Portland, OR | September 29, 2021: A growing number of businesses from across Oregon support Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley’s River Democracy Act (S.192), and are urging Congress to pass the bill. The legislation that will protect roughly 4,700 miles of rivers as wild and scenic was crafted with the input from Oregonians all across the state.  

A letter released today, signed by businesses from every corner of the state ranging from outdoor recreation outfitters to farmers and from restaurants to “mom and pop shops,” states,

“The Oregon economy relies heavily on outdoor recreation, for which clean water and a healthy environment are necessary. Restaurants, hotels, guides, and outdoor adventure stores all rely on protected waters and lands to draw tourism to our state.”   

The legislation was a direct result of a nomination process where Oregonians, including business owners, recommended their favorite rivers and streams for permanent protection. Senator Wyden’s office received over 15,000 nominations for thousands of miles of rivers from residents across the state, showing both the key role these waters play in our communities and the strong local support for protecting them for the benefit of future generations. 

“As small business owners and family farmers it’s imperative we protect these important water sources. Our livelihood to provide Oregon-grown local food depends on the clean, abundant waters from rivers like the Applegate and its tributaries,” said Elise and Jeff Higley of Oshala Farm in Applegate. “This is a food security issue. It is critical that these waters are protected and I want to thank Senators Wyden and Merkley for their vision.”

Outdoor recreation is the backbone of Oregon’s economy.  According to a recent study by Travel Oregon, 95 percent of Oregonians participate in outdoor recreation each year, and in 2019 alone, Oregonians and out-of-state travelers spent $15.6 billion on outdoor recreation and related expenses, supporting 224,000 jobs.

“Having healthy rivers is key to our fifty-five year old Oregon business,” said Zac Kauffman of  Sawyer Paddles & Oars in Gold Hill.  “Now more than ever, people seek to visit the rivers, lakes, and streams of our region, and by protecting Southern Oregon’s rivers, Senators Wyden and Merkley are investing in the economic engine that makes our state run.” 

Currently, only two percent (2,173 miles) of the state’s 110,000 miles of rivers are protected as Wild and Scenic, and the River Democracy Act would increase that to six percent. 

Chris Daughters, owner of the Caddis Fly Angling Shop in Eugene said, “Oregon’s storybook rivers draw people from across the world for all of the recreation opportunities they offer. The protection of these rivers and their stream-side environments ensure certainty into the future for river-dependent businesses like the Caddis Fly Angling Shop, and that is why we commend Senators Wyden and Merkley for moving the River Democracy Act through Congress.”

A recent poll found that 87% of likely voters in Oregon supported additional wild and scenic river designations, including 75% of Republican voters. Additionally, 80% said that they would “like to see their representatives in Congress take action to support relevant legislation that strengthens the defense of your state’s rivers and land areas from potentially harmful industrialization and pollution.”

“The protection of our rivers is to us a no-brainer. Wild rivers are an iconic feature of the Eastern Oregon landscape. They are integral to our communities and have been from time immemorial.  The protection of our rivers not only supports a healthy ecosystem, but supports our rural communities through the opportunities they provide for recreation and tourism. At Go Wild, we depend on our protected Eastern Oregon waterways for guided fishing and hiking adventures that for many of our guests are the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the outdoors,” added Dan Sizer, owner of Go Wild: American Adventures in Baker City. 

The River Democracy Act of 2021 is a testament to Oregonians’ commitment to conservation, healthy living, and outdoor recreation. 

Rod Bien, the owner of Patagonia Bend added, “We’ve been involved with the River Democracy Act since its very beginning, hosting a nomination event in 2019 that packed our store wall-to-wall with river advocates. Protecting waterways across our state not only safeguards wildlife habitat and clean drinking water for millions of Oregonians, but helps keep businesses like ours thriving as people gear up to get outside and enjoy these wild rivers.”

The roughly 200 businesses who signed the letter today come in addition to the over 50 breweries who sent a letter earlier this summer in support of the legislation. The letter concludes, 

“Thank you for introducing the River Democracy Act of 2021, and know that we the undersigned business owners and employers are thankful for your tireless work on this issue, and stand ready to support this legislation and work alongside you to ensure its passage.”

You can read the letter here. 

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Contact:
Josh Laughlin, Campaign Director, 541.844.8182
Francis Eatherington, Conservation Director, 541.643.1309

Eugene, OR — Eugene-based Cascadia Wildlands today expressed disappointment with the O&C forest legislation released by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) that affects management of over two-million acres of public forestland in western Oregon. The conservation organization believes that it is a bad deal for the environmental values that make Oregon special and is committed to working with the Senator to see it drastically improved.

“At a time when the demand for clean water and fish and wildlife recovery is high, Congress should be doing all it can to ensure these Oregon values are embraced, not eroded,” says Josh Laughlin, Campaign Director with Cascadia Wildlands. “This bill guts the landmark Northwest Forest Plan’s environmental protection measures, limits citizen participation and judicial review in forest planning, and doesn’t solve the funding crisis faced by some western Oregon counties.”

Cascadia Wildlands has worked closely with Senator Wyden’s office in the recent past on some of the Wilderness proposals in the bill, including Devil’s Staircase and Wild Rogue, but believes those efforts should not be coupled with the logging bill for western Oregon. In the current legislation, the conservation gains are far outweighed by the costs to clean drinking water, fish and wildlife, and recreation opportunities. The bill unravels the framework of the 24-million acre Northwest Forest Plan by shrinking streamside buffers in half that were designed to benefit salmon and clean water and eliminating the old-growth forest reserve system established to protect older forest-dependent species.

“Some of the things in this proposal are what we saw George W. Bush and Big Timber attempt during that dark period, notably trying to weaken the conservation standards for fish and wildlife in the Northwest in order to ramp up the cut,” says Francis Eatherington, Conservation Director of Cascadia Wildlands. “Instead of squeezing our cherished public forests for every last penny, Congress, state and county politicians should take a fresh look at the timber harvest and severance tax in the state, the absurdly low property taxes in some of the most affected counties, and capitalize on the jobs and raw logs being shipped to Asia.”

Cascadia Wildlands has long supported federal forest management in western Oregon that prioritizes restoratively thinning dense tree farms, which generates timber volume for local mills, employs a steady work force in the woods, and raises revenue for counties. Senator Wyden’s bill moves away from this restorative approach toward a controversial clearcutting practice called “variable retention harvest” in forested stands up to 120 years old where 70% of the trees are logged.

* Turducken (dictionary.com): a deboned turkey that is stuffed with a deboned duck that is stuffed with a deboned chicken.

Take action by sending Senator Wyden a personalized comment.

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Join Cascadia Wildlands and conservation allies across the state at a rally to protect western Oregon's public lands, clean rivers and wild fish runs on Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 12:30-1:30 at Holladay Park (NE 11th and Holladay St.) in northeast Portland.

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