By Bob Ferris Roughly 1.2 million people visit the 17 million-acre Tongass National Forest each year, but few of them seem to know it. In their minds they are making stops at places like Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan on Alaska’s picturesque Marine Highway. They see bears, wolves, salmon, deer and eagles in what they … Continue reading Tag the Tongass
Blog: Rhetoric on Tongass Doesn’t Match Actions
by Gabe Scott A nail is being driven in the coffin on Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. Is it a coffin for the old-growth logging industry; or for Tongass wolves, deer and salmon? It is up to you to decide. Recent announcements by the Obama administration offer glimmers of hope. Secretary Vilsack’s July 3, … Continue reading Blog: Rhetoric on Tongass Doesn’t Match Actions
Of Zombies, Zane Grey and Western Rivers
By Bob Ferris I became convinced yesterday that actors who play zombies in movies learned their walking techniques from fly fishermen wading in swift rivers on slippery and slimy cobble. I came to that conclusion as I “gingerly” crossed the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River—it is all in the balance … Continue reading Of Zombies, Zane Grey and Western Rivers
O&C Schemes: What About Blacktail Winter Habitat?
Pictures and graphics are always important. In putting together a power point slide for an upcoming talk I am giving on the Tongass National Forest for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, I stumbled onto the following graphic representation (with lots of help from Gabe Scott our person in Cordova, Alaska). Just a simple … Continue reading O&C Schemes: What About Blacktail Winter Habitat?
Who Wants to Bet the Farm on This Tired Old Horse?
By Bob Ferris As a wildlife biologist who has spent most of his professional career working with critters, I have to admit that I am fairly new to forestry issues. Moreover, the O&C issue is a particularly gnarly one. But I can read graphs and have spent a long time interpreting and … Continue reading Who Wants to Bet the Farm on This Tired Old Horse?
On Becoming a Wolf Activist—Do the wolf waltz
By Bob Ferris “Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor.” Ginetta Sagan The title of a recent opinion piece in a Utah paper nailed it: Making War on Wolves. Because what we are seeing out there is truly a war waged on a wildlife species. And like with most wars … Continue reading On Becoming a Wolf Activist—Do the wolf waltz
Excuse me but when exactly did the USFWS become the CIA?
By Bob Ferris I have worked on conservation issues through more than seven administrations and during that time I have known personally most of the directors of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. In nearly all instances these have basically been stand-up folks trying to do the best job possible under trying circumstances. With all … Continue reading Excuse me but when exactly did the USFWS become the CIA?
We Have Oregon Wolf Pup-age in 2013
By Bob Ferris Although we do not have total counts at this point, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed reproduction in seven known packs this year—Imnaha, Minam, Mt Emily, Snake River, Umatilla River, Walla Walla, and Wenaha. And here is a shot of the Mt. Emily pups. These represent more tangible dividends … Continue reading We Have Oregon Wolf Pup-age in 2013
Fantastic Fourth Float
To celebrate the recent passage of the suction dredging bill and in an effort to remove myself from the computer, a friend of mine Kyle who works for a local watershed council and I decided to paddle down the Willamette River from Eugene to Independence Oregon, just south of Salem. Growing up paddling in the … Continue reading Fantastic Fourth Float
BLM: Make Up Your Mind on Brush
By Francis Eartherington When BLM logs our public lands, they determine how logging is done by using a “prescription.” The prescription might be thinning, or it might be clearcutting, or it could be hardwood conversion (e.g., clearcutting alder stands) or density management (thinning in a messier way), or something called Variable Retention Harvest (clearcutting … Continue reading BLM: Make Up Your Mind on Brush