Memorandum of Understanding – Oregon Forest Practices Act
Today, February 10, 2020, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced a historic agreement between conservation groups and timber companies which is the first step in a process for the most significant update of Oregon’s Forest Practices Act in decades. Umpqua Watersheds, one of the principal participants of this agreement, releases the following statement:
“Umpqua Watersheds has [...]
Great Backyard Bird Count
1. Create a free GBBC account if you have never participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count or any [...]
KQUA PSA opportunities
AmeriCorps: Education Spotlight
For those of you who don’t know me, I am Robyn Bath-Rosenfeld, the new Environmental Educator and Outreach AmeriCorps at UW. My first three months in this position have just flown by and I am loving the chance to work with such amazing youth across multiple school districts in Douglas County. Since September I [...]
Outreach Update
By Janice Reid
Since the last newsletter, there have been many events and activities promoted by Umpqua Watersheds and thanks to our many sponsors and donors in the community, we feel they could not be a success without them. The critical projects, processes and functions of the organization are so important. We are constantly adding [...]
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Greetings Fellow Conservationists! In our Fall 2019 newsletter, I filled you in on some changes happening inside the UW organization, and I’d like to add more detail here. But first, I’d like to share some recent progress at UW.
We had a great strategic planning meeting at the end of October [...]
Umpqua Watersheds could use you skills!
Are you unable to contribute to Umpqua Watersheds monetarily? Do you have skills related to construction, electrical, remodeling, plumbing, building maintenance or property management? You can contribute your skills! Don’t have any particular skill but would still like to help? Not to worry. We have many projects that don’t require any skills as long [...]
Of Oaks and Beavers….
Umpqua Watersheds (UW) has focused considerable time and energy advocating for and monitoring restoration projects throughout the region. Besides our Radio Active Restoration Show, aired weekly on KQUA 99.7 FM, we are actively engaged in several major efforts in the field of restoration ecology. Much of our work is deeply [...]
Tongass Roadless Rule (Urgent)
The preferred alternative to change the 2001 Roadless Rule is way too extreme for the Tongass National Forest, where 70% of the old growth forest was removed between 1954 and 1990. It would take 300 years for many of these cut over areas to become the forests they once were with an overstory of spruce, hemlock [...]
Wilderness Committee update
By Robbin Shindele
The Wilderness Committee had a busy fall. In September we wound down our postcard campaign. Various committee members were at the Saturday farmers Market in Roseburg most Saturdays from May through September. We talked to people about the Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal and asked them to sign postcards with pre-printed messages to [...]
“Umpqua Sweets” Proposed BLM Sale of 2000 acres along the North Umpqua River
From September 24th through November 1st, Cascadia Wildlands spearheaded an investigation of a Roseburg BLM Timber Sale called Umpqua Sweets. They conducted field trips to the units and meetings with the BLM Swiftwater Field Office personnel. Some Umpqua Watersheds members joined in the research, including Francis Eatherington. The following are comments about the sites by [...]
What is NEPA and what does it mean for conservation?
By Diana Pace
The National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to consider all of the environmental and social impacts of proposals before taking action (e.g. permitting a road or mine). It requires agencies to prepare a detailed study on the impacts of any proposed action that may “significantly affect the quality of the human [...]
Comments Due Dec 17, 2019
Elliott State Forest Oregon Supreme Court Ruling
https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2019/11/elliott-state-forest-tract-sale-was-illegal-oregon-supreme-court-says.html
Crater Lake Wilderness aims to keep 500,000 acres wild
Crater Lake Wilderness article in the news!
Press Release
Below is a press release that was issued in September 24, 2019
Contacts:
Stanley Petrowski, Umpqua Watersheds, (541) 825-3070, stanley@umpquawatersheds.org
Conrad Gowell, Native Fish Society, (971) 237-6544, conrad@nativefishsociety.org
Jeff Miller, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 499-9185, jmiller@biologicaldiversity.org
Endangered Species Protections Sought for Oregon Coast Spring Chinook
Early Migrating Salmon Threatened [...]
Edutourism
EDUCATION REPORT: Is the Time Right for a UW Edutourism Initiative?
The following two short-term activities are listed in Umpqua Watersheds’ strategic plan for our Education program:
“Conduct feasibility study re: infrastructure necessary for Educational Ecotourism.”
“Acquire a vehicle(s) for field trips and ecotourism in the Umpqua [...]
KQUA
Help keep KQUA alive and commercial free
99.7 KQUA is a low-power, non-commercial FM station on the air since the spring of 2017. The station is operated by passionate volunteers who spend time and skill on the operations. However, the cost of keeping KQUA on the air is growing. Among the many costs to operate a [...]
Conservation
The Conservation Column in the June, 2018 edition of this newsletter, contained the following: “Thus, when we became aware of what seemed to us to be an egregious request to impose yet another 1,400 feet of forest road through old growth on BLM managed public land near Susan Creek Falls so [...]
Chinook Salmon
Restoration Committee…Stanley Petrowski
The Tragedy of Oregon Spring Chinook
I’ve used this medium to update our membership on the sadly declining numbers of Spring Chinook returning the Umpqua Basin and coastal Oregon in general. Did you know that there are only two viable wild Spring Chinook runs in the entire Oregon coastal ESU [...]