Press Release: Oregon Wildlands Legislation Advances Through Key Senate Committee

October 2, 2018 — This morning, on the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced the Oregon Wildlands Act (S. 1548) sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). The legislation would designate approximately 108,000 acres of Wilderness in the Devil’s Staircase and Wild Rogue areas, protect 252 miles of river across Oregon as Wild and Scenic, and safeguard more than 119,000 acres of the Rogue and Molalla Rivers as National Recreation Areas. The legislation would also withdraw the famed Chetco River in southwest Oregon from mining.

Press Release: 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds State Efforts to Protect Salmon Habitat from Mining

September 12, 2018 — This morning the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Oregon law restricting motorized gold mining in sensitive salmon streams. In 2017, Oregon passed the Suction Dredge Reform Bill (SB 3) to protect water quality and fish habitat across the state from damaging suction dredge mining.

Press Release: Wolf Pups Documented Near Iconic Mt. Hood

August 29, 2018 — The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed today that a recently documented pair of wolves on the Warm Springs Reservation in Wasco County had at least two pups this year. The White River Pack pups are the first documented in the northern Oregon Cascades since wolves were exterminated from the state nearly 70 years ago.

Lawsuit Halts Wolf Killing in Washington!

August 20, 2018 — Two conservation groups filed an emergency lawsuit today seeking a temporary restraining order to stop Washington wildlife officials from carrying out a kill order for the Togo wolf pack in Ferry County. The decision, issued today, orders the death of the collared, black-male adult from the pack and holds open the possibility for killing additional pack members. The Togo pack consists of only two confirmed adults plus an unknown number of pups. The kill order was halted by the court late this afternoon.

Press Release: Humboldt Marten Trapping Ban Granted!

August 7, 2018 — In response to a petition by five conservation groups earlier this year, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission today instructed the Department of Fish and Wildlife to draft rules to protect the approximately 200 Humboldt martens left in Oregon.

Press Release: Lawsuit Filed Challenging Oregon’s Failure to Protect Murrelets

August 2, 2018 — Five conservation groups filed a lawsuit today against the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Commission for failing to uplist the marbled murrelet from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act.

Press Release: Oregon Court Rules Sale of Elliott State Forest Tract Illegal

August 1, 2018 — The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled today that the 2014 sale of the 788-acre East Hakki Ridge tract on the 93,000-acre Elliott State Forest east of Coos Bay was illegal. The ruling, which overturns the sale of the public land to a private timber company, marks a major win for the state’s public lands.

Press Release: Rep. Peter DeFazio Re-introduces Bill to Protect Devil’s Staircase as Wilderness

July 24, 2018 — Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) re-introduced legislation into Congress today that would permanently protect the 30,500-acre Devil’s Staircase Wilderness in the central Oregon Coast Range.

Press Release: Trapping Ban Sought to Protect Imperiled Humboldt Marten

April 4, 2018 — Five conservation groups filed a rulemaking petition today asking the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to ban trapping of Humboldt martens in Oregon’s coastal forests. The petition follows a new study that found that trapping could easily wipe out the species in the state.

Petition Filed to Save the Humboldt Marten!

June 26, 2018 — Six conservation groups filed a petition today asking the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to protect the Humboldt marten under the Oregon Endangered Species Act.