Dear Cascadia Community Member:
Cascadia Wildlands made big strides in 2012. But we did not do it alone. We had partners: All of you.
You were with us, for instance, when we filed the lawsuit to protect the marbled murrelet in the Elliott, Clatsop and Tillamook state forests in Oregon. When we rejoice in the silence that has befallen those forests over the past year, you are part of that celebration.
Likewise as we look at the last two litters of wolf pups born to the Imnaha pack in eastern Oregon we realize that those brothers and sisters of OR-7, critical players in the unfolding story of wolf recovery, would not exist without our 2011 lawsuit. Through your support of Cascadia Wildlands you essentially and materially became responsible for those pups. You, like we are their foster parents in a sense.
And then there were a whole host of issues where your support and actions were critical. One that comes to mind is the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) cancelling their import permitting for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Coos Bay. That effort certainly needed financial support but if our community had not turned out in force with written comments and raised voices, we fear the outcome would have been different.
The above partnership—funding and action—was also fully operational when we went head-to-head with moneyed interests on the coal train issue which just this month resolved itself when the last of the potential partners pulled out of the Coos Bay coal port project which would have shipped up to 10 million tons of Powder River Basin coal to Asia to burn for dirty energy at a time when the climate crisis is worsening. That coal port project is dead for now.
The strength of this partnership also allowed us to make several improvements at Cascadia. We completely redesigned our website and have beefed up our social media presence on facebook and elsewhere. Part of this is our popular new blog which has proven itself as an important communication’s device both within our backyard and across the country. And we have doubled our legal staff in the past six months, which further allows us to ensure land management projects meet the intent of the law. Again our progress is your progress.
In 2013 we also hope to make big strides with the same partners and more. Our challenges in 2013 are massive so we hope that you will still be there and bring friends. So what’s on the horizon? In 2013 we expect to see a federal wolf reclassification scheme put forward by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. While we hope they make decisions based on the spirit of the Endangered Species Act and the best science, we fear that they may not and we will have to defend continued wolf recovery with all of our energy… and yours.
We are also still embroiled in settling our Oregon wolf lawsuit and negotiating our way through a very complicated political and legal dynamic. And the judge has just ordered us to go through this same process with our marbled murrelet lawsuit. These are important undertakings on behalf of imperiled critters, and we feel your presence in all our deliberations.
In 2013 we are also continuing efforts to protect and preserve our important salmon heritage by getting suction dredgers out of our important waterways, blocking permitting of the so-called Frankenfish and doing all that we can to curtail clearcutting in Alaska’s fabled Tongass National Forest which is also home to the disappearing Alexander Archipelago wolf.
In addition, we have our work cut out for us in western Oregon’s federal forests—particularly the Bureau of Land Management’s 2.7 million acres known as the O&C Lands. So many interests want to compromise the science-based Northwest Forest Plan, we often feel like we are trying to hold back flood waters. But we will continue to defend science and the spirit of that plan that was designed to keep a handful of iconic species from blinking off the map.
And now that the Coos Bay LNG proposal has switched from importing to exporting LNG fracked from the intermountain West, we will continue that campaign designed to safeguard old-growth reserves and rural Oregonians in the way of the proposed pipeline facing eminent domain. Our important work on the proposed Devil’s Staircase Wilderness in the Oregon Coast Range continues as well.
I hope that you can see from all of this that we need for this partnership to continue and expand. I hope also that you understand that Cascadia Wildlands is one of the most effective and economically efficient organizations in our field, and that when you support us good things happen for wildlife and wild areas. Please make a donation and a commitment to act—we need both to keep it wild.
Thank you,
Bob Ferris
Executive Director
How to Get More Engaged with Cascadia Wildlands
One of the things that differentiates Cascadia Wildlands from other conservation and biodiversity organizations is that we—staff, board, donors, and friends—act like a community regardless of where we live. We work, play and share our deep feelings for the resources we endeavor to enhance in manners unlike other organizations.
We are successful because we are different and often difficult to define. And we are different because of the level of engagement exercised by all who are connected with our community. If you are new to this community below are ways that you can become engaged directly with our work. And if you are already dialed in to Cascadia, you might find additional avenues for engagement.
Activism:
Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
Join us on facebook, follow us on Twitter and engage with us on LinkedIn.
Share our web posts and blogs using the radio buttons on the bottom of each page.
Contact your elected officials when asked and write letters to the editor (LTEs).
Volunteer:
With a small and over-committed staff, there is always more work than we can possibly do ourselves therefore we depend heavily on our volunteer base. These folks help us by doing everything from stuffing envelopes and assembling our quarterly newsletters to providing event support in exchange for attendance and helping us table at events. And if you have a specialized skill like graphic design, video editing, or social media all’s the better. We are also constantly looking for college students wanting to gain experience through an unpaid internship. All this is rewarding work and we hope you will contact us. Information about all of the above is located on our website (www.CascWild.org)
Events:
Cascadia Wildlands holds a number of fun events throughout the year—we work hard and we play hard. Our three main ones at this point are:
Pints Gone Wild—hosted by Ninkasi Brewing Co. in Eugene on the first Monday of the month.
The Ancient Forest Hoedown—May 18th from 6-10PM
Annual Wonderland Auction—December 14, 2013 6-10PM
Donate:
Become a donor—all amounts are welcome—you can use the enclosed envelope or donate on line.
Become a monthly donor—this helps us throughout the year and allows us to plan more strategically.
Participate in a planned giving program—leave a wild legacy and make sure our work continues.
Be a Cascadia Wildlands Community Leader:
Consider being an Ambassador for Cascadia Wildlands by telling our story at events
Host a House Party for Cascadia Wildlands
Get your place of business involved
Enjoy the Wild Things and Wild Places we all Work to Save!
Participate in a scheduled hike to the Devil’s Staircase or a proposed timber sale.
PLEASE BE A FULL MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY
We like it wild (and know you do, too)