Summer 2018
J. Patrick Quinn
Eco-terrorism! This misleading and insulting label was applied to conservation organizations by uninformed individuals. Participation in the National Environmental Policy Act process is not only a privilege under the law, it is also a responsibility to its membership that Umpqua Watersheds takes very seriously. These careful, well considered actions are not vindictive [...]
Summer 2018
DCPARC
John Hunter
The Highlight for DC Park this spring was our booth at the Earth Day/Energy fair in April. Arboriculturist David Braun brought finished stump samples from Busenbark. These donated samples will become a permanent part of the Busenbark history along with Ken Carloni’s 7 foot storyboard of the 500 year-old Busenbark stump. These [...]
Spring 2018
J. Patrick Quinn
Following a full year of environmental threats from the Trump Administration, extractive industries, elected officials at national, state and local levels, Umpqua Watersheds is fighting back. Not content with a purely defensive strategy, we continue to pursue a determined attack on forest management practices that impose unacceptable ecological harm to our degraded [...]
Spring 2018
DCPARC
John Hunter
This Winter has been a busy time for DCPARC. We have continued to monitor issues concerning Douglas County parks and to bring more transparency to county government.
The County, despite objections from DCPARC’s and others, bought a new county park, Umpqua Dunes County Park, formally known as Discovery Point RV Park. The [...]
Winter 2017
J. Patrick Quinn
CHRONIC LOW SUMMER STREAM FLOWS AND WHAT WE AIM TO DO ABOUT IT
Background
Umpqua Watersheds (UW), the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership (SURCP) and other individuals and organizations in the wider Conservation Community, have long been concerned with the apparent depleted summer flows so much in evidence on watersheds in the [...]
Winter 2017
DCPARC
John Hunter
2017 has been a busy year for DCPARC, our first full year as a committee under the Umpqua Watersheds umbrella.
We continue to attend meetings and presentations and are active in writing to our elected representatives in continuing our efforts to bring greater transparency and better representation to our County [...]
Fall 2017
J. Patrick Quinn
In the last issue of 1000 Valleys, your Conservation Committee received a copy of a scientific study that analyzed more than fifty years of Forest Service paired stream data. The Perry-Jones Special Paper (2017), concluded that conversion of primary old growth and mature forest to plantation has led to long term depleted [...]
Fall 2017
DCPARC
John Hunter
This past spring and summer months have been extremely busy for the members of DCPARC. Besides our continuing monitoring and attendance at County meetings, many of us volunteered our time to gather signatures to get the Home Rule Charter on the ballot. Now, thanks to so many dedicated volunteers and concerned [...]
Spring 2017
J. Patrick Quinn
“The emperor has no clothes!” the child famously exclaims while watching his majesty parade by in the buff, too innocent to know enough to imitate his elders, and say nothing. Our watersheds, in too many instances, have no clothes either. It is apparent to anyone who is able to explore the back [...]
Spring 2017
DCPARC
John Hunter
The inauguration of Donald Trump has brought a special urgency to the environmental movement. Daily we face another crisis. This is especially true in Douglas County where our Board of Commissioners seem embolden by Donald Trump’s election. This presents many challenges for DCPARC, but we are up to the test! This year [...]
