Tag: BLM

Recreation and Wildlands Enthusiasts Celebrate as Local Clearcut Proposal Defeated in Court for a Second Time

June 4, 2021 — For the second time in three years, a logging proposal slated to clearcut over 100 acres of forest from the Thurston Hills designated recreation area on the edge of Springfield has been deemed illegal by a federal judge. The Court’s Findings and Recommendations come after years of campaigning by affected landowners and wildlands and recreation enthusiasts working alongside attorneys litigating on behalf of Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild. Landowners living adjacent to Thurston Hills and citizens of Springfield and Eugene have opposed the project since its inception, due to the increased risk of wildfire and the diminished recreational value that clear-cut logging would bring to the area.

BLOG: Environmental Rollbacks Gut Core Conservation Laws

Trump Administration Pushing Through Environmental Rollbacks During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Gene McCarthy Cascadia Wildlands Legal Intern, Summer 2020 It can be exhausting keeping up with the constant barrage of unfortunate news covering the current administration’s breakneck efforts to remove environmental safeguards. Unfortunately, the past six months during the COVID-19 pandemic have been no exception. … Continue reading BLOG: Environmental Rollbacks Gut Core Conservation Laws

Press Release: BLM Attempting to Clearcut Thurston Hills Again Despite Fire Risk to Springfield

May 18, 2020 — In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) made a final decision to move forward with the Thurston Hills timber sale today despite widespread opposition to the project. With 79th Street in Springfield on one side and newly constructed trails on the other, this BLM parcel is the closest federal public land to the Springfield-Eugene urban area and an invaluable recreation area for local residents. The timber sale would result in extensive “regeneration harvest” (all but clear-cutting) of 109 acres of middle-aged forest immediately adjacent to Willamalane’s recently opened 655-acre Thurston Hills Natural Area.

FIELD REPORT / BLOG: In the Forest in the Age of COVID-19

By Gabe Scott Cascadia Wildlands In-house Counsel We’ve been keeping our eyes on the forests during the Pandemic. The crisis and response is revealing hidden priorities, shifting alliances, and revealing inequities. The public land agencies, the Forest Service and BLM, and the State governments, have been closing recreation, canceling restoration, and moving forward with logging … Continue reading FIELD REPORT / BLOG: In the Forest in the Age of COVID-19

Cascadia Wildlands and Allies Challenge Enormous North Landscape Timber Sale

November 20, 2019 — Cascadia Wildlands, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Oregon Wild, and Soda Mountain Wilderness Council have filed suit to stop a 9,000-acre timber project in Southern Oregon that will allow logging in threatened spotted owl habitat contrary to federal laws. The project will occur next to the treasured Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, further degrading surrounding forests.

Umpqua Sweets Chronicles Vol 4 – Community

by Gabe Scott, In-house Counsel November 5, 2019 It is a lot of fun to be part of a movement. A phenomenal community of people have been coming together in the forests of the BLM’s Umpqua Sweets timber project. This past weekend I joined a group of Roseburg locals for a hike organized by Instagram artist … Continue reading Umpqua Sweets Chronicles Vol 4 – Community

Umpqua Sweets Chronicles Vol 1: Down by the Riverside

by Gabriel Scott, In-House Counsel Is old growth clearcutting on public lands making a comeback on the North Umpqua River? Thus seems to say the BLM in its latest timber sale announcement, called “Umpqua Sweets.” While BLM’s official announcement is itself so vague and legalistic as to melt into nothing, recent groundtruthing of their proposed logging units … Continue reading Umpqua Sweets Chronicles Vol 1: Down by the Riverside

Legal Victory: Thurston Hills Timber Sale Defeated in Court

September 19, 2019 — On Wednesday, Judge Michael McShane ruled in a lawsuit filed by Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild, determining that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) violated federal laws when it approved clearcutting 100 acres of public land next to the city of Springfield. The court said that BLM’s environmental review failed to consider the fact that logging would increase fire hazard for nearby residents and failed to harmonize logging and recreation by buffering trails as required by BLM’s own rules.

Roundup at the Shotcash Auction! — Sept. 12, 2019

The local Bureau of Land Management is fixin’ to sell parcels within the Shotgun Creek recreation area to timber barons who plan to clearcut in our backyard forest. On September 12th, the BLM will auction off the first two parcels within the Shotcash timber sale, a clearcut logging proposal planned for the Shotgun Creek Recreation … Continue reading Roundup at the Shotcash Auction! — Sept. 12, 2019