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The Bureau of Land Management wants to log 2,700 acres of forested watersheds and construct or renovate a whopping 133 miles of roads in the Big League project area. While much of the area has a history of heavy logging, WildCATs field checking the area have seen bubbling creeks meandering through pockets of diverse, maturing forests with towering legacy trees, snags, and downed wood for wildlife. In the project area, the Calapooia River provides critical habitat for both the Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon and Upper Willamette steelhead, and areas with known northern spotted owl sightings would be negatively affected by proposed actions. Logging would take place close to community members who live, recreate, or get water filtered through these forests.
The Trump administration is targeting public lands, wrongfully directing agencies to get out the cut at the expense of all other values. This means our forested watersheds are on the chopping block. Take a few minutes below to tell local BLM staff you do not want to see these public forests exploited!
Submit your comments on the Big League logging project to BLM by Friday, March 21st, at 4 p.m. PST. We’ve provided a template to help you get started, but be sure to customize your comment for the greatest impact. If you live nearby or have special ties to the area, let BLM know! If you want additional support crafting your comments, reach out! Thank you for advocating for the critters and communities of Cascadia.
Dear [ elected official ],
Please consider this comment on the proposed Big League project Project near Marcola, Oregon. This project would log and build roads through 2,700 acres of public forests, putting habitat for imperiled species including northern spotted owls, steelhead and Chinook salmon at risk. I am particularly concerned that logging and road building will spread weeds and increase fire risk in the area, putting community members who live nearby or recreate there at risk. I am also worried that heavy thinning alongside creeks in the project area will introduce sediment, reduce shade, and increase temperatures for streams in the project area when fish need cool, clean water to survive.
Please consider the climate and carbon impacts of the project. The project area includes areas of maturing forest and large diameter legacy trees, which serve as important habitat and carbon sinks. Even if “legacy” trees are not logged, isolated individual old-growth trees no longer have protected microclimates that provide habitat for older forest dependent species. These “legacy” trees frequently blow down in the first storm following the removal of all surrounding trees that buffered the effects of weather for hundreds of years. With this area’s history of heavy management and aggressive private clearcutting, it is important that remaining public forests remain intact.
Please evaluate the full range of environmental impacts associated with logging and road building and do not treat these forests as a sacrifice zone. Develop an alternative that protects clean drinking water, recreational opportunities, connected fish and wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. Do not move forward with a project that spreads weeds and increases fire risk. Incorporate community feedback into project planning efforts and protect forest values beyond timber production.
Thank you.
