Conservation hero rejects BLM WOPR in Oregon

The hook and bullet crew are coming out of the woodwork to slam the Bureau of Land Management’s shortsighted logging plan, the Western Oregon Plan Revision. It’s been panned by nearly every environmental and sportsmen organization in Oregon. Most recently, Field & Stream’s Conservation Hero of the Year, Brian Maguire, of Portland, took the BLM to task in The Oregonian: There is a place I fish that has a 13-feet-in-diameter, 1,000-year-old tree not far from the river bank. I don't see the tree as part of the economy but as a guardian of salmon spawning beds.

For the sake of salmon, no LNG terminal on the Columbia

According to the AP in the Register-Guard: The National Marine Fisheries Service wants the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to at least temporarily deny a permit to dredge the Columbia River to build a liquefied natural gas import terminal below St. Helens. The terminal likely would harm valuable salmon habitat. Northern Star Natural Gas Inc. wants to build the terminal, one of three under active consideration in Oregon, at Bradwood Landing. The other two in planning stages are near Astoria and Coos Bay.



Columbia Riverkeeper is opposed to the terminal and has an awesome action sheet to tell your representatives to oppose the terminal.

BLM head visits Oregon, touts scheme to disregard Northwest Forest Plan

Jim Caswell, nominated by President Bush last summer to head the BLM, said the agency plans to disregard elements of the Northwest Forest Plan in its efforts to increase timber harvest on O&C BLM land under the Western Oregon Plan Revision (WOPR). From the Register-Guard: The new plan will end watershed assessments, surveys of plants and animals before an area is logged, and upper management review of decisions made at the regional level, Caswell said.

Obsidians offer summer hike schedule for Eugene visitors

Kind of odd, but I've been getting more press releases lately for the blogs. Here's one worth printing:

The Obsidians outdoors club has announced a schedule of 22 hikes for visitors to this summer’s U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials and concurrent Oregon Bach Festival. Outings include 12 coastal, forest and mountain hikes and 10 urban hikes, presenting visitors an introduction to both the natural wonders of western Oregon and the unique attractions of Track Town, USA.

The trials will run from June 27 through July 6, with a two-day break in action on July 1 and 2. The Oregon Bach Festival runs from June 27 through July 13. Most hikes will be easy to moderate, in the five to six-mile range.


The full schedule is available along with additional information and registration procedures on the Obsidians website. All sign-ups will be done online using a unique registration system designed by the Obsidians just for this project.

All hikes will be led by experienced men and women familiar with the areas. There will be a $5 nonmember fee per person (minors under 18 free, with parents) with a suggested sharing of driving costs.

OPB: Ghost nets video

Awesome video on Ghost Nets from Oregon Public Broadcasting -- old gill nets tumbling around on the bottom of the ocean off the Oregon Coast. They keep killing, long after the commercial fishermen have discarded them. The nets kill dungeness crabs, sea birds and endangered salmon.

Plastic fades Oregon hunting and fishing licenses

Attention Oregon hunters and anglers, don't put your 2008 fishing or hunting licenses in those plastic sleeves you get with the license. According to ODFW, the plastic will fade the new paper, which is supposed to be tear and water resistant.

“We are asking people to do something different with their new licenses. Please, don’t put them in plastic license holders or laminate them,” said DeAnna Erickson, ODFW License Services manager. She suggests carrying the license holder in your wallet as you would a receipt or using a paper or Tyvek license holder. Tyvek license holders will be available at ODFW offices beginning in mid-February.

Southern Oregon hunters get a shot at Aleutian Canada Geese

According to a story in the Curry Pilot from last week: For the second year, ODFW has worked out an agreement with three farms near the New River in northern Curry County to allow hunters to go onto their pasture land to hunt the geese in hopes the pressure will scatter the birds and lessen the damage they cause. The special South Coast Zone goose hunt runs Feb. 23 to March 10. Hunters can contact the Gold Beach ODFW office for maps and to reserve a hunting spot (541) 247-7605).

Trapping on the rise in Oregon

According to a couple of news outlets, including Portland Indy Media, trapping is on the rise in Oregon due to higher fur prices. There is a lot of uproar about it on the internet, as you might imagine. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it myself. I don't have any problem hunting any non-endangered furbearing animal, but I'm not so sure about killing animals non-selectively or over long periods of time (up to 48 hours), as is the case with trapping.

For more background, pro and against see the ODFW trapping backgrounder and TrapFreeOregon.org.

Thoughts on trapping anybody?

Winter madness: Circumnavigating Crater Lake

Snowshoeing or Cross Country Skiing Crater Lake has been on my Oregon to-do list for about a year. So I was pretty excited when Bill Sullivan outlined the trip in the Register-Guard this week. He made it clear that this trip is not for the faint of heart and better attempted in the early spring to avoid storms. Speaking of which, the road to Crater Lake was recently closed due to an avalanche.

Six reason's the BLM WOPR won't work

There's a great guest column in the Register-Guard today laying out six reasons why the BLM WOPR won't relieve Oregon county funding woes. Here is a summary of the six reasons:

1. Timber prices have fallen by as much as 50% since 2005 thanks to the mortgage crisis.
2. Because of public opposition to old-growth logging, the BLM is unlikely to meet its goals.
3. The market for old growth is limited since most Oregon sawmills have retooled for smaller trees obtained from thinning.
4. BLM’s proposed increased harvests will depress timber prices further.
5. Clear cuts and narrower stream buffers threaten wildlife and the values that draw people to live in Western Oregon.
6. U.S. taxpayers spend more than $40 million each year to recover Willamette and Coast Range steelhead and salmon stocks, which the BLM plan threatens. Each wild fish caught is worth an estimated $200 to sportsmen.

The BLM comment period on the WOPR wraps up January 11.