearcutting of 500 acres of plantations, and 10 miles of new road construction.
Oregon Wild also supports the goal of restoring dry pine and oak sites, but we feel that this can be accomplished in more limited areas that clearly exhibit significant components of the historic pine/oak community. A modified approach that protects more of the existing mature and old-growth forests would serve several important purposes:
First, it will help mitigate global climate change by keeping much more carbon in the forest and out of the atmosphere.
Second, it will help spotted owls survive the current shortage of habitat caused by decades of unsustainable logging of old growth on the Willamette National Forest, and help spotted owls coexist with invading barred owls that currently occupy and defend much of the available suitable owl habitat.
Third, it will retain mature forests with thick bark, high canopies, and favorable microclimates that are shown to be more resistant and resilient to wildfire.
Conserving more mature and old-growth forest will advance the goals of President Biden’s April 2022 Executive Order calling for the protection of mature and old-growth forests to meet the twin goals of biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
Oregon Wild’s objection reiterates comments and concerns raised earlier in the public process. It urges the Forest Service to explore options and find a better balance between pine/oak enhancement on the one hand, and old growth conservation, spotted owl recovery, wildfire resilience, and carbon storage on the other. These goals are somewhat in conflict, because pine/oak restoration requires reducing tree density, while conservation of old growth, spotted owls, and carbon requires retaining more trees. The Forest Service has chosen to aggressively emphasize one set of values while sacrificing the others. The Forest Service can and should do the right thing and harmonize high-priority restoration actions without unnecessarily sacrificing other important goals.
Oregon Wild has been raising these same concerns since at least 2006 when we commented on the Jim’s Creek Project: “The FS should attempt to objectively balance the benefits of natural savanna restoration and the adverse impacts of treatment, primarily loss of late seral habitat.”
Over 200 concerned community members gathered on Earth Day for a rally and demonstration in support of a proposed new national rule to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests on federally managed public lands. As thousands of acres of these forests on public lands are threatened to be logged, members of the public were joined by Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis and Eugene City Councilmember Matt Keating to urge federal agencies to protect mature and old-growth forests as a cornerstone of U.S. climate policy.
“We are fortunate to have the commitment of the Biden Administration to protect our forests, but as a mayor committed to climate, I recognize the urgency of the moment,” said Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis. “Trees are threatened from logging in our state and across the nation. We know that retaining and protecting theses forests is a key step to addressing climate change.”
Just shy of the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s executive order directing the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to define, inventory, and protect the nation’s mature and old-growth federal forests,the agencies on Thursday released a new inventory and map of these forests, as well as a notice of proposed rulemaking. The rulemaking process will include a public comment period to gather input from Americans on mature and old-growth protections, and what policies the agencies should adopt to protect them. Activists say this a welcomed first step towards permanent protections for the trees and forests most critical to fighting climate change, but worry some of these areas could be logged before a new rule is adopted unless swift action is taken.
Victoria Wingell, Forest and Climate Campaigner at Oregon Wild said, “Thousands of acres of mature and old-growth forests across the state are still threatened by logging right now, despite the White House’s steps to protect them. If we are to have a fighting chance at combating the climate crisis we are all facing, we need the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to take the magnitude of this threat seriously and withdraw these egregious timber sales. It’s clear that we need this new national rule now more than ever.” These projects include the Ragged Ruby project in the Malheur National Forest and multiple BLM projects: Evans Creek, 42 Divide, and IVM.
“As we celebrate yet another Earth Day characterized by compounding biodiversity and climate crises, we ask federal agencies to permanently protect mature and old-growth forests as one of our most powerful natural climate solutions,” said Madeline Cowen, grassroots organizer with Cascadia Wildlands. “Older forests filter our drinking water, remove climate pollution from the air we breathe, and increase our resilience to uncharacteristically severe wildfires. These forests are worth far more standing.”
“In the Pacific Northwest, mature and old-growth forests are our first line of defense against climate change,” said Steve Pedery, Conservation Director at Oregon Wild. “Keeping these trees standing means they can continue to capture and store the pollution that causes climate change, provide future generations with clean water to drink, and protect vital habitat for fish and wildlife.”
This Earth Day rally follows the withdrawal of the Flat Country timber sale last year, after activists across the region organized in opposition. The Flat Country sale would have logged 1,000 acres of trees 98-170 years old and had been previously identified by the Climate Forests Campaign, a coalition of more than 120 organizations working to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests on federal land, as one of the most egregious examples of mature and old-growth logging projects planned in the United States. The coalition’s report highlighted 21 additional mature and old-growth logging projects on Forest Service and BLM-managed forests currently expected to move forward.
According to reports, the U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday a pathway for protecting mature and old-growth trees and forests as part of a strategy to improve the climate resilience of federally managed forests. The agency is pursuing a rulemaking process, which will involve a public comment period to gather input on new policies the agency can adopt.
Additionally as reported by the Washington Post, the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management released an inventory of mature and old-growth forests, the first of its kind, as required by President Biden’s Executive Order, 14072. Mature and old-growth forests are essential for watershed health, provide critical wildlife habitat, are generally more resilient to wildfire and are an important natural climate solution, absorbing and storing tons of carbon.
Members of the Climate Forests Campaign, a coalition of more than 120 organizations working to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests on federal land, praised these announcements as a significant step forward.
The coalition has been elevating calls from community members, scientists and activists around the country about the necessity of protecting these trees and forests, including from the ongoing threat of logging.
The coalition highlighted the threat to mature and old-growth forests and trees in two reports, citing 22 logging projects on Forest Service and BLM-managed forests. The Forest Service has withdrawn one of those projects, the Flat Country project in the Willamette National Forest in Oregon.
Coalition members issued the following statements:
“This is hopeful news for our country’s magnificent old trees, our climate and the wildlife that depend on these critical ecosystems. The new rule can’t come soon enough,” said Randi Spivak, Public Lands Policy Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Forest Service routinely targets mature and old-growth trees for logging. I hope this announcement signals desperately needed change at the agency, including meaningful protections while these rules are written. The Forest Service has the power right now to step in and save hundreds of thousands of acres it’s put on the chopping block.”
“It’s extremely encouraging that the Biden administration is recognizing the value of mature and old-growth trees with this inventory and advance notice of proposed rulemaking,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley, Senior Legislative Representative at Earthjustice. “Protecting them is one of our most important and cost-effective natural climate solutions. This is a significant step closer to a rulemaking that will protect and restore climate forests for future generations from the threats they face today, including unnecessary logging.”
“This is potentially big news for big trees. Using this inventory and other new tools, the Forest Service will be able to develop more strategic policies to protect these priceless forests from logging and other threats” said Ellen Montgomery, Public Lands Campaign Director with Environment America. “We’re excited that the Forest Service is taking the next step by planning for a rule. We encourage the public to participate in the upcoming comment period to let the Biden administration know how important our mature and old growth trees and forests are.”
“Mature forests and trees are among the most potent tools we have to fight climate change. And, as the agency’s groundbreaking inventorying effort clearly shows, federal lands remain a key stronghold” said Garett Rose, Senior Attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “But time is not on our side. Following today’s welcome announcement, the Forest Service must promptly pursue robust regulatory protections for these essential forests and trees, including from the one threat wholly under agency control: logging.”
“Old growth and mature trees and forests have stood for every Earth Day since 1970, and it is critical that they stand for many more to come.” said Alex Craven, Forest Campaign Representative with Sierra Club. “Protecting these trees and forests must be a top priority for federal land managers, and it is important that they have the best tools to guide their conservation work – this map can be just that. Our oldest trees and forests are critical in the effort to take on climate change and the biodiversity crisis, and the Biden Administration must finish the job they started a year ago and make sure USDA rules support those efforts.”
“The Biden Administration and U.S. Forest Service took an important step forward today by acknowledging and mapping the immense and unique value of mature and old-growth forests on federal public lands” said Zack Porter, Executive Director with Standing Trees. “The question now is: how quickly and decisively will the Forest Service act to protect these essential reservoirs of carbon, clean water, and biodiversity? With proposals like the Telephone Gap logging project looming on the horizon, time is of the essence to protect our nation’s mature forests.”
“Today’s announcement clearly demonstrates the importance of mature and old growth forests as part of a broad climate crisis solution,” said Adam Rissien, ReWilding Manager with WildEarth Guardians. “Now we need a robust, federal rule to prevent these trees from being cut down, and we will continue to remind the administration that logging remains a primary threat to these forests.”
Today, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife released its 2022 Annual Wolf Report. The report shows another year of stalled wolf recovery, driven in large part by a poaching epidemic. Of the 20 mortalities documented in 2022, 17 of them were known to be human-caused. The only reason the population grew at all is because the declines under state management were offset by wolves finding refuge in portions of the state where they still have federal protections.
“Every year a significant portion of Oregon’s wolves are killed by people,” said Danielle Moser, Wildlife Program Manager for Oregon Wild. “ODFW rubber stamps about half of those and the other half are killed by people who have no respect for the law or for the animals we share this planet with. As ODFW looks to the next iteration of the wolf plan, it is clear that the last thing Oregon’s wolves need is more killing.”
Some people are advocating for trophy wolf hunting. They should look at this report and be sobered at how far ODFW is falling short of its wolf recovery goals.
Updates by the numbers:
Population: 178. Only up from 175
Breeding pairs: 17. Up from 16 in 2021
Total mortality: 20 (17 human-caused)
Known Poaching: 7
ODFW killed: 6
Other mortality: 2 killed by vehicles. 2 shot by individuals, 1 killed by a cougar
Population Growth Rates since state delisting: 2022 (under 2%) 2021 (under 2%), 2020 (9.5%), 2019 (15%), 2018 (10%), 2017 (11%), 2016 (2%)
Background
A federal district court struck down a 2020 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in February that removed federal protections from gray wolves across much of the U.S. In Oregon, that ruling only covered wolves west of Highway 395. Wolves east of Highway 395 lack federal protections and state Endangered Species Protections since the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission removed them in 2015 and the Oregon legislature blocked judicial and scientific review of that decision.
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced Thursday a wide-ranging conservation rule with a goal to “promote ecosystem resilience on public lands” and which includes an acknowledgment of the importance of mature and old-growth trees and forests. The DOI will launch a 75-day public comment period during which members of the public will weigh on forest protection and other policies being considered. Members of the Climate Forests Campaign, a coalition of more than 120 organizations working to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests on federal land from the threat of logging, praised this welcome recognition by DOI, and further called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt rules that protect mature and old growth trees and forests as part of its work to restore U.S Forest Service lands and safeguard communities from fire.
Thursday’s announcements come nearly a year after President Biden issued an executive order acknowledging the critical roles that forests play in fighting climate change and protecting wildlife habitat and directing the DOI and USDA to “develop policies, with robust opportunity for public comment, to institutionalize climate-smart management and conservation strategies that address threats to mature and old-growth forests on Federal lands.”
Over 63 million acres of mature and old-growth forests safeguard carbon, clean water, and biodiversity across all federal public lands, including over 5 million acres managed by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and over 53 million acres managed by the U.S. Forest Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Of these, some 50 million acres are at risk from logging. The DOI’s announcement would begin a rulemaking process for forests managed by the BLM.
The Climate Forests Campaign has been working to raise awareness about the necessity of protecting these trees and forests from logging highlighting 22 logging projects targeting mature and old-growth trees in Forest Service and BLM forests. Yet, only one of those projects, Flat Country in the Willamette National Forest, has been withdrawn because it was incongruous with the Biden administration’s policies regarding protecting trees that are important for fighting climate change.
In response to the agencies’ announcements, advocates issued the following statements:
“This is a much welcomed, necessary step in the right direction for protecting mature and old-growth forests,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley, senior legislative representative at Earthjustice. “President Biden made clear last Earth Day that he wants to incorporate the conservation of these vital trees as a part of the climate solution. We encourage the U.S. Forest Service to follow the lead of the Bureau of Land Management in progressing that vision.”
“These agencies face many challenges when it comes to protecting mature and old-growth forests on federal lands and they have enormous sway over whether logging takes down our mature forests,” said Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Public Lands Campaign Director, Ellen Montgomery. “Americans love our forests and want to see our oldest trees growing tall for decades and centuries to come. We’ll urge people to make these views known through the upcoming public comment process.”
“BLM manages some of America’s most climate-critical mature forests and trees,” said Garett Rose, Senior Attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Logging them releases carbon, destroys habitat, and undermines recreational opportunities. Following today’s welcome announcement, the Agency must ensure that the final regulation includes robust protection for these magnificent forests and trees.”
“Recognizing the importance of mature and old-growth forests as a natural climate solution is a huge step forward for the Bureau of Land Management,” said Oregon Wild’s Conservation Director, Steve Pedery. “Now all eyes are on Secretary Haaland to see meaningful protections established that preserve these giants from logging and ensure they remain standing for generations to come.”
“The Department of the Interior manages some of the most important landscapes and ecosystems in the country, including portions of our last mature and old-growth forests,” said Alex Craven, Senior Campaign Representative with Sierra Club. “Today’s announcement shows important leadership from Secretary Haaland, and we look forward to working with the department to make sure it delivers long-awaited protections to these vital and precious forests.”
“We commend the US Department of Interior for taking an important step in the right direction for the protection of the Bureau of Land Management’s mature and old-growth forests,” said Zack Porter, Executive Director of Standing Trees, which advocates on behalf of New England’s public lands. “Now that the BLM is leading the way forward, we expect the U.S. Forest Service to quickly follow suit so that all mature and old-growth forests on federal public lands can be protected for the benefit of future generations, as directed by President Biden in his executive order from Earth Day 2022.”
“The BLM and President Biden recognize the crucial role mature and old-growth forests have in helping address the climate crisis, and we remain hopeful the government will safeguard them from harmful logging operations,” said Adam Rissien, WildEarth Guardians’ ReWilding Manager. “Halting the logging of older, fire-resistant trees is an immediate step the agency can take to stop exacerbating the many natural threats forest face under a changing climate.”
“BLM older forests are some of the most carbon dense on the planet that are essential to the Biden administration’s nature-based climate strategy. They should be protected from all forms of logging as part of BLM’s overall stewardship responsibilities and in compliance with the president’s executive orders to inventory older forests for conservation purposes and to protect 30% of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030” said Dominick A. DellaSala, Ph. D, Chief Scientist, Wild Heritage, Oregon.
Oregon Wild is saddened to learn of the recent passing of Jim Baker, a long-time advocate for the McKenzie River and old-growth forests state-wide.
Jim was a labor union organizer, a lineman for a telephone company, a rural resident, and a ferocious advocate for his beloved McKenzie River during the heyday of old-growth clearcutting in Oregon. He was among Oregon Wild’s earliest members, attending meetings and conferences as far back as 1974, and he went on to become our longest-serving board member before his retirement in 2012.
He leaves an enormous legacy for all Oregonians who treasure our state’s wildlands, wildlife, and waters. During his time as an Oregon Wild board member and volunteer, the organization protected more than a million acres of public lands as Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers, stopped a proposal to build more dams on the Klamath River, welcomed gray wolves back to the state, and blocked the clear-cutting of hundreds of thousands of acres of old-growth forest.
Jim Baker at the 10th annual wilderness conference in 1982
Wildlife conservation groups today announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for the illegal killing of a collared male wolf in Klamath County late last fall.
The illegal killing of wolf OR-103 near Klamath Falls in October 2022 was first publicly reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Dec. 15. The Oregon Wildlife Coalition and conservation partners have a standing reward offer to assist in prosecutions of illegal wolf killings. This $10,000 is in addition to a $5,000 reward offered by the Service, amounting to a combined offer of $15,000.
The federally protected Oregon-born wolf was accidentally captured in the winter of 2021 by a USDA Wildlife Services trap that the agency had set for coyotes in Deschutes County. After being radio-collared and released, OR-103 exhibited a severe paw injury likely caused by the trap. He dispersed to California, where he remained until returning to Oregon last July.
OR-103’s injury greatly hampered his ability to hunt wild prey and he instead preyed on a number of livestock, which are much easier to hunt. Upon returning to Oregon, OR-103 was implicated in more livestock predations over the next few months. In early October, his death was discovered.
“OR-103 didn’t deserve to die like this, and I hope the people who know what happened will do the right thing and come forward,” said Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Vigilante-style killings of wolves are both morally wrong and illegal.”
This new illegal killing marked the fifth known wolf poaching in Oregon in 2022. It followed the gruesome illegal poisoning deaths of multiple wolves in 2021 in the state’s northeast. Eight wolves from four different packs, including all members of the Catherine Pack, were poisoned in neighboring Union County, in incidents between February and July of 2021.
“Oregonians value native wildlife as well as justice and that’s why we have such generous rewards for the poaching of wolves and other species,” said Danielle Moser, wildlife program manager for Oregon Wild. “We want poachers of all species to be looking over their shoulders and wondering who is going to turn them in.”
“Poaching is a serious crime that undermines science-based wildlife management and disrespects people and wildlife alike,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director for Cascadia Wildlands. “We ask the public to call Oregon’s TIP line with any information they may have to ensure accountability, and we ask both federal and state officials to aggressively investigate and prosecute those responsible.”
Anyone with information regarding the OR-103 case is urged to contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (503) 682-6131 or the Oregon State Police TIP line at (800) 452-7888. Callers may remain anonymous.
Background
Over the past 22 years, at least 34 wolves are known to have been illegally killed in Oregon, and two more were found dead under mysterious circumstances, according to authorities. At least three of these wolves, including OR-103, were found dead in Klamath County and at least one in neighboring Lake County. Arrests and convictions have been made in only three of the 36 deaths.
However, since 2011 wolves in the eastern one-third of Oregon have not had federal protections and have been managed solely by the state. In 2015 the state Fish and Wildlife Commission prematurely stripped wolves of state endangered species act protections.
Scientific research has shown that removing protections for wolves is associated with increased illegal killings of wolves, and that for every illegally slain wolf found, another oneto two wolves have been killed that will remain undiscovered.
At last count, Oregon had a minimum of 175 wolves. Following a significant increase in poaching, Oregon’s 2021 wolf count showed the state’s wolf population grew by the lowest percentage (just over 1%) since wolves naturally returned to the state. The 2021 minimum population of 175 wolves increased by just two animals from the 2020 minimum count of 173. The 2022 population count is expected in April.
The Oregon Wildlife Coalition includes the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands, Portland Audubon, Defenders of Wildlife, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Voters Oregon and Western Environmental Law Center. The additional conservation partner contributing to this standing reward offer is Speak for Wolves.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Oregon Wild works to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations
Cascadia Wildlands defends and restores Cascadia’s wild ecosystems in the forests, in the courts and in the streets.
The Klamath Mountains that span northwest California and southwest Oregon are a place of endless wonder. The region’s climate, geology, water, fire, plants, and animals all contribute to the Klamaths being one of the most biodiverse temperate mountain ranges on Earth. Oregon Wild caught up with Michael Kauffmann, an ecologist and author of the recently published The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History, to learn about what makes this place so unique.
OW: What sets the Klamath Mountains apart from other ranges in Oregon and California?
KAUFFMANN: The Klamath Mountains are old—built by rock that is older than other mountains around it. The newer Cascades and Coast Range, surrounding the Klamath Mountains, are less biodiverse—in part—because they are younger. In between these newer landscapes, time and disturbance have moved slower and offered a refuge for biota from other western regions including the Great Basin Desert, the mesic world of the Pacific Northwest, and the Mediterranean-type climate of the California Floristic Province. Being at a crossroads of geology and climate is why the Klamath Mountains nurture unparalleled biodiversity.
OW: What makes this region so special to you?
KAUFFMANN: Conifers come first. In 2012 I published my first book Conifer Country which defines and maps these ancient plants within one of the most biodiverse temperate coniferous forests on Earth. My quest to understand regional conifers, find the rarest stands, and climb many mountains to do so took me to a multitude of unique nooks. I have seen the Klamath Mountains from all angles, decorated by amazing plants, throughout the seasons—nurturing a deep love for the Region.
OW: In writing your natural history of the Klamath Mountains, did you discover any things that surprised you?
KAUFFMANN: Yes, there is so much more to learn! People have been documenting, describing, and celebrating the amazing life in the region for millennia. From the First Peoples to Western Scientists–anyone with a keen eye for interpreting the natural world knows it is special. But we do not yet understand it all. In fact, in 2022—right before the publication of the book—a new genus of wingless stonefly was documented in a single, high-elevation spring. There are many more examples of what is newly understood but the lesson this should teach us is there is so much more to understand and steward.
To learn more from Michael Kauffmann about the wonders of the Klamath Mountains, pick up a copy of The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History from your local bookstore.
June 23rd, 2022: The Wild Rogue Conservation and Recreation Enhancement Act (H.R. 7509) had its first hearing in a Congressional subcommittee and was well received!
Establishes a 98,000-acre public lands National Recreation Area on the banks of the Rogue River in Southwest Oregon.
Expands the Wild Rogue Wilderness by 59,000 acres to safeguard the largest forested Bureau of Land Management roadless area in the country
Background
Conservation advocates and public lands lovers have worked for a long time to see the beloved Rogue River and its surrounding wildlands preserved from destructive mining, reckless road-building, and misguided logging projects. Despite the area’s breathtaking beauty, abundant recreation opportunities, and critical fish and wildlife habitat, it has long been treated as just another place for extraction and exploitation.
Thanks to passionate activists and supporters like you who have kept the pressure on, we have an opportunity to enact long-sought-after protections. The expansion of the Wild Rogue Wilderness and National Recreation Area has already been moving through the Senate thanks to Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
What this means for:
Wildlife: This large, unroaded river corridor is a vital migration route between inland and coastal habitats. Northern spotted owl, northern bald eagle, osprey, cougar, bear, and Roosevelt elk are just a few of the species that call this area home.
Forests: Wilderness designation will safeguard carbon-storing old-growth forests, as well as prohibit commercial logging and road-building projects that would degrade the landscape and increase fire risk.
Fish: This roadless area is also an important area for sturgeon, steelhead as well as Chinook and Coho salmon. Rivers covered by this legislation will prohibit new mining claims and dam construction that threaten fish spawning and habitat.
Recreation: The Wild Rogue is already known for its world-class hiking, fishing, kayaking, and rafting opportunities. National Recreation Area designation will help the Bureau of Land Management focus on enhancing recreation opportunities and public safety, like establishing evacuation routes and addressing fire risk.
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