The Quartz Timber sale is an 847-acre logging project set to take place in the Umpqua National Forest. The timber sale proposes to commercially log and burn older forest in the Cottage Grove Ranger District. We believe that insufficient consideration was given to the presence of imperiled spotted owls and red tree voles, both species dependent on older forests to survive. We met up with Reed Wilson from NEST (Northwest Ecosystem Survey Team) and the Benton Forest Coalition, and he walked us through how to survey for red tree voles.  Surveyors use a crossbow or a bow to shoot a line over large lateral branches and then climb up around 200 feet to look for red tree voles nests.

When the Forest Service conducted surveys, it reported only a couple abandoned red tree vole nests and dismissed the project area as unimportant for the species. Reed and his team over the course of a year found more than 70 active nests in the same areas. The Forest Service has now changed its tune, arguing that these forests are excellent vole habitat and because the species is thriving, there is no need to protect the voles in the Quartz Timber Sale area.

Needless to say that the work that Reed and NEST do is imperative to the protection and understanding of these treasured old growth forest ecosystems. We are incredibly lucky to have them helping us defend Cascadia’s wild ecosystems in the forest, in the courts, and in the streets.  We will keep you posted on the Quartz Timber Sale.

Check out this short video on the red tree vole survey process!

The post Climbing the Quartz Timber Sale first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

The Oregon State Land Board moves ahead with the decision to sell the Elliott to a buyer, public or private, that will agree to conservation and job creation mandates. The goal of the sale is to sever the ties between the forest and the Common School Fund, which provides money for K-12 school children. While any potential new owner of the Elliott must show that it will maintain 50% of the forest open for public access, there is no guarantee of what that will entail.

Cascadia Wildlands continues to look for a creative solution that fulfills the Common School Fund obligations and maintains this magical coastal rainforest in public ownership and open to all to enjoy.

In the meantime, we want to get you out to explore the Elliott with us. Stay tuned for more details, but be sure to put June 18, 2016 on your calendar to join us in the Elliott State Forest.

The post Explore the Elliott State Forest with Cascadia Wildlands first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Our public lands, our National Forests, our Wildlife Refuges, our National Parks, our Wild and Scenic Rivers, these are cherished and revered places across the Northwest. They provide so many different values for so many different people and communities. However, consistent efforts driven by the oil and gas industry to give away these lands are gaining traction and need to be met with staunch opposition from the communities that love and thrive off these public treasures.

The recent occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by militant extremists is part of this movement to give away our public lands. With these lands ceded to local control, all semblances of science-based management and conservation will be replaced with aggressive resource extraction at the cost of our local communities, our economies, clean water, and recreation.

The actions of these extremists is being capitalized upon by industry and their political puppets, and proposals continue to be rolled out to blatantly steal these lands from the American people.

Stand up for our Public Lands, and Loudly Voice your Support!

Contact your local representatives, your mayors, your city council members, tell them you support public lands and that your community should as well. Public rallies are being planned across the Pacific Northwest in communities big and small across Oregon and Washington. Make signs, break out the costumes, let us hear your high school marching band tuba!  It is time to show this nation how we feel about our public forests, mountains, and rivers.

The post Stand Up for Public Lands! first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

OREGON/WASHINGTON- Rallies supporting Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and public lands will be held across Oregon and Washington Tuesday, January 19th at noon.The public is invited to join this statewide event expressing appreciation for national public lands, their public servant caretakers, and the positive collaborative efforts between refuge officials, ranchers, environmentalists, and Native Americans that have been underway on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for a decade. Speakers will highlight the importance of protecting special places like the Malheur NWR that provide integral wildlife habitat, clean water, climate change mitigation, and recreational opportunities available as a benefit to all Americans.

Events are listed below, with details and more events across the state currently being planned. Participants can contact Cascadia Wildlands to receive up-to-date event information, and follow the conversation using #RefugeRally.  This page will continue to be updated.

The post Public Lands Rallies Planned Across Oregon first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Oregon has long been regarded as a state full of natural treasures with ample forests, rivers and mountains. We rely on Wilderness to provide clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, recreation and solitude. Wilderness is what defines us as a state, and provides us with a high quality of living. And while our public lands belong to everyone, it takes an act of Congress to protect them from logging, mining and human development. Fortunately, the power to designate areas as Wilderness is in our hands. With an uncertain political landscape, the need to protect our remaining wildlands has never been greater.  Join us for an evening to learn and discuss the future of Wilderness in Oregon. The event is free and open to the public.

The post “The Future of Wilderness in Oregon,” a Community Forum on Feb. 4 in Eugene first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

September 18, 2014 at 7:00pm

Bijou Art Cinemas on 13th Ave. Eugene, Oregon

Join Cascadia Wildlands and Oregon Wild on September 18, 2014 at 7pm in welcoming Oregon filmmaker Clemens Schenk for the Eugene premiere of “OR-7: The Journey”.

RSVP HERE on the event page.

Buy TICKETS ONLINE.

“OR-7: The Journey” is an inspiring documentary chronicling the remarkable dispersal of a young male wolf — OR-7, also known as Journey — from northeast Oregon down into California who has recently formed a pack southwest of Crater Lake to become the first wolf pack in the Oregon Cascades in nearly 70 years.

Come celebrate wolf recovery, wildlife, Oregon’s conservation values, and OR-7’s epic journey. This film tells the story not just of Journey, but also of his species. It is a story of survival and inspiration. But even as most Americans have come to appreciate native wildlife and wild places, 21st century science and values are coming head to head with old prejudices that put the future of wolves – and OR-7 – in jeopardy.

• The showing will be held at the Bijou Theater at 492 E. 13th Ave in Eugene, OR at 7:00pm. 
• Tickets are $10 and are available through the Bijou’s website HERE. There is limited seating and the show is expected to sell out, purchasing tickets in advance is strongly encouraged.
• A Q&A session will take place after the movie with wolf advocates and the filmmaker. 
• Cascadia Wildlands merchandise will be available for purchase at the event.

For more info about the movie specifically, please follow this link.

Learn more about OR-7.

Maximize the impact of your donation to our wolf fund today, by taking advantage of the

 

Mountain Rose Herbs Matching Gift for Wolf Donations!

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The post OR-7 The Journey : Film Premiere first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.

Bob is trained as a scientist and has spent the last two decades working in the conservation community.  He was also part of the volunteer team that went to Fort Saint John, British Columbia in late January 1996 to help capture and process the last set of wolves to be released in Yellowstone and Central Idaho.  (Click here for more information)

For More Details Visit OMSI Event Page

The post Talking Tongass: Cozmically first appeared on Cascadia Wildlands.