The unique hydrology and geology of this watershed have helped support diverse ecosystems, sustained human civilizations since time immemorial, and made the growth of the central Oregon cities of today possible. Today, the area is a beloved outdoor recreation destination. However, with accelerating climate change and overuse, the future of the Deschutes and all that rely on it is uncertain.

The River Democracy Act would protect over 3200 miles of streams across Oregon for the important values they provide, including dozens within the upper Deschutes River basin. Read on to learn more about this key watershed and how the River Democracy Act would safeguard it and the communities that rely on it for generations to come.

Outdoor Recreation

The upper Deschutes River and its tributaries flow through the Deschutes National Forest, one of the most visited National Forests in the state, which provides opportunities for year-round recreation. The river itself is renowned for its fishing and paddling opportunities, and hikers, mountain bikers, and cross-country skiers have a wealth of trails to explore nearby. Campgrounds and day-use areas can also be found all along the various streams that comprise the Deschutes watershed. 

Some can’t-miss activities include fly fishing the Fall River, paddling Hosmer Lake, and hiking the Tumalo Falls area.

Recreation Spotlight: Tumalo and Bridge Creek Loop

This 7.2-mile loop hike follows multiple proposed Wild & Scenic Rivers and brings hikers up close to dozens of spectacular waterfalls flowing through a mixed conifer forest full of lodgepole pine, mountain hemlock, Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and white fir. The best waterfall hike near Bend!

Learn more about this hike and other hikes near River Democracy Act streams in our River Democracy Act Hiking Guide

Wildlife Habitat

The meadows, forests, high desert, and subalpine environments of the upper Deschutes River provide a diversity of important habitat for a wide range of wildlife species, including listed species like bull trout and Oregon spotted frog. 

Bald eagles, osprey, and other birds of prey are commonly spotted along the river corridor. Mule deer and elk are also abundant, beaver and river otters are found in both the Deschutes and its tributaries, and two known wolf packs have become established in the basin in recent years (wolves are native to this area, but were eradicated for decades before returning to their former habitats in recent years).

Species Spotlight: Redband trout

Redband trout are a subspecies of rainbow trout that have adapted to the drier climates east of the Oregon Cascade Range. They are similar in appearance to a rainbow trout, but can be distinguished by larger, more rounded spots and a rosy red stripe along their side. Currently, redband trout occupy approximately 42% of their historic range. Primary threats to redband populations include habitat degradation and fragmentation, impacts from climate change including drought, and introduction of nonnative species.

Geology

The upper Deschutes River has a fascinating geologic history and a unique hydrology. Volcanic activity has shaped the region and this river, creating massive underground aquifers, springs that carry cold, clean water back to the surface, and lava flows that stretch for miles and construct the many falls and whitewater rapids of the Deschutes and its tributaries. Despite its location in the semi-arid climate of central Oregon’s high desert, the Deschutes once had some of the most stable year-round flows in the world. It is also the world’s largest spring-fed river.

However, due to the increasing impacts of climate change, development, and overuse, the river’s streamflows and course have been modified, leading to negative impacts on water quality and quantity, fish and wildlife, and downstream communities.

Learn more about the geologic history of the upper Deschutes River and the current threats to it by watching our past webcast, “A River Through Time: The Geologic History of the Upper Deschutes River Basin.”

Drinking Water

Over 100,000 people in Bend rely on Bridge Creek, in the Tumalo Creek watershed–a major tributary of the upper Deschutes, for clean drinking water. Bridge Creek is another spring-fed stream that originates near Broken Top mountain in the Three Sisters Wilderness and joins Tumalo Creek below the scenic Tumalo Falls before flowing towards the Deschutes. Tumalo Creek is one of the few but critical tributaries providing a steady flow of cold, clean water to the upper Deschutes. 

Intact, forested watersheds, especially those flowing through public lands, play a vital role in ensuring the quality and quantity of our water sources. These natural ecosystems act as invaluable sponges, absorbing, filtering, and gradually releasing water, contributing to the consistent flow of clean water to downstream communities. The streams of the Tumalo Creek watershed flow through designated Wilderness areas, Roadless Areas, and mature and old-growth forests, depositing consistent, cold, clean water into the taps of Bend’s residents and the Deschutes River.

Threats to this watershed

Each fall, the river’s flow out of Wickiup Dam is reduced dramatically to store water over the winter for the next year’s irrigation season. When the agricultural season begins the next spring, flows are increased once again to levels much higher than they naturally would be. 

For a river system that has evolved with historically stable streamflows, this annual reduction and increase has led to more bank erosion, water quality issues, and has negatively impacted native species like trout and Oregon spotted frog. Streamflow gets so low so quickly in the fall that thousands of fish end up trapped on the bank within days of the flow reductions. Fortunately, most of these fish are saved by volunteers in an annual fish rescue event outside of Bend, but more work is needed to protect water quality and quantity in the Deschutes. 

This watershed is also experiencing more frequent and prolonged drought from the accelerating impacts of climate change on precipitation, snowpack, and annual temperatures. All of these factors translate to less cold, clean water in the upper Deschutes basin.

River Democracy Act

The River Democracy Act, co-sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, would designate the headwaters of the upper Deschutes River and other important tributaries in the watershed as Wild & Scenic Rivers, providing additional safeguards for water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation opportunities. 

In total, the River Democracy Act would protect over 3,200 miles of streams all across Oregon.

Destructive activities like mining and dam building are prohibited in and along Wild & Scenic Rivers, and other projects like commercial logging and road-building that negatively impact the landscape are tightly regulated so as to not degrade the river and river values. The River Democracy Act extends these safeguards a half-mile from each river bank, offering enhanced protections for critical waterways and watersheds.

Streams in the upper Deschutes basin proposed for protection include essentially all the major tributaries in the watershed, such as Bridge Creek and Tumalo Creek, the Fall River, Paulina Creek, the Little Deschutes River, and Quinn Creek, which flows into Hosmer Lake. These are the streams that provide refuge for fish and wildlife, cold, clean water to the Deschutes, and help mitigate the impacts of drought, climate change, and overuse. 

Take Action

The River Democracy Act is currently making its way through Congress, but it needs your help getting across the finish line! Senator Ron Wyden developed and championed the bill, and Senator Jeff Merkley has co-sponsored it. The upper Deschutes watershed falls within Congresswoman Janelle Bynum’s district, and we need her to support this important legislation and protections for the Deschutes. 

Take action today and help protect the Deschutes River watershed and hundreds of other Oregon waterways by signing on as a Citizen Co-sponsor and urging your members of Congress to pass the River Democracy Act!

The post River Democracy Act Highlights: Upper Deschutes River appeared first on Oregon Wild.

S. 1462, the “Fix Our Forests Act,” passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Conservation organizations from across the nation have voiced strong concerns with the content of the bill and have opposed its passage. The bill now heads to a full Senate vote.

Oregon Wild Wilderness Program Manager Erik Fernandez released the following statement:

“Today, the US Senate advanced its latest attack on public lands, the so-called “Fix Our Forests Act” (FOFA). This bill is a direct assault on what makes public lands public: it stymies science-based forest management, muzzles community input, and endangers the fish, wildlife, and communities that rely on our forests. It also fails to provide dedicated funding for the types of wildfire strategies that save lives and livelihoods — home hardening, defensible space, and emergency planning.

The legislation authorizes 15 square-mile-sized logging projects with little to no public input and environmental analysis, making this one of the scariest plans to face public lands in a generation.

Trump and his logging industry backers have made no secret of the fact that they see public land forests as tree farms, and view any science, transparency, and accountability from the public as an obstacle to profit. FOFA is nothing less than a corporate handout and a further step towards that dystopian vision. It is a betrayal of the very idea of public lands.

Over the past several months, we have seen an incredible movement develop, first to oppose public lands sales proposed by Senator Mike Lee of Utah, then as an unprecedented outpouring of support for the Roadless Rule that protects some of our nation’s last wild places from reckless logging and development. Over 99% of those public comments opposed the Trump administration’s efforts to rescind these public lands protections.

Unfortunately, too many politicians in Washington DC, including Senate Democrats like Amy Klobuchar, still don’t get it. 

Public lands may be managed by agencies like the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service, but they belong to all of us. They’re held in trust for the American people, not for industry lobbyists or corporate logging interests. As caretakers of these lands and as believers in the democratic vision they represent, we will continue to remind our elected officials that these places are ours, and that efforts to privatize, profit, and remove public oversight will not be forgotten.”

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service has concluded a three week public comment period on the Trump administration’s plan to rescind the landmark Roadless Rule. The rule protects approximately 44.7 million acres of National Forest System lands, including nearly 2 million acres in Oregon, but the Trump administration wants to open these wild areas up for logging and mining.

Hundreds of thousands of comments were submitted from across the country, including thousands of unique and personalized comments from Oregonians. A coalition of conservation organizations, including Oregon Wild, Central Oregon LandWatch, Central and Eastern Oregon Bitterbrush Broadband, Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Cascadia Wildlands, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, Greater Hells Canyon Council, and Oregon Sierra Club helped facilitate this outpouring of public input.

An initial analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found that opposition to dropping safeguards for Roadless Areas was nearly unanimous, with 99.2 percent of comments supporting keeping Roadless protections in place.

“The American people have clearly and forcefully rejected this attack on our wild public lands,” said Sami Godlove, Central Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild. “Proceeding with the rescission of the Roadless Rule after such an overwhelming outpouring of opposition would be another example of how the Trump administration allows campaign donors, like those in the logging industry, to buy the policies they want, even when the public has spoken nearly unanimously against them.”  

Adopted in 2001 after the most extensive public involvement process in federal rulemaking history, the Roadless Rule safeguards some of America’s last intact national forest landscapes. These areas provide clean water, critical wildlife habitat, and world-class recreation opportunities while sustaining rural economies.

“Roadless areas contain much of our last remaining mature and old-growth public forests, which absorb climate pollution and provide refuge for vulnerable fish and wildlife,” said Grace Brahler, Wildlands Director with Cascadia Wildlands. “Targeting these areas for destructive extractive practices would further erode the ecological resilience we need in the face of a warming climate.”

View an interactive map of Oregon Roadless Areas

Roadless Areas are also some of the most fire-resilient landscapes. Because they are remote and intact, they experience fewer human-caused ignitions. Building new roads would dramatically increase the number of man-made fire starts and redirect scarce firefighting resources away from protecting homes and communities. Instead of focusing on strategic fuel reduction projects near communities where it matters most, the logging industry is pressuring agencies to pursue logging in unroaded backcountry areas where timber is more lucrative. Logging in these areas would make them more vulnerable to fire, fragment wildlife habitat, and degrade water quality. Road construction and the sediment runoff that follows are already among the greatest threats to clean drinking water across the West.

“Even the Forest Service’s own research shows that building more roads neither improves forest health outcomes nor mitigates wildfire risks. More roads lead to more fires, pulling vital wildfire response resources away from where they’re needed most,” said Fiona Noonan of Central Oregon LandWatch. “Rolling back of the Roadless Rule is not only scientifically baseless — it’s reckless, putting people and ecosystems at greater risk.”

The Trump administration’s attempt to roll back the Roadless Rule is part of a broader campaign to weaken bedrock environmental safeguards. Other targets include the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, individual Forest Management Plans, and the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Conservation Rule. The administration has also slashed staff at the Forest Service and is attempting to relocate experienced staff and leadership away from the Pacific Northwest. These efforts undermine public accountability while falsely claiming to be about “local control.”

“Rescinding the Roadless Rule would put clean drinking water at risk for people in downstream communities,” said Paula Hood of the Blue Mountain Biodiversity Project.  “National Forests provide clean drinking water to millions of people nationwide, and Roadless areas are strongholds for the cleanest, coldest water.”

Meanwhile, most of Oregon’s congressional delegation has signed on in support of the Roadless Area Conservation Act, legislation that would make the rule permanent. The only two members who have not cosponsored the bill are Representative Val Hoyle and Representative Cliff Bentz.

“Eliminating the Roadless Rule would be a disaster for Oregon’s forests and communities,” said Jamie Dawson of Greater Hells Canyon Council. “Building new roads in these wild places opens the door to invasive species and habitat fragmentation. Once these areas are cut apart, we lose the clean water, wildlife, and solitude they provide forever.”

The next step in the Forest Service process will be to analyze the public comments and issue a draft plan, likely in the spring.

Oregon’s Roadless Wildlands

Oregon’s roadless forests are among our state’s most spectacular and irreplaceable landscapes. From the flower-studded meadows of Iron Mountain in the Willamette National Forest, to the dramatic canyons and cultural homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe in Joseph Canyon, to the clean drinking water flowing from Tumalo Mountain into the taps of more than 100,000 people in Bend, these places embody the best of Oregon’s natural and cultural heritage. They also sustain recreation economies and wildlife habitats.

Other iconic areas include Lookout Mountain in the Ochocos, where diverse forests and meadows form the headwaters of critical streams; Rough & Ready Creek, a unique botanical wonderland threatened by mining in southwest Oregon; and Larch Mountain, a lush old-growth haven just minutes from Portland. These and dozens of other roadless areas across Oregon safeguard clean water, biodiversity, cultural values, and recreation opportunities that are impossible to replace once lost.

Learn more about the Roadless Rule and Oregon Roadless Areas here. 

The post Over 99% of Public Comments Oppose Trump Administration’s Attack on Wildlands Protections appeared first on Oregon Wild.

BEND, OR — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has opened a public comment period on a proposal that threatens to dismantle the landmark Roadless Rule. This rule preserves the last of our intact public lands as a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation, and a heritage for future generations. Oregon Wild is calling on Oregonians to speak up in defense of these critical protections.

Adopted in 2001, the Roadless Rule had the most extensive public involvement process in federal rulemaking history. It protects nearly 2 million acres in Oregon (60 million nationally) of the most pristine national forest lands from logging and road-building. These “roadless areas” are some of the last intact landscapes in America, providing clean water, critical wildlife habitat, and world-class recreation opportunities.

“Eliminating the Roadless Rule would be a disaster for Oregon’s forests and communities,” said Erik Fernandez, Wilderness Program Manager for Oregon Wild. “Building new roads in these wild places opens the door to invasive species and habitat fragmentation. Once these areas are cut apart, we lose the clean water, wildlife, and solitude they provide forever.”

View an interactive map of Oregon Roadless Areas

The Trump administration’s proposal would also undermine public accountability. Unlike the original Roadless Rule, this attempt to repeal protections is being rushed through with minimal opportunity for input, scientific review, or oversight.

“These forests are some of Oregon’s most treasured landscapes, from the flower-studded meadows of Echo Mountain to the headwaters of Tumalo Creek, which provides Bend’s drinking water,” said Sami Godlove, Central Oregon Field Coordinator for Oregon Wild. “Oregonians value these places deeply, and now is the time to raise our voices to ensure they remain protected for future generations.”

Oregonians can submit their comments to the USDA before the close of the comment period on September 19, 2025.

Oregon’s Roadless Wildlands

Oregon’s roadless forests are among our state’s most spectacular and irreplaceable landscapes. From the flower-studded meadows of Iron Mountain in the Willamette National Forest, to the dramatic canyons and cultural homelands of the Nez Perce Tribe in Joseph Canyon, to the clean drinking water flowing from Tumalo Mountain into the taps of more than 100,000 people in Bend, these places embody the best of Oregon’s natural and cultural heritage. They also sustain recreation economies and wildlife habitats.

Other iconic areas include Lookout Mountain in the Ochocos, where diverse forests and meadows form the headwaters of critical streams; Rough & Ready Creek, a unique botanical wonderland threatened by mining in southwest Oregon; and Larch Mountain, a lush old-growth haven just minutes from Portland. These and dozens of other roadless areas across Oregon safeguard clean water, biodiversity, cultural values, and recreation opportunities that are impossible to replace once lost.

Learn more about the Roadless Rule and Oregon Roadless Areas here. 

The post Oregon Wild Rallies Public to Defend Roadless Rule appeared first on Oregon Wild.

BEND, OR — As the busy summer season kicks off over Memorial Day weekend, outdoor recreation businesses, guides, nonprofits, and industry leaders across Oregon have come together in a unified show of support for the River Democracy Act, legislation that would add over 3,200 miles of Oregon rivers and streams to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

According to a recent poll, 71% of Oregonians support additional Wild & Scenic River designations like those proposed in the River Democracy Act. 

In a letter sent today to Oregon’s congressional delegation—Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Cliff Bentz, Maxine Dexter, Val Hoyle, Janelle Bynum, and Andrea Salinas—these businesses and organizations highlighted the critical importance of Oregon’s rivers to the state’s economy, culture, and environment.

“Outdoor recreation is one of Oregon’s premier economic drivers,” the signers wrote. “In 2022 alone, spending on outdoor recreation in Oregon exceeded $16 billion and supported 192,000 jobs. Many of these jobs exist in rural communities where iconic rivers like the Rogue, Deschutes, and McKenzie attract visitors from around the world.”

The River Democracy Act, championed by Senators Wyden and Merkley, seeks to safeguard thousands of miles of river segments across the state by granting them Wild and Scenic designation—offering permanent protections against damming, pollution, and development. 82% of Oregonians think Wild & Scenic designations are very important or somewhat important for protecting community drinking water.

The proposal comes at a time of increasing threats to public lands and water resources, both from climate impacts and shifting federal priorities.

“Our way of life in Oregon is deeply connected to our rivers and public lands,” the letter states. “Whether we’re fishing, guiding, paddling, or simply enjoying the natural beauty, these rivers power both our economy and our identity as Oregonians.”

The signatories—from fly fishing guides in Madras to eco-tour companies in Gold Beach—are calling on Congress to pass the legislation and provide adequate resources to the federal agencies charged with protecting these waters, such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Even as we work to enact strong, permanent protections for these rivers, it’s vital that we support the people on the ground—the federal land managers who safeguard these places every day,” the letter notes.

The coalition praised the efforts of Senators Wyden and Merkley in advancing the legislation and urged the full Oregon delegation to prioritize passage of the River Democracy Act as a critical investment in the state’s recreation economy and natural legacy.

Signatories include:

• Fishing and hunting groups like Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and Trout Unlimited Chapters across Oregon
  
• River guides and outfitters from Bend, Eugene, Roseburg, La Grande, and more
  
• Lodges, tour companies, outdoor brands, recreation organizations, and trail alliances from across the state
  

Full list of signatories:

The post Oregon Outdoor Businesses and Recreation Leaders Rally Behind River Democracy Act appeared first on Oregon Wild.

Key findings include:

• 76% of Oregonians—including 61% of rural residents—oppose selling off public lands to finance tax cuts. This comes as House Republicans recently advanced a proposal to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada. Oregon Representatives Maxine Dexter and Val Hoyle voted against the amendment in the House Natural Resources Committee, with Cliff Bentz voting for it.
  
  
• 74% believe the federal government should focus forest management on thinning small trees near homes and emergency services, rather than large-scale commercial logging. Both state and federal policy heavily subsidize logging lucrative large trees in the backcountry in the name of ‘fire preparedness’ over more effective ways to safeguard lives and communities.
  
  
• 72% support more protections for mature and old-growth forests. Over 1 million public comments were submitted nationally in favor of stronger safeguards during the Biden administration, but efforts have been stalled by U.S. Forest Service leadership.
  
  
• 67% opposed changing Endangered Species Act protections to remove habitat destruction from the definition of “harm” to wildlife. Right now, the law recognizes that “harm” includes not just directly killing or capturing wildlife—but also habitat destruction that makes it impossible for a species to feed, breed, or shelter.
  
  
• 67% oppose logging projects up to 10,000 acres in size without environmental review or public input—a controversial provision in the Fix Our Forests Act, which passed the U.S. House earlier this year and faces a Senate hearing soon.
  
  Senator Ron Wyden has notably commented that the Fix Our Forests Act  “…undermines bedrock environmental laws, and would allow poorly designed, large commercial projects that threaten community drinking water, wildlife and recreation opportunities to proceed with inadequate environmental review.”
  
  
• 65% oppose layoffs of public lands agency employees. The Trump administration has threatened additional “reduction in force” orders that put our public lands and communities at risk.

These views stand in stark contrast to the environmental policies promoted under President Trump and some Oregon lawmakers, including executive orders that placed logging above conservation.

“This poll affirms, once again, that Oregonians overwhelmingly favor policies that protect clean water, wildlife, and public lands for current and future generations—and reject partisan efforts to gut environmental safeguards,” said Oregon Wild spokesperson Arran Robertson.

The post Poll: Oregonians Oppose Trump’s Plans for Public Lands and the Environment appeared first on Oregon Wild.

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) introduced the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA). In a giveaway to the timber industry, the bill – which is presented as a measure against wildfire – could open the door to unlimited logging across millions of acres of national forests, undermining bedrock environmental and public health laws. House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation that passed the House in January 2025. 

The Senate version of FOFA arrived less than a week after President Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, issued a memo that begins implementation of President Trump’s March 1 executive order to ramp up logging across over half of national forests. FOFA and Trump’s logging directives would both erode environmental laws and make it harder for members of the public to weigh in on government decisions, all of which could devastate forest health.

If passed, FOFA would allow logging on federal lands without scientific review and community input. The bill truncates ESA consultation requirements to protect threatened and endangered species and limits the right of citizens to judicial review, effectively barring communities from bringing lawsuits to hold federal agencies accountable.  

Both FOFA and the Trump administration’s recent actions call for changes in forest management that could ultimately worsen the risk of fire. The executive order seeks to increase timber targets, which would focus limited Forest Service staff on meeting commercial timber amounts rather than taking appropriate measures to reduce wildfire risk. These directives would also facilitate the removal of large old-growth trees that are naturally more fire-resilient. More logging will exacerbate the underlying causes of severe wildfire blazes – namely, dry forest conditions, caused by rising temperatures and a lack of precipitation due to climate change. 

The following is a statement from Earthjustice, Oregon Wild, Standing Trees, and the Center for Biological Diversity, groups in the Climate Forests Coalition.

“Whether we are talking about the Fix Our Forests Act or President Trump’s executive order on forests, we are talking about an attack on our national public lands. This Senate bill could open the door to unlimited logging of forests owned and cherished by all Americans. Cutting down our old-growth and mature trees will ultimately worsen climate change. Rather than handing the keys to the Trump administration to unleash a logging bonanza, Senators should propose an alternative bill focused on supporting sensible wildfire mitigation strategies such as home hardening, local emergency planning, and defensible space.”

Oregon Wild’s mission is to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and water as an enduring legacy. Oregon Wild is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.

The post Dem Senators Introduce Logging Bill That Would Hand Over Keys to National Forests to Trump Administration appeared first on Oregon Wild.

In response to a secretarial memo focused on expanded logging, Oregon Wild Conservation Director Steve Pedery issued the following statement, calling out the administration’s attempt to exploit public fear and override environmental safeguards for the benefit of the logging industry:

“This memo isn’t about protecting forests. It is about logging and looting 60% of America’s National Forest Lands, 112,646,000 acres, by declaring a fake emergency to justify weakening protections for our clean water, wildlife, and wildlands. When the Secretary of Agriculture says the primary goal is to ‘protect timber resources,’ it pulls the mask off this manufactured emergency.

This order would gut the ability of the American public to ensure that their clean drinking water and local forests are protected from poor logging practices These safeguards ensure that science, transparency, and community voices are part of the decision-making process. Gutting them only serves corporate logging interests.

The map shared by the Secretary is both vague and misleading. It includes areas that are off-limits to commercial logging and temperate rainforest areas where claims of high fire risk or other justifications are dubious at best. The chaotic and haphazard nature of the Secretarial Order’s release raises serious concerns about how these maps were produced, and who is really making decisions about Trump forest policy.

If this administration were serious about wildfire, it would invest in protecting homes and communities through programs to help homeowners with home hardening, defensible space, and emergency planning— not industrial logging in remote forests that destroys wildlife habitat and makes fire risks worse. The science is clear, and so is the motive behind this memo. Anyone who cares about clean water, wildlife, and public lands should join us in opposing this reckless scheme to loot our National Forests.”

Analysis

Impacts to Oregon in the President’s Executive Order and subsequent secretarial memo.

• Over 11.2 million acres in Oregon are impacted
• 64% of national forests in Oregon are impacted 
• Over 1 million acres of wilderness in Oregon are impacted 
• 47% – fraction of wilderness areas in Oregon impacted
• Over 1.5 million acres of roadless areas in Oregon are impacted 
• 76% – fraction of Oregon roadless areas impacted
• Over 1.6 million acres in Oregon of critical habitat impacted 
• Over 30% – fraction of Oregon critical habitat impacted

See NRDC’s full analysis 

Oregon Wild’s mission is to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and water as an enduring legacy. Oregon Wild is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.

The post Oregon Wild Statement on USDA Secretarial Memo: Looting 60% of America’s National Forests for Corporate Profit appeared first on Oregon Wild.

View the full PIELC program and schedule

Friday, Feb. 28

Saturday, March 1

Sunday, March 2

Bryce Wade

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Yesterday, State Forester Cal Mukumoto stunned the Oregon Board of Forestry by announcing his resignation. Acting Deputy State Forester Kate Skinner will assume the role of Acting State Forester while the Board begins the search for a permanent director at the Oregon Department of Forestry. Oregon Wild Conservation Director Steve Pedery issued the following statement: 

Oregon’s Governor and Board of Forestry must now find a new State Forester—someone ready to confront the toxic “good ol’ boy” culture of the agency, and the reality that it is captive to the logging interests it is supposed to regulate. These problems have existed within the agency for decades, and long pre-date Mukumoto.

In addition to the egregious behavior by agency leaders that came to light in recent months, this entrenched culture is also raising concerns that the Department of Forestry is slow-walking the implementation of the Private Forest Accords (PFA)—a historic agreement between conservation and timber interests to modernize Oregon’s logging rules. This has been compounded by Governor Kotek’s failure to include funding for PFA implementation in her most recent state budget proposal. The lack of funding and slow pace of PFA implementation could put this historic compromise at risk of being rejected by federal agencies.

It’s time for both the Governor and Board of Forestry to reform this broken state agency.

They must work to rebuild the Department of Forestry as a professional, science-driven agency dedicated to protecting Oregon’s forests, wildlife habitat, and clean water. They must ensure that this agency is independent of the logging interests it regulates, that it prioritizes the protection of our state’s environment, and that its leadership and workplace culture reflect the values of Oregon.   

This toxic culture of the Oregon Department of Forestry took decades to create, and past Governors and legislative leaders failed to address it. Governor Kotek has an opportunity to work with the Board of Forestry and ensure that Oregon’s next State Forester has a mandate to reform this broken agency, implement the historic Private Forest Accords, and to serve the people of Oregon. Oregon Wild and our thousands of members will be watching and together we stand ready to hold the State of Oregon accountable.

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