Contact:
Peter Jensen, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Lindsey Hutchison, Willamette Riverkeeper
John Persell, Oregon Wild

Eugene, OR — In response to legal pressure, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) withdrew the proposed 4,600-acre Big League logging project in the Calapooia and Mohawk River Watersheds northeast of Eugene.

In November, conservation organizations Willamette Riverkeeper, Cascadia Wildlands, and Oregon Wild challenged the agency’s failure to take the required “hard look” at the project’s impacts on a host of environmental values, including spotted owl habitat, carbon storage, stream flows, and water quality. Specifically, the proposal authorized clearcut logging of the last and highest quality older forest stands in the Calapooia and Mohawk River watersheds on already fragmented public lands. 

Of particular concern, the agency failed to fully analyze the effects of logging and road construction activities on Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon, which are protected as a “threatened” species by the federal Endangered Species Act. According to a 2011 analysis by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), these salmon are at a “very high risk” of extinction and logging units within the Big League Project directly abut the species’ critical habitat in the Calapooia River.

In response to the lawsuit, the agency agreed not to move forward with logging in the project area unless and until the agency completes a robust public process, including further National Environmental Policy Act analysis, public comment, and Endangered Species Act consultation for Upper Willamette spring Chinook salmon. In response to these commitments, the conservation groups dismissed their legal challenge.

“While we are pleased that the Bureau of Land Management has opted to shelve the Big League Project,” said Peter Jensen, legal fellow with Cascadia Wildlands, “thoughtful and thorough consideration of environmental impacts and imperiled species must come far earlier in the planning process as a matter of agency priority, not legal reactivity.”

“It is unfortunate that the Bureau of Land Management is only willing to engage in critical and required environmental analysis after the agency has been challenged in court,” said Lindsey Hutchison of Willamette Riverkeeper. “It should not take a lawsuit to convince the BLM to follow the law.”

“We can all breathe a sigh of relief that, for now, these older stands can continue to grow and provide carbon storage to combat climate change and fish and wildlife habitat,” said John Persell of Oregon Wild. “Still, we will be tracking the BLM’s future actions in these watersheds closely to make sure the agency doesn’t try another end-run around bedrock environmental laws.” 

The post Press Release: Feds Withdraw Controversial Big League Logging Project Following Legal Challenge first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Amaroq Weiss, Center for Biological Diversity
Danielle Moser, Oregon Wild

PORTLAND, Ore.— 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.
 
Oregon wolves have had critical protections removed and then restored in recent years. The Trump administration stripped federal Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves across most of the country in January 2021, including in western Oregon. In February 2022, a federal court restored those protections.
 
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 one to 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 post Press Release: $15,000 Reward Offered for Info on Oregon Wolf Killed Illegally in Late 2022 first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

We now need your help to advocate for a strong Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Elliott. An HCP is a legally binding plan put forth by the State and approved by federal agencies — US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service, laying out specific protections for federally listed endangered species. The ESRF HCP put forth by the State of Oregon builds on all of the work done to date but adds more detail and analysis. In general, the HCP is consistent with what we expected to see over the 80 year term of the plan and substantively advances this process forward. However there are several specific areas where the HCP could be stronger and clearer. By submitting comments you can help ensure that the HCP continues to build and expand upon the work done to date.

Please submit a comment to the US Fish and Wildlife Services by end of the day on January 10, 2023 to support stronger endangered species protections on the Elliott State Research Forest. Comments must be submitted through the US Fish and Wildlife Service Portal.

Click here to submit your comments through the USFWS portal now.

Below are talking points to consider including in your comments:

1. No research in occupied marbled murrelet habitat should be allowed to proceed unless Oregon State University can demonstrate ability (funding and study design) to achieve meaningful results, such as to assess potential changes in occupancy, nesting success, and predation. Final approval from USFWS should be required prior to any research commencing.

2. The HCP must include accurate mapping of occupied and potential marbled murrelet habitat on the Elliott. All occupied habitat must include 100 meter buffers and all modeled potential habitat should include complete intact stands that are capable of supporting marbled murrelets. Accurate mapping is essential to ensure protection for this species and to accurately assess and mitigate any potential take caused by human activities.

3. Estimates by USFWS and the State of new marbled murrelet and spotted owl habitat created over the term of the permit appear to differ, with USFWS estimates being substantially lower than the State’s estimates. These estimates must be reconciled and the State should be held to meeting the higher estimates of 14,000 acres of new northern spotted owl habitat and 21,000 acres of new marbled murrelet habitat by the end of the permit term as delineated in their HCP.

4. The HCP should include a commitment to a substantial net reduction of road density from the existing baseline on the ESRF over the life of the permit term. Ongoing reduction should be demonstrated in ten year increments throughout the term of the permit.

5. The USFWS should require Equipment Limitation Zones (ELZs) on all seasonal streams. Allowing heavy equipment in or immediately adjacent to seasonal streams is inconsistent with protection of listed fish species, stream dwelling amphibians and other species as well as good forestry techniques. An ELZ will be required on seasonal streams on private forest lands under the State’s updated Forest Practices Act and it should be required on the Elliott as well.

6. The USFWS should provide more detailed analysis of visual, recreational, and other impacts of forestry activities on the Elliott, especially in highly active subwatersheds, such as the Lower Millicoma, Salander and Little Salander.

7. Only one entry for timber harvest should be allowed for stands designated for “extensive harvest” during the term of the permit. This is consistent with assurances made by the Department of State Lands (DSL) and Oregon State University (OSU) and should be made clear in the HCP.

8. USFWS should require removal of barriers to fish passage identified in the permit area over the course of the permit term.

Thank you for your continued support for the Elliott State Research Forest. It has been a long road to get here, but we have made huge progress. Your comments today can make the 80 year plan even stronger.

The post Take Action for Strong Endangered Species Protections on the Elliott State Research Forest by January 10 first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

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The post Press Release: Eugene Water and Electric Board’s Unanimously Votes to Decommission Leaburg Hydroelectric Project on the McKenzie River first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

The Appeals Court ruling reversed an earlier Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) ruling. The Court of Appeals weighed various wildlife reports that detailed impacts the proposed mining operation would have on the life cycle of resident deer and elk on TV Butte.  The Court of Appeals agreed with the opponents of the mine that the Lane County Board of Commissioners correctly relied upon Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) testimony about the impacts to deer and elk from the mine.  The decision remands the proceeding back to LUBA to correctly consider ODFW’s concerns.

“This decision was a significant win for land use planning and big game habitat in the county, which would have been destroyed by the proposed mining,” says Lauri Segel with LandWatch Lane County, which works to protect Lane County’s farms, forests, natural areas and open space.
 
Widespread community opposition to the gravel mine dates back to 2015 when it was first proposed, and in 2021, both Oakridge and nearby Westfir’s city councils unanimously opposed the proposal as bad for livability and the tourism-based economy of the area. 
 
Petitioners in the case, including a neighborhood group, affected land and business owners, and conservation organizations, praised the ruling.
 
“Since day 1, the mining applicants have treated Oakridge and its residents like a Third World colony, where they proposed to level a mountain and rake in profits at the expense of human health, the environment, local businesses and cultural sites,” says Josh Laughlin, Executive Director of Cascadia Wildlands. “Hopefully, the Appeals Court ruling is the final nail in the coffin for this cockamamie proposal.”
 
Local businesses that provide hospitality and rely on tourism and outdoor recreation in the Oakridge/Westfir area have also roundly rejected the proposed mine as bad for business.
 
“We are deeply relieved to not be facing mountaintop removal mining on Oakridge’s iconic skyline,” says McKenzie Bowerman of the Oakridge Bike Shop. “It is contrary to the hard work we have done to support this beautiful recreational hub enjoyed by outdoor enthusiasts. Many thanks to the neighbors, community members and advocacy groups that stood up to this intrusion.”
 
In 2014, a University of Oregon study found that mountain bike tourism brought $2.3 million to $4.9 million into Oakridge’s economy annually. Travel Oregon recently granted the City of Oakridge $96,000 for signage to direct visitors to recreation opportunities in the area. Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to Oakridge and the surrounding Willamette National Forest for its renowned mountain biking, fishing, skiing, camping, and vacationing. 

Nearby Oakridge residents and businesses have also worried about the mine degrading air quality from toxic silica dust produced by gravel mining and crushing, contaminating groundwater, increasing traffic with more than 80 round-trip, gravel trucks traveling in and out of Oakridge every day according to documents submitted by the applicants, and destroying cultural sites.

TV Butte is considered an ancestral home of the Chakgeenkni-Tufti band of Molalla Indians, part of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Tribal members have written about and testified to Lane County Commissioners how the mine would endanger artifacts and burial sites at a historic Indian village on TV Butte.

The Petitioners in the case included Save TV Butte, LandWatch Lane County, Cascadia Wildlands, Linda McMahon, Tim Caughlin, Keegan Coughlin, Jenny Caughlin, Kevin Matthews, Michael Garvin, and Patricia Beard, and are represented by attorneys Sean Malone and Charles W. Woodward IV of Eugene.

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The post Press Release: Oregon Court of Appeals Rejects Oakridge Mining Proposal first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Cascadia Wildlands, a Eugene-based non-profit conservation organization that works to defend and restore Cascadia’s wild ecosystems, attended the meeting and testified in strong support of the recommendation. 

Grace Brahler, Wildlands Director for Cascadia Wildlands, said the following after EWEB’s meeting: 

“The Eugene Water and Electric Board’s plan to remove Leaburg Dam and restore this portion of the McKenzie River is a truly historic opportunity and the right move as we confront the mounting impacts of the climate crisis. Imperiled fish and wildlife, recreationists, and the hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who rely on the McKenzie River for clean drinking water will reap the benefits of this decision for generations.” 

“We are thrilled that the Eugene Water and Electric Board will take action to restore this stretch of the McKenzie River, which will markedly improve habitat for fish and wildlife and protect a precious drinking water source for downstream communities. This is a once-in-a-lifetime decision, the benefits of which will unfold over generations.”

“We strongly support EWEB’s decision to move forward with removing the Leaburg Dam for the many benefits for imperiled species and other wildlife that rely on the McKenzie River. These species need cool, clear water to survive, especially as the impacts of the climate emergency exacerbate the many stresses they currently face.” 

“We recognize this restoration plan will be a big shift for the neighboring community which has grown up with the century-old dam. In particular, we hope that EWEB will continue to support organic farmers upriver who nourish the community and have relied on the canal for irrigation.”

Representing 12,000 members and supporters across the country, Cascadia Wildlands envisions vast old-growth forests, a stable climate, rivers full of wild salmon, wolves howling in the backcountry and vibrant, diverse communities sustained by the unique landscapes of the Cascadia bioregion.

The post Cascadia Wildlands Statement on Eugene Water and Electric Board’s Recommendation to Decommission Leaburg Dam on the McKenzie River first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Noah Rott, Sierra Club

Eugene, OR — Over 100 community members rallied ahead of a Eugene City Council hearing last night to support the city’s proposed policy to phase out gas in new homes over climate and health concerns. At the rally, 63 people testified in support of the proposed ordinance, providing hours of testimony to the council about the benefits of electrification. 

“The broad participation and turnout from all corners of the community makes us optimistic that leaders will seriously consider the concerns of residents and pass a first-of-its kind policy in Oregon,” said Paige Hopkins, Climate Justice Organizer with Beyond Toxics. “Eugene won’t be able to achieve its climate goals without addressing the use of gas, and in the process we can lower energy costs and address air pollution in our communities.” 

If approved, Eugene will become the first city in Oregon to require all-electric new buildings in residential construction, with the goal of transitioning existing residential and commercial buildings from gas by 2035. The hearing was the last opportunity for the public to provide comments before the city council votes on a final policy early next year — and the culmination of years of organizing by Fossil Free Eugene, a coalition of environmental justice, racial justice, and housing advocates. 

“The intersection of climate change and housing justice is clear. Tenants rely on our local government to protect us, plan for our future well-being, and to make decisions that help keep us safe, housed, and healthy,” Tim Morris, Executive Director of the Springfield Eugene Tenants Association testified. “We rely on your choice — your choice to not be swayed by misinformation campaigns and instead to invest in the future of your constituents.”

In a letter to the Eugene City Council, a group of over 40 building and architectural firms and individual building professionals endorsed the policy, highlighting the imperative to transition the building sector away from fossil fuels as it is considered one of the fastest growing sources of emissions in the city. The group also emphasized the role of all-electric, efficient appliances such as heat pumps, which have been shown to significantly reduce household energy costs and cut climate pollution. 

The Active Bethel Community (ABC) neighborhood association, which represents an already pollution-overburdened working class neighborhood in West Eugene, also submitted a letter in support of the ordinance, highlighting the disproportionate impacts of pollution from gas stoves and industry in predominantly low-income and communities of color. In their letter, they also affirmed their opposition to NW Natural’s recently withdrawn hydrogen blending pilot project, citing the significant health and safety risks.

Earlier this month, the Multnomah County Health Department released a report recommending a transition away from gas appliances in homes due to health risks, citing evidence that homes with gas stoves have significantly higher levels of indoor nitrogen oxide pollution, which increases a person’s susceptibility to respiratory infections, and evidence that children living in homes with gas stoves are 42 percent more likely to develop asthma symptoms. 

“Using Eugene Water and Electricity Board’s 2021 published emissions intensity, an RMI analysis found that the emissions reduction for an all-electric home was 74 percent compared to a mixed fuel home, a reduction of 30 metric tons of CO2 over a 15-year period,” said Jonny Kocher, Senior Associate with RMI. “The analysis also found that all-electric homes built with Energy Star-rated heat pumps cost $3,446 less than a mixed fuel home in the City of Eugene. These savings are because heat pumps can both heat and cool, avoiding the need for both an air conditioner and furnace.”

Across the nation, more than 90 cities and counties have voted to phase out gas in new construction. Just this month Washington State became the first in the nation to require highly efficient heat pumps for new commercial and residential buildings.

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The post Press Release: Eugene City Council Hears Overwhelming Support for Healthy Homes Policy first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contact:
Madeline Cowen, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Randi Spivak, Center for Biological Diversity

EUGENE, OR — As world leaders gather to address the climate crisis, U.S. land management agencies are undermining President Joe Biden’s commitment to conserve mature and old-growth forests and trees by proposing to log thousands of acres on public lands that serve as climate-saving carbon sinks, as well as providing wildlife habitat and clean drinking water for communities.

Today’s America’s Vanishing Climate Forests report profiles 12 projects on federal public lands including the Bureau of Land Management’s “42 Divide” sale in southwest Oregon, which proposes to log 5,280 acres of mature and old-growth moist mixed conifer forests with trees up to 200 years old. Along with the 10 similar projects identified in a previous report, federal agencies currently have 370,000 acres of older public forests on the chopping block. 

“With so few old-growth stands remaining amidst a sea of clearcuts, it’s abhorrent that the government is planning to log our last older public forests like those in the 42 Divide project,” said Madeline Cowen, Grassroots Organizer with Cascadia Wildlands. “If the Biden administration is serious about fighting the climate crisis, these forests need to be immediately and permanently protected. Forests and their vast amounts of naturally stored carbon are one of the best, and last, defenses we have. ”

Today’s report comes as members of the Biden administration meet with international leaders at COP27 about climate commitments, including efforts to reverse deforestation and promote nature-based solutions to addressing climate change. Protecting mature and old-growth forests and trees is one of the simplest and most effective ways the Biden administration can tackle climate change at home and demonstrate global leadership.

“Instead of heeding Biden’s pledge to set an example for the world, federal agencies are moving full steam ahead with massive logging of mature and old-growth forests,” said Randi Spivak, Public Lands Program director with the Center for Biological Diversity. “These are some of the world’s most magnificent trees and it’ll take centuries to recover their loss. We’re running out of time. The U.S. needs to immediately change course and protect these carbon workhorses.” 

On Earth Day President Biden issued an executive order directing an inventory of mature and old-growth federally managed public forests and development of policies to protect them. Agencies can establish needed protections for these trees and forests while carrying forward the critical work of protecting communities from wildfire. 

At COP26, world leaders pledged to end global deforestation by 2030, but a recent assessment shows nations are not on track to achieve this goal. Ending logging of mature and old-growth forests and trees is a cost-effective solution that can start right now. Advocates from the Climate Forests campaign, a coalition of 120 organizations, are calling on the Biden administration to swiftly adopt a durable rule to protect mature and old-growth trees and forests from logging.

 “Global leaders are discussing the climate crisis in Egypt this week, and time is running out for the world’s greatest emitters to begin implementing policies to stave off the worst consequences,” said Blaine Miller-McFeeley, senior legislative representative at Earthjustice. “A federal rule that restricts logging of critical mature and old-growth forests on federal lands is a cost-effective solution that harnesses nature to fight climate change, while preserving wildlife habitat and protecting clean drinking water.”

In July the Climate Forests Campaign released Worth More Standing, which identified 10 of the worst projects on federal forests targeting mature and old-growth forests and trees. The agencies have not reversed course on any of the 10 sales, though a lawsuit has paused two. Maps on the Climate Forests campaign website show the projects featured in the reports and illustrate the widespread logging threat across the country. 

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The post Press Release: U.S. Agencies Undermine Biden’s Public Forest Protection Pledge with Logging Plans, According to Report first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

This month, conservation groups finalized a legal agreement with the Bureau of Land Management to reverse a Trump-era rule excluding vastly more logging in post-fire landscapes from detailed environmental review. The agreement resolves a legal challenge the groups brought against the agency in October, 2021.

“Categorical exclusions” allow agencies to approve actions having minimal environmental effects without detailed environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Trump rule increased the maximum area for categorical exclusions permitting logging of “dead or dying trees” from 250 acres to 3,000 acres—a 1,200% increase. The rule also doubled the maximum amount of permitted road construction from one-half to one mile of permanent road. The previous categorical exclusion rule required those roads to be temporary. The Bureau will now engage in rulemaking to remove the categorical exclusion language from its NEPA implementing procedures and revert to the old guidance. In the meantime, BLM will refrain from using the categorical exclusion.

“The categorical exclusion defied the overwhelming scientific consensus that post-disturbance logging is a harmful ecological ‘tax’ on the environment,” said Susan Jane Brown, Wildlands and Wildlife Program director at the Western Environmental Law Center. “While the Biden administration did not independently choose to correct these harmful and illegal policies, we are pleased our case has prompted this needed correction. Some things are too important to brush off.”

“This outcome is a significant win for imperiled species, like coho salmon, Pacific fisher, and the northern spotted owl,” said Josh Laughlin, executive director at Cascadia Wildlands. “No longer can the government plan massive timber sales in fragile, post-fire environments without a full accounting of their impacts on the environment.”

“The BLM has a long history of throwing out the rulebook when conducting post-fire clearcutting,” said George Sexton of KS Wild. “This agreement establishes that BLM timber planners can’t simply dodge the law to achieve logging targets.”

“When managing our public lands, BLM should uphold the letter and spirit of the law. This means involving the public and carefully weighing environmental trade-offs,” said Doug Heiken of Oregon Wild. “Categorical exclusions are a loophole that should be limited to truly low-impact actions that don’t raise any public concerns.”

“There’s no ecological justification for post-fire logging. It’s like mugging a burn victim.,” said co-plaintiff Soda Mountain Wilderness Council’s Dave Willis. “I expect BLM will still try, but it won’t be as easy for them now. It will now be harder for BLM to hide the negative ecological impacts of its post-fire intentions.”

“Post-fire ecosystems are extremely sensitive and categorical exclusions are only meant for minor actions with minimal impact,” said Willamette Riverkeeper staff attorney Lindsey Hutchison. “This settlement is a win for the species that rely on these ecosystems, will allow for the public to be involved in these actions, and will ensure that environmental impacts are fully assessed.”

Background:
General ecological concerns associated with post-fire logging include impacts to soils, understory vegetation, fuel loads, and post-fire habitat features including snags and burned logs. Post-fire logging almost always prioritizes removing larger dead trees highly valuable to many wildlife.

The best available science indicates that post-fire logging is detrimental to wildlife because of the vital role down wood and snags play in meeting life history needs of wildlife species. Unlogged, naturally regenerated, young stands are some of the most ecologically complex wildlife habitat and essential to many species. The biodiversity of these stands’ rivals that of old-growth forests, and young stands are one of the rarest forest types in the Pacific Northwest. Post-fire logging also harms big game populations by removing hiding cover after the landscape is changed by fire and by increasing adverse impacts related to construction and use of roads. Post-fire logging negatively affects water quality: By adding another stressor to burned watersheds, post-fire logging impedes recovery of aquatic systems, lowers water quality, and shrinks the distribution and abundance of native aquatic species. Post-fire- logging worsens fire effects and increases runoff volume, runoff velocities, and sediment concentrations. The best available science shows post-fire logging increases subsequent fire severity—it does not reduce the intensity or severity of later fires.

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The post Press Release: Forest Advocates Knock out Massive Trump Post-fire Logging Loophole first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Contacts:
Bethany Cotton, Cascadia Wildlands, (541) 434-1463
Matthew Bishop, Western Environmental Law Center
Arlene Montgomery, Friends of the Wild Swan
Peter Hart, Wilderness Workshop
Lindsay Larris, WildEarth Guardians
Danielle Moser, Oregon Wild
Paige Singer, Rocky Mountain Wild

Today, a coalition of conservation organizations secured a legal settlement that will aid threatened Canada lynx recovery: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will abandon plans to remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the struggling snow cat in the contiguous U.S. and initiate recovery planning for the species after nearly 20 years of delay. Today’s agreement stems from a legal challenge wildlife advocates brought against the Service for its failure to prepare a recovery plan for threatened Canada lynx over this extended period.

The tentative date for a final recovery plan is December 1, 2024.

“This is the right decision,” said Matthew Bishop, senior attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center. “It’s nice to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reverse course, apply the best available climate science, and put its time and energy into recovery planning for the species. The Service now has about three years to finalize a recovery plan. This sets the agency up for success in terms of a legally sound, science-based plan while the Biden administration is still in charge. This is a victory for lynx, science, and for everyone who values healthy ecosystems.”

Recovery plans are important tools required by the ESA, often referred to as the “roadmap” for conservation because they spell out what the agency needs to do to recover a species and how best to do it. Recovery plans also include metrics that must be met before the Service may deem a species recovered.

“Lynx require the protections of the Endangered Species Act because threats from massive logging projects and climate change are degrading and fragmenting their habitat,” said Arlene Montgomery, program director for Friends of the Wild Swan. “They deserve a recovery plan that contains measurable criteria to address those threats and make sure that their populations increase, not decline to extinction.”

“For more than 20 years, we’ve been waiting for a lynx recovery plan,” said Peter Hart of Wilderness Workshop. “It’s a huge relief that this administration is finally committing to get one done. Recovery is the goal of the Endangered Species Act, and we’re hoping this bodes well for the long-term viability of sensitive lynx populations.”

“Lynx are surviving today in Colorado and its surrounding states thanks to the Endangered Species Act protections and efforts of the State of Colorado and countless citizens who care about our native wildlife,” said Paige Singer, conservation biologist at Rocky Mountain Wild. “The Fish and Wildlife Service providing clear recovery goals that serve to coordinate conservation among the various state and federal agencies involved in lynx management is critical to their recovery in the lower 48 states.”

“Lynx should be in Oregon. They have been in Oregon. It’s part of their historic range. The Fish and Wildlife Service returning to the best science and committing to create a recovery plan is essential to lynx recovery in Oregon, and we are happy to see this progress toward that goal,” said Danielle Moser, Wildlife Program coordinator for Oregon Wild.

“We’re glad to see that the Biden administration is taking steps in the right direction by agreeing to draft a recovery plan that will finally give the Canada lynx a chance at recovery,” said Lindsay Larris, Wildlife Program director at WildEarth Guardians. “We are hopeful that this decision is a harbinger of things to come from a Fish and Wildlife Service that will consider how to best protect species in the face of climate change, and will rely on science and not politics in taking bold action to prevent extinction.”

“The recent announcement from the Fish and Wildlife Service that 23 species went extinct drives home that listing a species is not enough to prevent their demise: We must use the tools outlined in the law and put resources toward bringing them back from the brink,” said Bethany Cotton, conservation director for Cascadia Wildlands. “Today’s settlement means the Service will — at long last — finally prioritize making lynx resilient in the face of ongoing threats by initiating a science-based recovery planning process and finishing it within a reasonable time.”

“Lynx are in more trouble now in the West than ever before,” said Bishop. “Due to climate change, related warming, and longer fire seasons, we’re seeing significant losses of lynx habitat in the few places that still support lynx. We’re also seeing range contraction, increased fragmentation, and decreases in population numbers in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming,” said Bishop. “Lynx were reintroduced into the Southern Rocky Mountains in 1999 — which is helpful and needed. They appear to be doing okay, but the population remains very small and isolated and, as such, extremely vulnerable. Now is to time to focus on recovery planning and designating critical habitat. Kudos to the Fish and Wildlife Service for reversing course on Canada lynx,” Bishop added.

Background:

In 2013, conservation organizations sued the Service for failing to prepare a recovery plan for threatened lynx, following nearly 14 years of delay. The court agreed and directed the agency to prepare a recovery plan by January 2018.

A month before the January 2018 deadline, however, the Service decided to forgo preparing a recovery plan on the theory that lynx are already “recovered” and no longer threatened in the contiguous U.S. The Service said it would therefore focus its time and energy on delisting and removing protections for the species, rather than recovery planning.

Lynx and their habitat are threatened by climate change, wildfires, logging, development, motorized access and trapping, which disturb and fragment the landscape. Lynx rely heavily on snowshoe hare, and like their preferred prey, are specially adapted to living in mature boreal forests with dense cover and deep snowpack. Climate change may also increase hare predation from other species, resulting in increased competition and displacement of lynx.

Since designating Canada lynx as threatened under the Endangered Species Act 20 years ago in 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has gone to extraordinary lengths to deny protections to the big cat. The agency had to be sued to list the species, amend the species’ listing status (to cover all of its range in the contiguous United States), prepare a recovery plan, and to designate critical habitat. WELC litigation prompted many of these actions.

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The post Press Release: Wildlife Advocates Convince Feds to Keep Lynx Protections, Write Long-overdue Recovery Plan first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.