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Press Release: Conservationists Challenge Controversial BLM Clear-Cutting Pilot Project

January 30, 2013 — Conservation groups today filed an administrative challenge to the proposed clearcutting of more than 100 acres of mature forests and spotted owl critical habitat on public lands near Canyonville. The White Castle Timber sale is part of the Roseburg Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Secretarial Pilot project, promoted by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar as a way of restoring the forest and increasing timber harvest on federal forest lands.

Press Release: Conservation Groups Challenge Crater Lake-Area Logging

January 2, 2013 — Conservationists today filed a Notice of Intent to challenge an old-growth logging sale on the doorstep of iconic Crater Lake National Park. The Umpqua National Forest is offering the sale as part of a massive proposal to log forests bordering the park, including some of the state’s most popular recreation areas around Lemolo and Diamond Lakes. Conservationists are expressing concern the Forest Service is violating laws designed to protect rare and vulnerable wildlife which also call the area home.

Press Release: Anniversary of OR-7’s Arrival in California Inspires New Wolf Alliance

December 21, 2012 — Twenty-five wildlife conservation, education and protection organizations in California, Oregon and Washington today announced the formation of an alliance committed to recovering wolves across the region. The Pacific Wolf Coalition envisions populations of wolves restored across their historic habitats in numbers that will allow them to re-establish their critical role in nature and ensure their long-term survival. The announcement of the Pacific Wolf Coalition coincides with the one-year anniversary of the first wolf, OR-7, in California in nearly 90 years.

Press Release: Oregon Suspends Clearcutting in the Elliott State Forest

November 14, 2012 — After a lawsuit by conservation groups, the State of Oregon has suspended logging of 914 acres of old-growth forest on the Elliott State Forest that is habitat for the threatened marbled murrelet. Previously, ten timber sales were suspended in response to the lawsuit filed in July by Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Audubon Society of Portland. The suit asserts that the state is harming the rare seabird by logging its nesting habitat in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Press Release: Lawsuit Filed to Protect Threatened North Oregon Coast Red Tree Vole

September 26, 2012 — Three conservation organizations filed a legal challenge today to halt the controversial Rickard Creek timber sale on Salem Bureau of Land Management lands southwest of Corvallis, Oregon. Cascadia Wildlands, the Center for Biological Diversity and Benton Forest Coalition assert the BLM failed to protect habitat for the threatened red tree vole in violation of the Northwest Forest Plan and National Forest Management Act. The timber sale would clearcut 92 acres and thin 19 acres of mature forests in the Marys River watershed.

The Impacts of Suction Dredge Mining

Harmful to aquatic life. Suction dredging harms fish and other wildlife. Suction dredging reduces the ability of fish to see, feed, and spawn. Additionally, the turbidity and increased sedimentation caused by suction dredging can clog fish’s gills. These impacts further threaten Oregon’s fish and other aquatic wildlife, including endangered salmon species. Reduction in water quality. … Read more

Suction Dredge Mining in California

Suction dredging emerged as a recreational and economic activity when new technology began allowing miners to reach streambeds in deep rivers to mine for gold. Suction dredging uses a vacuum-like motor to suck up streambed material, which is then sifted through a sluice box for gold. California rivers proved especially lucrative for the so-called “New … Read more

Press Release: Washington State Resumes Hunt for Wolves With Aim to Destroy Wedge Pack

September 5, 2012 — Following two depredations last week, the state of Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife ended its brief wolf-hunting reprieve and is again gunning to kill up to four wolves in the Wedge pack, with the aim of potentially breaking up the pack.  

Press Release: Washington Wolves Get Temporary Reprieve From Kill Order

August 30, 2012 — Following more than a week of pressure from conservation groups and thousands of members of the public, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has temporarily called off the killing of up to four wolves in the Wedge pack in the northeastern part of the state.

Twenty-four Conservation Groups Call on Obama to Maintain Federal Protections for Wolves in the Northwest

August 14, 2012 — Twenty-four conservation organizations sent a letter to President Barack Obama today asking for continued Endangered Species Act protection for wolves in the Pacific Northwest. The groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Northwest, Oregon Wild, Defenders of Wildlife, Cascadia Wildlands, Sierra Club, NRDC, and others, sent the letter as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service moves toward a final decision on whether wolves in the Northwest and other areas will retain protection.

My Summer as a Legal Intern at Cascadia Wildlands

My experience as a legal intern with Cascadia Wildlands this summer was extremely rewarding, both professionally and personally.  My research helped answer important questions to advance our legal claims in various challenges to federal agency authorizations of timber sales in Oregon.  I wrote legal memos including an informative memorandum regarding a new potential area of … Read more

Livestock Protection Dogs and Other Non-Lethal Tools to Deter Wolves

As the wolf population in Oregon and Washington continues to grow, so too does the need to promote and utilize the non-lethal and proactive tools available to reduce conflict between wolves and livestock. There are many tactics livestock operators can employ to help protect their herds. Though their implementation doesn’t guarantee 100% effectiveness, understanding and … Read more