Honoring the Life of Ted Swagerty
President’s Corner Winter 2025
by Janice Reid
This winter, our community received the sad news of the passing of Ted Swagerty, a Roseburg native whose life reflected a deep commitment to service, creativity, and environmental stewardship. Though he recently made his home in Portland, Ted remained connected to the Umpqua and to [...]
Trump admin plans sprint on lifting logging bans The Forest Service laid out a draft timeline to rescind roadless-area protections and ease timber harvesting on nearly 59 million acres.
GREENWIRE |
By: Marc Heller | 07/21/2025 01:52 PM EDT
The Trump administration aims to end the prohibition on logging on tens of millions of acres of roadless areas in national forests by the end of next year, according to a draft schedule at the Forest Service. The draft timeline, viewed by POLITICO’s E&E News and [...]
NEPA Under Threat — Act Now to Protect Your Voice in Environmental Decisions
80+ Federal Agencies Are Gutting Public Participation — We Need Your Help
Over 80 federal agencies have just released sweeping changes to how they implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) — the cornerstone of environmental protection and public input in federal decisions. These changes were released all at once, with only 30 [...] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Umpqua Watersheds Calls on Community to Stand with Umpqua Community Action Network, (UCAN), Students, Service Members, and Our Planet Roseburg, OR – May 2, 2025 — In an abrupt and devastating move, the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has [...] **The federal government is proposing to narrow the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA),** removing habitat degradation from consideration. This means only direct injury or death of species would be considered a violation—**ignoring the critical role of habitat in species survival.** — ### 🌲 1. Habitat [...] After a long career in government employment, public life, and Democratic Party activism, Roseburg’s Lenore Paulsen has died at the age of 90 in the home she lived in for many years. A talented, gracious woman, she charmed all who knew her. She had many interests and loved entertaining her many friends in her well-appointed [...] Please comment by March 27, 2025 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/25/2025-03014/removal-of-national-environmental-policy-act-implementing-regulations Unfortunately, the CEQ itself cannot rescind an executive order issued by the President. Since Executive Order 14154 directs the removal of NEPA’s implementing regulations, CEQ is required to follow the President’s directive. However, there are still possible ways to challenge or reverse this action, including: A Future Executive [...] News release: For Immediate Release, February 18, 2025 Contact: Jeremiah Scanlan, Center for Biological Diversity, (971) 717-6400, jscanlan@biologicaldiversity.org Lawsuit Aims to Protect Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in Pacific Northwest https://www.northcoastjournal.com/news/complex-tradeoffs-31988826 January 30, 2025 ‘Complex Tradeoffs’ Five conservation groups, including the Arcata-based Environmental Protection Information Center, recently joined in the legal defense of a controversial U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan to [...] Conservation groups, including Umpqua Watersheds, issue press release. Press Release January 21, 2025 Umpqua Watersheds member Bob Allen has an article in the Oregon Humanities Magazine Winter 2025 edition. https://www.oregonhumanities.org/rll/magazine/currents-winter-2025/posts-currents/ In the mid-1980s, my family lived outside Roseburg, not far from River Forks Park, a beautiful spot at the confluence of the North and South Umpqua Rivers. We had a small group of friends who would gather at [...] The success of the program to curtail the invasion of the barred owl on the Hoopa Valley Tribal Land gets a big boost from the federal government. “The USFW’s controversial management approach is built on the foundation of experimental barred owl removal studies dating back more than a decade — including the Hoopa study — [...] Pictures of nature’s beauty are awe-inspiring—a wonder to behold. But for many of us, simply admiring them is not enough. We feel called to venture out, to experience the wild in all its splendor firsthand. That call, the lure of the unknown, draws us into the elements, seeking moments of exhilaration when nature captures [...] Notice of Non-compliance gives the owners of Winchester Dam until Nov 17 to request a hearing. cover-letter-winchester-proposed-order winchester-notice-of-non-compliance-proposed-order-and-opportunity-for-con-1 https://www.propublica.org/article/biden-logging-blm-oregon-climate KEZI reports on River Cleanup in the Umpqua By Diana Pace The Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal team has been implementing guidance from experts such as Dave Stone, Andy Kerr, the Umpqua National Forest supervisor and the Wilderness Society. We have a strategic plan and are prioritizing our objectives. We are working with the UW Grant Committee to seek funding so we can hire [...] https://kqennewsradio.com/2024/07/05/morning-conversation-7-5-24-2/ A recent victory for conservation group, Cascadia Wildlands, gives protection to a Marbled Murrelet nest site.
Federal Cuts Devastate Umpqua Watersheds AmeriCorps Environmental Education Program
Federal Cuts Devastate AmeriCorps Environmental Education in Douglas County
Proposed ESA Change Threatens Wildlife Protection
In Memory of Lenore Paulsen
NEPA is under attack!
Lawsuit Aims to Protect Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in Pacific Northwest
https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/lawsuit-aims-to-protect-spring-run-chinook-salmon-in-pacific-northwest-2025-02-18/
Mark Sherwood, Native Fish Society, (503) 344-4218, mark@nativefishsociety.org
Stanley Petrowski, Umpqua Watersheds, (541) 825-3070, stanley@umpquawatersheds.org
Michael Morrison, Pacific Rivers, (707) 845-2585, info@pacificrivers.org
Complex Tradeoffs
EPIC among conservation groups defending barred owl removal in court
By Kimberly Wear kim@northcoastjournal.com @kimberly_wear
Conservation Groups support US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Efforts to reduce barred owl impacts on spotted owls
How a Fight Led to a Festival
Hoopa Valley Tribe receives major grant to remove barred owls
Honoring the Life of Emily Hopfer
ODFW issues letter of Non-compliance to Winchester Water Control District
Despite Biden’s Promise to Protect Old Forests, His Administration Keeps Approving Plans to Cut Them Down
Umpqua Watersheds hosts the 40th Annual River Cleanup
Seeking expert bill writer, preparing wilderness characteristics booklet
Restoration Chair and Vice President of UW interview
Marbled Murrelet nest site protected on the Elliott
Wyden introduces The River Democracy Act
