UPDATE: Newport City Council produces positive action for Yaquina Bay

The Yaquina estuary as seen from Paddle Park near Toledo, Oregon. Photo by Bobby Hayden.

Newport is now the first city on the Oregon coast to formally acknowledge the threat of climate change in management of its estuary habitat and plans to periodically revisit the issue. 

On Monday, October 21, Newport City Council passed a resolution committing the Council to periodically revisit its portion of the Yaquina Bay Estuary Management Plan (YBEMP) to keep pace with new science around climate change and sea level rise impacts, changes in natural resources, and anticipated development in the local area. This positive outcome arrives after an October 7 vote by the Council to adopt the first comprehensive update of its Estuary Management Plan in more than 40 years.

More to be done

Despite the good news, the Council stopped short of amendments and additions to the Plan to ensure that Yaquina Bay’s people and environment are ready for both future threats and opportunities. 

In the runup to Newport’s YBEMP adoption, Seven Capes Bird Alliance (SCBA) joined with several other conservation organizations on a detailed comment letter. Here are some of the important future changes needed for a climate-ready estuary management plan:

1. The YBEMP would benefit with the inclusion of zoning standards to make its commitment to consider the realities of climate change impacts enforceable. Yaquina Bay and its people deserve strong standards that would ensure consideration of sea level rise in zoning decisions, prioritize nature-based solutions instead of traditional rip-rap for shoreline stabilization, and mitigate impacts from submerged crossings like underwater cables. 

2. Special policies are needed to protect eelgrass beds in all estuary management units that contain suitable eelgrass habitat. Currently, management unit 7 is the only area within the estuary with a special policy protecting eelgrass, which is essential to the health of juvenile salmon, rockfish, Dungeness crab, shellfish, and migratory water birds living in the estuary.

Let’s keep the momentum going. 

The YBEMP’s next stop is Toledo City Council and the Lincoln County Commission, likely in 2025. We’ll be in touch about future opportunities to help support a climate-ready Yaquina Bay.

Thank you for your continued commitment to help protect Yaquina Bay! 

Action Alert: Join us October 7 to help ensure Yaquina Bay continues to support birds, wildlife, and our local communities!

Photo by Ruth Shelly

This coming Monday, Oct 7 from 6-8pm, is a pivotal moment for the future of Yaquina Bay and your voice matters. For more information on how you can make a difference, read below and check out Oregon Shores People’s Guide to Commenting on the City of Newport’s Yaquina Bay Estuary Management Plan Adoption

The Yaquina Bay Estuary, including Newport and Toledo in Lincoln County, links Oregon's coastal forests, rivers, and coast while sustaining salmon, seabirds, Dungeness crab, oysters, herring, and other wildlife. These resources support Oregon's economy and have sustained Tribal Nations since time immemorial. Estuaries also play a crucial role in climate change resiliency.

Photo by Rena Olson

In 2023, the Yaquina Bay Estuary Management Plan (YBEMP) was scheduled to be updated for the first time in 40 years, with the goal to modernize the plan and better reflect existing conditions. The YBEMP is a regulatory document that guides Newport, Toledo, and Lincoln County in making critical decisions about estuary uses. The Plan determines who can do what and where; thus shaping the future of the estuary and offering an opportunity to build ecological and social resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss.

For the part of the estuary that is within Newport city limits, the Newport City Council is moving to adopt the new YBEMP by incorporating it into the City’s own Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Codes. The Newport City Council will hold a hearing Monday, Oct 7, at 6 P.M at the Council Chambers,169 SW Coast Hwy, Newport, Oregon 97365. If you can’t attend in person, you can request a Zoom link from S.Marineau@newportoregon.gov. Lincoln County’s YBEMP adoption process will occur at a later date.

Let the Newport City Council know you support a strong plan to protect the Yaquina Bay estuary and all its vital resources. The plan before the Council is a substantial improvement. However, without clear and strong standards, considerations for important eelgrass resources, and a commitment to regularly update the plan, the Council risks future land use decisions that are out of step with what people and our local environment need. Urge the Council to make these three additions:

• Ask that the plan include mitigation measures that protect listed Threatened and Endangered Species, Aquatic Resources of Special Concern, and Oregon Conservation Strategy Species. The plan should also include climate mitigation standards to keep the estuary resilient to climate change. 

• Ask that every management unit with existing eelgrass resources contain a Special Policy to minimize impacts to existing eelgrass beds.

• Ask the city to commit to re-visiting the Yaquina Bay estuary sections of their Comprehensive Plan every five years, to keep pace with climate change.

We look forward to seeing you on Monday. Don’t forget to check out Oregon Shores People’s Guide to Commenting on the City of Newport’s Yaquina Bay Estuary Management Plan Adoption

Thank you for adding your voice to protect the Yaquina Bay Estuary. 

Action Alert: The State Forester wants to hear from you!

We would like to share the following action alert from Wild Salmon Center and urge you to sign up to speak online or in-person at one of the upcoming Department of Forestry listening sessions — the last opportunity for you to let Oregon’s State Forester know that you support a strong Habitat Conservation Plan (Alternative 3 in particular) for state forests in western Oregon:

“Oregon’s State Forester Cal Mukumoto and the Board of Forestry need to hear more from you! They’ve scheduled three listening sessions to gather public comments on the Habitat Conservation Plan and broader management of Oregon’s state forests. But they didn’t give us much time to prepare...

Due to weather delays and power outages, the Oregon Department of Forestry only announced dates last Friday for these listening sessions. This is likely your last chance to make formal comments on the plan and the long-term management of 634,000 acres of state forests.

The 65 spots for testimony on Jan. 29 are filling up fast, so we urge you to sign up right away to tell the State Forester and the Board that you want a strong plan finalized without further delay. A Zoom link and other details will be provided by email following registration. More information on the listening sessions is provided on the Department of Forestry website.

Can't make the Jan. 29 virtual session? There are also two in-person listening sessions coming right up:

• Eugene: Jan. 25 at the Lane Events Center, Room #4, W. 13th Ave.

• Astoria: Jan. 31 at the Loft at the Red Building, 20 Basin St.

For both in-person sessions, speaking slots are first-come, first-serve. Doors open at 5 p.m. and both meetings starts at 5:30 p.m., with speakers allowed a maximum of 2 minutes. NOTE: These meetings will be well attended, so get there early for onsite registration! 

Need some inspiration for your comments? Here are key points to make to the State Forester:

• The Board of Forestry must finalize a strong Habitat Conservation Plan without further delay.

• State forests have been overharvested for decades. We must restore balance to state forests by protecting fish and wildlife habitat along with the clean, safe drinking water on which our communities depend. 

• The Board must base decisions on the best science available, as the law requires. This includes larger buffers from clearcuts near small streams.

• The Board needs to implement ODF’s Climate Change and Carbon Plan. We can increase carbon absorption and storage by reducing clearcut logging and instituting longer time periods between logging.

Once again, thank you for your tireless work to ensure that our state forests are managed for all Oregonians, not just the timber industry. That means healthy wild salmon runs, cold, clean water, the recovery of endangered wildlife, and the establishment of Oregon as a national leader in climate-smart forestry.

Sincerely,

Michael Lang
Oregon Senior Policy Manager
Wild Salmon Center”

Photo by dawn villaescusa

Action Alert: Help us keep Oregon State Forest protections on track!

Dear Reader,

Photo by dawn villaescusa

We are happy to forward this action alert to you from the Wild Salmon Center. For the past two years, the Audubon Society of Lincoln City has been working with the Wild Salmon Center and other participants in the Forest Coalition to advance a strong Habitat Conservation Plan for state forests in western Oregon.

Here’s the alert:

  Step by step, month by month, we're getting closer to historic protections for salmon streams, wildlife habitat, mature forests, and clean water in our state forests.

Thanks to you and the power of your voice, this past July, the Department of Forestry began implementing many of the protections in the State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan that we’ve been supporting for the past two years. It’s clear that ODF is already acting in anticipation of final federal approval of the HCP in late 2024. 

 That’s great news, but we haven’t won yet. We have to stay loud for strong conservation—louder than the voices that still want ODF to scrap this plan completely.

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Board to finalize state forest protections!

This week, the Department of Forestry issued new timber harvest estimates for the 70-year lifespan of the HCP. Under the revised estimates, timber harvest will be reduced to sustainable levels compared to the past 20 years of overharvesting state forests. This is needed to restore balanced management on our state forests. But the timber industry and their political allies are using this information to try and derail the HCP.

Can you speak up today in support of the HCP as it stands: a plan that balances timber with the many other values that Oregonians have for these public lands?

Tell the Board to stay the course and finalize the HCP

This won’t be the last time we’ll need to speak up for strong conservation. The HCP is still at least one year away from federal approval. We’ll need to keep the pressure high or risk losing the progress we’ve made. The current HCP is a big conservation gain, and there are ways that we can further improve management of state forests:

• Larger protective buffers on headwater streams are needed. A recent peer-reviewed study on the Trask River supports HCP Alternative 3 with larger protective buffers on small streams; and

• We need to modernize the antiquated law that couples state forest timber revenue with funding for the counties: counties deserve more stable funding for local services.  

We know there's more work to do, and we’re working hard to gain more ground in the coming months. But right now, the Board of Forestry needs to hear loud and clear that we want the HCP to stay on course. 

The timber industry won’t be satisfied until our state forests are managed like private industrial forests. And delay and derailment tactics are its specialty. For the sake of our remaining mature state forests and the clean drinking water and healthy fish and wildlife habitat they provide, let's keep this legacy plan on track. Please tell the Board of Forestry to finalize a strong HCP without delay!

Sincerely,

Michael Lang

Action Alert: Let ORPD know your thoughts on drone rules in Oregon State Parks!

Sample map created by ORPD using the draft classification criteria developed by the workgroup, courtesy of ORPD.

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (ORPD) is looking to hear from the public in order to develop guidelines for where recreational drone users can safely fly their craft in Oregon state parks. While drones can offer a new and unique way of seeing our state parks, they can also disturb sensitive wildlife and other park-goers. In 2022, ORPD formed a working group of conservation organizations, drone users, federal and state agencies, and ORPD to explore criteria for guidelines on safe drone take-off and landing points.

From now through December 29, ORPD is inviting the public to share their views on the draft criteria. You can join an informational webinar on November 8 at 6 p.m. here to learn more about the draft criteria and ask any questions you might have. Please note that you must register here for the webinar beforehand in order to ask questions. If you require additional accommodations in order to view the meeting, be sure to contact Jo Niehaus at least three days in advance of the meeting at 503-580-9210 or jo.niehaus@orpd.oregon.gov.

You can submit your feedback on the criteria to ORPD using this form or by emailing orpd.publiccomment@orpd.oregon.gov. 

Additional information about the criteria and workgroup process can be found here.

Action Alert: Share why you care about Oregon’s forests

Oregon’s forests provide a variety of ecological, social, and economic benefits to Oregonians. The Oregon Board of Forestry and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) are responsible for developing and implementing policies and strategies that promote forest health and resilience to preserve those benefits for future generations. Those policies and strategies affect forest bird and wildlife habitat, fish habitat, and water quality.

The Oregon Board of Forestry and the Department of Forestry  (ODF) are updating their shared strategic plan that will guide forest management policy. They’ve partnered with Oregon Kitchen Table—a program of Portland State University—to hear from as many Oregonians as possible to ensure the plan focuses on what matters most to people when it comes to our forests.

Please take a few moments to complete the online survey by October 9 to let ODF know you care about our forest habitats.

Action Alert: Tell the Board of Forestry to stay strong for state forests!

Photo courtesy of Wild Salmon Center

Oregon's state forests need your voice. The timber industry is once again turning up the pressure on the Board of Forestry to weaken habitat protections for salmon and wildlife. On September 7th in Salem, the Board will consider changes to core conservation areas under the State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan that would open up thousands of acres to clearcuts, all for the benefit of the timber industry. 

Take action! Send an email today and mark your calendar for the September 7th Board meeting! We need your voice to counter the industry's efforts to weaken the HCP.

You sent a strong message in June, when thousands of people sent emails and more than 50 people spoke out at the Board meeting in Sisters to advocate for a strong HCP. Now, the timber industry and its allies are trying to carve up the boundaries of the conservation areas.

This would not only undermine the HCP, but also violate Oregon law requiring all Board decisions to be supported by the best available science. Because there is NO scientific foundation for the proposed changes.

Recently, we learned that the timber industry is sitting on hundreds of millions of board feet of state forest timber sales purchased in previous years but not yet harvested. Now the industry wants more—even though its backlog exceeds Oregon's annual state forests harvest by 50 percent. We cannot allow politics and profits to derail a science-based process to protect our public forests. Enough is enough!

Can you speak up for fish and wildlife, clean drinking water, outdoor recreation, and sustainable forestry on our state forests? One of the most powerful ways to support the HCP is by testifying on September 7th. 

Fill out this form to learn more about how you can show up for our state forests on September 6th.

We know that conservation wins only happen when we show up again and again. Let’s make sure the Board of Forestry and your elected officials hear the real story. Let’s keep the pressure on for our forests, for clean, cold water, for fish and wildlife, and for more resilient forests in the face of climate change.

Action Alert: Stand Tall for Oregon's State Forests!

If you’ve been following our conservation efforts, you’ll know that we, along with many other conservation organizations, have been fighting hard against the timber industry for a Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that protects wildlife, clean water, and public land access. 

Right now, the Oregon Department of Forestry is finalizing an HCP that will affect the future of Oregon’s forests for generations to come. Now is the time to #StandTallOregon and let your elected officials know that you support a strong HCP!

Stand tall for healthy forests. Our forests keep rivers cool, prevent erosion, and sequester carbon in the fight against climate change. 

Stand tall for clean water. Our forests provide cold, clean drinking water to 500,000 people in Northwest Oregon. 

Stand tall for wildlife. Our forests keep salmon runs healthy and provide habitat for endangered species like the coastal marten and Marbled Murrelet.

The timber industry’s campaign to slash protections for our state forests is based on misinformation and motivated by greed. As we watch climate change drive warming temperatures that threaten beloved wildlife and exacerbate forest fires that destroy Oregon homes, we cannot let the timber industry win this battle. 

Will you join us to #StandTallOregon and let your elected officials know that you support an HCP that works for all Oregonians and our precious forests, not just the timber industry?

To learn more about the campaign to protect Western Oregon State Forests, visit https://standtalloregon.org/ and follow @protectthe_tillamook on Instagram.

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Images provided by Wild Salmon Center.

Action Alert: Your input is needed to preserve and restore Yaquina Bay Estuary!

The Yaquina Bay Estuary Management Plan (YBEMP) is being updated for the first time in 40 years. This plan guides Lincoln County, City of Newport, and City of Toledo in protecting the estuary’s species diversity and habitats while meeting community needs for appropriate development. The YBEMP not only has local significance, but also serves as the prototype for updating other estuary management plans along the Oregon coast. The public can comment on the draft YBEMP up until July 14, 2023.

Take action today to submit a comment urging that climate change be addressed and integrated in the plan. The draft YBEMP and comments form are available here or you can email comments to ethan@willamettepartnership.org. 

Yaquina Bay Bridge photo by Ruth Shelly

Do you have a favorite place in the Yaquina Bay Estuary where you would like to see natural resources preserved? Check out the map viewer to learn more about a specific place and how it will be managed. 

Please consider including any or all of the following recommendations in your comments:

• The County needs to address climate change impacts more fully in the update process.

• The updated plan should include a clear process to allow future revisions.

• The definition of “mitigation” should be expanded to include minimizing and avoiding adverse impacts to critical habitat.

• List any particular places in the Yaquina Bay Estuary that you want preserved or restored. 

For those looking for more detail on what to say in a public comment letter, please see the YBEMP Comment Guide. Watch our recorded webinar for more information on how you can get involved with the update of the YBEMP. You can also learn more and make comments at Town Hall meetings to be held in Newport (July 6), Toledo (July 10), and online (July 11). 

Thank you for your commitment to preserving and restoring Yaquina Bay Estuary and increasing its resilience to climate change!

Action Alert: Help us keep state forest protections on track!

We’re just a few weeks out from a key opportunity to make sure the Oregon Board of Forestry hears our voice to keep a strong Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for state forests that’s been years in the making.

On June 7, the board convenes in Sisters for a bimonthly full meeting. This is our chance to counter the timber industry that seeks to derail the HCP. We deserve a state forest plan that serves all Oregonians—not just the narrow interests of the timber industry.

Can you please help us speak up for fish and wildlife, clean drinking water, outdoor recreation, and sustainable forestry practices on our state forests?

One of the most powerful ways to support the HCP is by testifying in person or virtual connection on June 7.

If you can’t join us in Sisters, you can also show up for state forests by reaching out to your community news outlets, sharing social media posts, and submitting written testimony. (Need guidance? Click here for pointers.) You can also take a few minutes now to send the board a letter of ongoing support.

YES! SIGN ME UP TO SUPPORT A STRONG HCP

We know that conservation victories only happen when we show up again and again. Remember, we’re fighting a deep-pocketed industry that has relied on fears and falsehoods to undermine the HCP.

Case in point: timber interests are claiming that the HCP is a job killer. In fact, according to the Department of Forestry, the HCP would increase timber jobs by at least 10 percent in Clatsop County, and more than 40 percent in Tillamook County.

Let’s make sure that the HCP’s real story breaks through. Can you help us win the day for our state forests—and keep this fight alive?

Action Alert: Protect our estuaries - Stop ports from making an end run around state and local land use law!

A bill under consideration in the Oregon House of Representatives seriously threatens to dismantle environmental regulation and land use planning for all of the state’s deepwater ports. At the request of Oregon Public Ports Association, House Bill 3382 allows ports to construct, maintain, and improve deep-draft navigation channel improvements (greater than 37 ft. depth) without demonstrating compliance with state or local land use law. Ports could ignore land use and other regulations protecting habitats, species, water quality, and ecological functions including carbon sequestration. Had this bill been in effect earlier, the Jordan Cove Liquified Natural Gas facility that Oregonians rejected by demonstrating it was not consistent with the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) would have gone through with little or no environmental review.

HB 3382 puts at risk birds, wildlife, fish, and water quality in irreplaceable estuaries across the state. As written, this bill would eliminate much of the environmental review for port deepwater projects in Coos Bay, Yaquina Bay, the lower Columbia River, and Portland.

HB 3382 appears to be fast-tracked with a first hearing scheduled before the Joint Committee on Transportation on March 14, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Make your voice heard in opposition to this bad legislation. 

Submit a written comment here

Sign up to give oral testimony

Please note: Written comments using the above link must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on March 16. If you send written comments past that date, please direct it to your state legislators.

More background information is provided on the Legislative Information System webpage.

You can use the sample message below or write one of your own.

Sample Message:

HB 3382 undermines land use planning laws for all of Oregon’s deepwater ports. Authorizing major development projects to proceed without demonstrating compliance with state and local land use law puts at risk the valuable public resources of fish, birds, wildlife, and their habitats within our irreplaceable estuaries.

In addition to rendering state and local land use laws ineffective, HB 3382 subverts processes for public involvement in the review and input of how some projects may affect the places we live, recreate, and work. Oregon has a legacy of public engagement in natural resource management. This bill denies the public opportunities to participate in the review process for port projects in deepwater channels. The bill also sets a dangerous precedent for special interest groups to exempt themselves from state and local laws.

Please reject HB 3382 by acknowledging its incompatibility with the Oregon Coastal Management Program, and that the bill is not in the public’s interest.

How to contact your state legislators

Action Alert: Halt the timber industry grab on Oregon’s state forests!

The timber industry and their politicians are trying to stop years of work to find balanced habitat protections on state forests under a Habitat Conservation Plan. Their plan for state forests is to throw out habitat protections and increase clearcuts in critical habitat.

Add your voice in support of a strong state forest Habitat Conservation Plan for the Board of Forestry meeting on Wednesday, March 8!

Big timber is ramping up pressure on the Board of Forestry to abandon the Habitat Conservation Plan. In the legislature, they’re pushing a bill to transfer state forests over to the counties to undercut conservation and increase clearcutting. If passed, the counties could then sell state forests to the timber industry. We can’t allow this to happen.

Your voice matters. You helped strengthen the Board of Forestry’s support for the Habitat Conservation Plan when we defeated the timber industry’s attempts to stop this process only a few weeks ago.

The state forest Habitat Conservation Plan is a balance between long-term conservation and pressure for timber harvest. It is a good faith effort, developed over many years, to manage public lands for the good of all Oregonians today and into the future.

Send an email to the Board of Forestry today. Tell the Board that we are counting on them to adopt a strong Habitat Conservation Plan that protects salmon, wildlife and clean water in Oregon’s state forests! Ask them to support efforts to diversify funding for rural services, decreasing county dependence on revenue from timber sales.

Board of Forestry email: boardofforestry@odf.oregon.gov

Sample Message:

Subject: Support a Strong State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan with No Delays

Dear Chair Kelly and Members of the Board of Forestry,

I’m writing to ask you to continue your support of a strong Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that is at least as protective as Conservation Alternative 3. The State Forest HCP is a workable balance that would protect iconic salmon runs, wildlife habitat, recreation, and clean water while ensuring more sustainable timber harvest. Now is the time to finalize the HCP and ensure that Oregon’s state forests are managed for multiple values.

Right now, the timber industry and supportive politicians are calling on you to reject the HCP, prioritizing timber harvest over all other values. They’re using inflammatory and misleading statements to undermine common-sense plans to protect state forests. Today I ask you to stand strong and support moving forward on the state forest HCP with no delays.

The HCP before you has been developed with years of extensive public input. The courts have affirmed the State’s right to manage for multiple benefits on state forests (Linn Co. v. State of Oregon). Now is the time to step up for Oregon’s state forests and for current and future generations by adopting a strong HCP. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

You can use our sample message or write your own. Either way, your voice is essential! 

Thank you for continuing to support solid conservation practices in Oregon. 

Action Alert: Support the Natural Climate Solutions Bill!

We are joining our Forest Coalition partners to advance a critical piece of climate legislation in the current session of the Oregon legislature — the Natural Climate Solutions bill (SB 530). Natural climate solutions are critical for fighting climate change and protecting our forests, farms, grasslands, and wetlands.  This legislation will support simple, proven solutions for reducing the future impacts of climate change.

Photo by Steve Griffiths

• Planting more trees in urban areas;

• Protecting and recovering drinking watersheds and wetlands;

• Planting cover crops on agricultural lands; 

• Supporting longer logging rotations on private lands;

• Protecting mature and old-growth forests on public lands; and 

• Protecting coastal communities from sea-level rise and storm surge.

Please help us get this bill safely over the finish line this session. Tell Representatives David Gomberg and Cyrus Javadi, and Senators Dick Anderson and Suzanne Weber how important it is to coastal residents that they act now to address climate change and its impacts on our communities. 

How to contact our state legislators

Action Alert: Take Action on Oregon's Marine Reserves!

Representative David Gomberg (D-Lincoln City) has just introduced House Bill 2903 which requires Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fish and Wildlife Commission, and Department of State Lands to develop an adaptive management and social monitoring program to support Oregon’s five marine reserves.

Senators Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City), David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford), and Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook) are co-sponsors of the bill.

Why is HB 2903 so important?

In 2012, Oregon completed the planning and designation of five marine reserves: Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, Otter Rock, Cape Perpetua and Redfish Rocks. A review of the first ten years of Oregon’s Marine Reserve system reveals that the reserves:

• Garner broad support from Oregonians – 90% of valley residents and 70% of coastal residents would vote to continue the marine reserves

• Provide opportunities to research topics Oregonians care about – changing ocean conditions and hazards, ocean acidification and hypoxia, endangered species, and sea-star wasting syndrome

• Pump more than $750,000 into coastal communities via marine reserve researchers contracting local commercial and charter fishing vessels

• Promotes extensive community engagement – almost 13,000 individuals have engaged in community science initiatives

Please help us express our thanks by emailing or calling them.

How to contact our state legislators

Thank you!

Cascade Head Marine Reserve: courtesy of Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

Action Alert: Protect threatened and endangered species!

TAKE ACTION TODAY to protect endangered and threatened species!

Wilson River Oregon by Julie McWorther

Raise your voice. It can be difficult and intimidating to wade through hundreds of pages of potential plans, regulations, and rules that control how our local habitat is managed by state and federal agencies. We know that you want to be part the process, to advance the best outcomes for things we care about: water supplies, birds, wildlife, and the habitat that supports them.

Let us help you promote Alternative #3 of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in support of Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan.

The Plan, prepared by ODF, is currently under review by federal wildlife agencies. Under auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this plan addresses the habitat needs for 14 threatened and endangered species. These include the Northern Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, coastal marten, and many species of salamanders, salmon, and steelhead.

The plan’s required 60-day public comment period is open right now. This is your chance to create a lasting legacy of conservation on state lands. Tell decision-makers you want a balanced management plan: one that protects wildlife, allows recreational opportunities, ensures clean air and water, and helps to stabilize the climate for generations to come.

Please submit your comments today to NOAA and ODF through this link.

Feel free to adapt any or all of these points:

1. I recognize and applaud the work of our state and federal agencies in developing a Habitat Conservation Plan for Western Oregon’s State Forests. I support Alternative 3: Increased Conservation, as described in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
   
   

2. I support wider riparian buffers to protect our streams, safeguard water supplies, and provide critical habitat needed to promote the recovery of endangered fish and other aquatic species.

3. Northern Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, red tree vole, and coastal martin populations are threatened and/or endangered as a result of decades of human activity. Modern industrial logging practices have resulted in disturbance, destruction, and fragmentation of mature forest habitat.

4. Conservation Actions 6, 7, 8, and 10 as described in the EIS should be seen as absolute minimum standards needed to protect threatened and endangered species.

5. Protection of interior forests with enclosed canopies and complex structure is critical. Habitat Conservation Areas of adequate size and contiguity are key to survival of terrestrial species such as Marbled Murrelet, Northern Spotted Owl, and coastal marten.

6. ODF should emphasize ecologically focused management of our state timber lands and allow them to become mature, diverse forests that can and will provide highly suitable habitat for threatened and endangered species.

7. ODF must recognize habitat fragmentation as a serious threat to endangered species and should strive to promote habitat connectivity across the landscape.

8. Ecologically focused forest management must include retention of the oldest, largest trees on the landscape during regeneration harvests. Retaining these features on the landscape will eventually result in the stands of old growth needed to provide refuge and dispersal habitat in areas outside of Habitat Conservation Areas.

9. It is time for ODF and the Oregon Board of Forestry to move beyond a timber-centric, business-as-usual approach to forest management.

Thank you for your critical support!

Action Alert: Protect Wildlife by Regulating Drone Use

Over a million seabirds and shorebirds nest along Oregon’s coastline every year including the endangered Western Snowy Plover and species of concern like the Black Oystercatcher and the Tufted Puffin.

Black Oystercatchers courtesy of dawn villaescusa

Wildlife disturbances due to improper drone use are increasing on the Oregon coast. Last year alone the Oregon Black Oystercatcher Project documented a rate of more than three drone disturbances a week at active Black Oystercatcher nests.

We have a golden opportunity to better protect nesting sea and shore birds. Oregon State Parks is accepting public comments to help inform where drone take-off and landings within State Parks and along the ocean shore.

See this link to Portland Audubon’s call to action which provides suggested talking points.

Email your comments by April 7 to OPRD.publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov