April 4, 2015 — Today, the federal district court for Montana rejected a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to deny protections for wolverines in the contiguous U.S. The court ruled the Service improperly ignored science and violated the Endangered Species Act. A broad coalition of conservation organizations challenged the Service’s refusal to protect imperiled wolverines by listing them under the ESA.
Federal Court in Oregon Rejects Miners’ Challenge to Suction-dredge Regulations
March 25, 2016 — This morning a federal court upheld an Oregon law restricting motorized gold mining in and along sensitive salmon streams. The District of Oregon court held that the State of Oregon has the right to regulate both state and federal land to protect water quality and fish habitat, and it has done so in a manner that does not conflict with federal law.
FERC Denies Jordan Cove LNG Permit! Major Victory for Oregon
Friday, March 11, 2016: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) laid out a major victory today for Oregon communities, wildlife, waterways, and wildlands, when they DENIED the plans to construct a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Pipeline through the state of Oregon, and also denied the plans for its associated Jordan Cove export terminal out of … Continue reading FERC Denies Jordan Cove LNG Permit! Major Victory for Oregon
House Bill 4040 and the Politics of Delisting Oregon’s Wolves
by Nick Cady, Legal Director It is astonishing to folks at Cascadia Wildlands that House Bill 4040 (HB4040) was even a topic of conversation this “short” legislative session. Every other year, the Oregon legislature holds a short session that only lasts around one month, and because of the limited time for discussion and debate, usually … Continue reading House Bill 4040 and the Politics of Delisting Oregon’s Wolves
Cascadia Wildlands Challenges Wildlife Services’ Wolf Killing in Oregon
February 3, 2016 — Conservation groups filed a lawsuit today challenging the authority of the federal wildlife-killing program Wildlife Services to kill any of the approximately 81 remaining gray wolves in Oregon. The legal challenge, filed by the Western Environmental Law Center on behalf of four conservation groups, with Cascadia Wildlands representing itself, comes weeks after a federal court ruled that Wildlife Services’ controversial wolf killing program in Washington is illegal.
Public Lands Rallies Planned Across Oregon
#RefugeRally Announced for Tuesday, Jan 19th Public will gather to support Malheur refuge, celebrate national public lands 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 … Continue reading Public Lands Rallies Planned Across Oregon
Suit Filed to Restore Endangered Species Act Protections for Wolves in Oregon
December 30, 2015 — Three conservation groups filed a legal challenge today to the removal of protection from gray wolves under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act. According to the challenge, the 4-2 decision by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to delist wolves violated the law by failing to follow best available science and prematurely removing protections before wolves are truly recovered. With only about 80 known adult wolves mostly confined to one small corner of the state, Oregon’s wolf population is far from recovery, according to leading scientists.
From Exterminated to a Rebounding Population: A Brief History of Wolves in Oregon
By Legal Director Nick Cady Given the state’s recent move to remove the gray wolf from Oregon’s list of threatened and endangered species, it is worth taking a full look at the history of this species in Oregon to fully put in context the recent decision. In 1947, the last wolf was killed … Continue reading From Exterminated to a Rebounding Population: A Brief History of Wolves in Oregon
Cascadia Wildlands Joins Lawsuit to Protect Wild Salmon and Clean Water from Gold Mining
November 20, 2015 — To defend an Oregon law designed to protect wildlife from damaging gold mining along waterways, a broad coalition of groups moved to intervene today in a lawsuit by mining interests challenging the restrictions. Passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2013, Senate Bill 838 placed restrictions on gold mining using suction dredges and other motorized equipment along streams to prevent harmful impacts to salmon and develop a permitting process to better protect Oregon’s waterways. Miners are now alleging that the state law conflicts with federal laws passed in the 1800s to encourage westward expansion.
Oregon Wolf Delisting Training
by Legal Director Nick Cady You may have heard the terrible news out of northeast Oregon last week that two wolves, the alpha male and female of the newly formed Sled Springs pack, were found dead next to each other. It is highly likely that these animals were poached; poisoned given the unusual circumstances … Continue reading Oregon Wolf Delisting Training