Tag: logging

USFWS cuts northern spotted owl critical habitat by 42% in likely death sentence for species

January 13, 2021 — Today, with six days remaining in the Trump administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule eliminating 3.4 million acres of critical habitat for the northern spotted owl in Washington state, Oregon, and California. This decision comes one month after the Service announced that the species should be uplisted from threatened to endangered, but the agency is too busy to provide these desperately needed protections. The elimination of 42% of the endangered species’ critical habitat would likely result in extinction for the northern spotted owl in the U.S. This final rule results from a sweetheart settlement between the Trump administration and the timber industry.

BLOG: After the Fires, the Birds and the Blooms

by Rebecca White, Wildlands Director As we move into the post-wildfire season here in western Oregon, I am thinking of having some bumper stickers printed up. Maybe, “Gaia Knows Best.” Or perhaps, “What Would Gaia Do?” In the aftermath of this year’s big fires, I want to share the idea that when the land has … Continue reading BLOG: After the Fires, the Birds and the Blooms

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

Thurston Hills Timber Sale

Thurston Hills aka “Pedal Power” Timber Sale is next to Springfield, OR Neighborhood: The Thurston Hills or “Pedal Power” timber sale was proposed near a Springfield, Oregon neighborhood. We successfully blocked this terrible plan. Twice. The Thurston Hills timber sale would have resulted in extensive “regeneration harvest” (all but clearcutting) of 109-acres of middle-aged forest … Continue reading Thurston Hills Timber Sale

Federal Appeals Court Blocks Mt. Hood Logging

April 3, 2020 — Cascadia Wildlands and our allies Bark and Oregon Wild prevailed before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today federal court in a long-running legal battle over the Crystal Clear logging project on the eastern slopes of Mount Hood. The logging project encompassed nearly 12,000 acres of public land in the Mount Hood National Forest, and included almost 3000 acres of logging of mature and old-growth forests along with plans to build or re-open 36 miles of roads.

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