DCPARC
John Hunter
The last quarter of 2018 has been a very busy one for Douglas County Parks Advisory Resource Committee (DCPARC). It was a combination of park related activities and the never ending monitoring of our Douglas County government.
Since the last newsletter, we lead UW members on an education tour of Iverson Park, had [...]
Food Webs and Tree Rings with Fullerton!
Fifth grade students at Fullerton Elementary have had the chance to do some hands on science in their classroom in addition to their Science Wednesday program.
At the beginning of November, students in Mrs. Cunningham’s and Mr. Lofton’s classes learned more about food webs. We talked about how everything in the environment is interconnected, including [...]
Science Wednesday with Fullerton Elementary
This marks week four of working with Fullerton 5th graders at Science Wednesday! Our group of 20 students have been getting hands on and learning about the environment. We have learned about the water cycle and water chemistry, discovered the difference between weather and climate, and discussed the importance of the carbon cycle. We only [...]
Getting Messy with the BGCUV Garden Club!
We have been partnering with the garden club at the Boys and Girls Club to teach lessons that connect the environment to their usual gardening activities. A few weeks ago, students learned about the different components of soil and got to see a soil layer profile. Then they used a mortar and pestle to grind [...]
Wilderness
Robbin Schindele
The Wilderness Committee has been busy since the last newsletter. Our ongoing effort to get business support for the Crater Lake Wilderness Proposal continues to grow. We currently have 74 businesses and are nearing our goal of 100 businesses before our next Annual Banquet. Our federal legislators have told us that support from [...]
Fall 2018
Patrick Schneider
As 99.7 KQUA nears a year old, much progress has been made in developing and airing unique content. At the moment, 99.7 KQUA has 5 weekend specialty programs; 4 of which are locally produced and topics range from environmental talk to unique music programming. Other shows are in development.
Fall 2018
Stanley Petrowski
A River Dying?
It’s been a difficult summer for the anadromous fish of the Umpqua Rivers. The river was so hot that the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, to their credit, shut down much of the angling of the basin. Even the notoriously beautiful cooler waters of the North Umpqua were restricted [...]
Fall 2017
by J. Patrick Quinn
“Environmental Terrorists,” is what some clear cutters and their advocates in local, state and national government label citizens who speak up in defense of steadily deteriorating ecological conditions on our watersheds! This time it is Ryan Zinke, exclaiming these and other inflammatory epithets. Trump’s appointed Secretary of the Interior appears to [...]
Fall 2018
Facilities Management
John Hunter
Summer has been a busy one for the Facilities Management Committee (FMC) that was filled with progress, challenges and setbacks. On June 5th a water pipe broke in one of the downstairs rented businesses flooding two of our rental units. Thankfully we had insurance and with the help of Dry Pro [...]
Fall 2018
WILDERNESS
Robbin Schindele
Summer has been a busy time for UW’s Wilderness Committee. We’ve sponsored hikes into our proposed Wilderness with 2 more are scheduled for September. We have increased our Facebook presence to over 1000 views/month and planned events to increase awareness with business supporters. Thanks to Bob Hoehne, Diana Pace, Richard O’Neil and [...]
Fall 2018
DCPARC
John Hunter
The hot and smoky summer has been a busy and hectic one for DCPARC. We toured Mildred Kanipe Park in July after hearing that the Parks Advisory Board alleged numerous trees were dying and posing a fire danger. Our tour was led by Mike Burke of Friends of Mildred Kanipe Park where he [...]
Fall 2018
Executive Director
Kasey Hovik
We are almost 3/4 of the way through 2018 and it has been a remarkable year for Umpqua Watersheds (UW) thanks to the diligent work of our dedicated staff, board of directors, volunteers and the tremendous support of our membership. Our “CORE” areas of Conservation, Outreach, Restoration and Education have accomplished [...]
…not everyone gets to PET A WHALE…
Ken Carloni, Ph.D.
Baja tour evaluation comment
As many of you know, I retired from full-time teaching at UCC in June. My plan was to continue to teach the field courses I’ve reported on in the pages of past 100 Valleys newsletters as a part-time instructor. Unfortunately, that plan has been dashed.
For a variety [...]
Twin Lakes Youth Wilderness Campout
July 27 – July 29, 2018
A summer weekend filled with fun, educational activities in the outdoors. Space is limited!
Summer 2018
KQUA is seeking underwriters for the radio station. Do you have a business and desire to support the radio station of Umpqua Watersheds? Underwriting is a perfect way to both support Umpqua Watersheds and promote your business. Contact Patrick Schneider for more details.
info@kqua.org
Summer 2018
Stan Petrowski
With the wonderful help of our volunteers, Staff, and Board of Directors, Umpqua Watersheds continues on its journey to fulfill its vision for the Umpqua region. Our internal reorganization is having a reinvigorating impact on our morale and capacity to respond to the waves of challenges facing the natural world. Political and social [...]
Summer 2018
Stanley Petrowski
Restoration in the Age of Ecological Chaos
I am often challenged during agency and non-agency interactions regarding the efficacy of restoration work. Anyone even remotely aware of what it costs to conduct ecological restoration knows that the costs are exorbitant. The questioning of restoration efforts has caused me to take pause for evaluation. [...]
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 [...]
FIRE IS NOT THE ENEMY PART II:
Ken Carloni, PhD.
The 2013 Douglas Complex Fires Revisited
New science reverses conventional wisdom that old growth forests burn more severely than plantations.
Four years ago, I wrote an article for the Summer 2014 100 Valleys entitled “Fire Is Not The Enemy” analyzing the Douglas Complex fire that burned through a BLM/private industry checkerboard northwest [...]
Summer 2018
Executive Director
Kasey Hovik
It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost half over! I am very proud and grateful for everything Umpqua Watersheds staff, board of directors and volunteers have accomplished in the first half of the year. In April we had our 22nd annual banquet. I was so proud of the [...]