Bark’s February News & Updates
This month’s newsletter included an Action Alert about a proposed rule to limit public comment and objection periods, updates on our advocacy opposing HR 655-The Dalles Watershed Development Act, updates from our Forest Watch and Restoration team, news we’re following, and our recommendations for what to read, listen to, and watch this Black History Month.
Action Alert! Forest Service proposal seeks to cut public comment and objection opportunities, limit public oversight
On Feb. 5th, the U.S. Forest Service released a proposed rule that would significantly shorten comment and objection periods for timber sales and other forest/land management projects. Under the new rule, comment periods for Environmental Assessments (EAs) would be cut from 30 days to 10 days, and those for Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) would go from 45 to 20 days. Objection periods for EAs would be slashed from 45 to 10 days and from 45 to 20 days for EISs. This move would effectively limit the public’s ability to participate in decision-making processes affecting Mt. Hood and all other national forests.
Comments on the rule will be accepted through March 9th. Submit a public comment while you still can!
Read the proposed rule
Submit your comment here
Bark, coalition of local orgs pressure Wyden to oppose bill that would give away portions of Mt. Hood NF to The Dalles to meet Google’s growing water demands
Read the full letter and press release
Yesterday, Bark and a group of local organizations who share our concerns about HR 655, a bill that would give 150 acres of Mt. Hood NF to the city of The Dalles so they can meet the rapidly increasing water demands of Google’s five (soon to be six) data centers in the city, sent Sen. Ron Wyden a letter voicing our opposition to the bill. The letter also called on Sen. Wyden, who serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee where the bill currently sits, to halt the advancement of the bill, which was passed in the House on Dec. 9th. The full text of the letter and our press release are linked above.
As we outline in the letter and press release, passage of HR 655 in the Senate—which was introduced by OR Rep. Cliff Bentz, who drafted the legislation without input from local Mt. Hood Forest Service staff—would not only send a signal to other Republican lawmakers that public lands can be given away freely without public input, but also would harm five endangered fish species, put added pressure on a watershed experiencing record low levels of snowpack, and lead to increased water costs for local community members.
We’re asking our supporters to call Sen. Wyden’s office and tell him you oppose this bill! You can use the script we’ve provided on Bark’s website to guide you.
Forest Watch Updates
Jordan Latter, Forest Watch Program Manager
Since late last year, I’ve been working to understand the implications of Bentz’s HR 655 and Google’s overall impact on The Dalles’ water supply. I’ve been helping to build a coalition of concerned organizations and individuals (referenced above) to push back on the bill and get it stopped in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. It’s been amazing to see the public response, too; one of our social media posts about the bill was viewed by over 200,000 people! We know that Wyden’s office has been inundated with calls, letters, and emails from people like you, and that really matters! Don’t let up. I’ll be continuing to make connections with community members in The Dalles and Hood River valley, ensuring that I understand their concerns and that their voices are heard.
I’m also continuing to keep an eye on other projects on the Mt. Hood NF. The main update for now is that we may see a draft EA for the Anvil project that we groundtruthed last summer sometime in May, but stay tuned.
Restoration Updates
Meg Waller, Restoration Program Manager
While our beaver friends are wintering in their lodges, I’ve been staying busy with preparations for the next field season and planning our third year of collaborations with Parrott Creek’s Cultural Ecology Project. And learning a lot! The first week of February, I attended River Restoration NW’s annual symposium, where I learned about Indigenous-led salmon-focused riparian restoration and even more details about how beaver-created wetlands create fire breaks and seed banks for post-fire recovery. Later this month, I’ll be attending the Eastern Washington Riparian Planting Symposium to learn about beaver project management, floating wetland mats, and riparian restoration. I’ve also been working my way through the permitting requirements for a special restoration project later this summer.
I’ll be offering two in-office trainings, Introduction to Beaver Ecology and Restoration and Introduction to Wetland Ecology and Mapping, later this spring, so stay tuned for more info on those. In the meantime, our Parrott Creek restoration field days and amphibian surveys are now up on Bark’s website and ready for volunteer sign-ups. Have at it!
News We’re Following
- Support the “1.25% for Wildlife” bill in the Oregon legislature!
Bark recently joined a coalition of Oregon orgs in support of HB 4134 “1.25% for Wildlife,” which would secure dedicated, sustainable funding for Oregon’s imperiled wildlife, lands and waters by increasing the state transient lodging tax from 1.5% to 2.75% (an increase of 1.25%). The bill will have its third reading today, so call your state representative to let them know you want them to vote YES on HB 4134 today. You can find out who represents your district here. - Environmental groups sue Trump’s EPA over repeal of landmark climate findingICYMI, earlier this week the Trump admin repealed the “endangerment finding” that formed the basis for regulating greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. This move not only threatens to erase decades of progress in limiting carbon emissions, but also puts our public health at risk.
- EPA Proposes revisions to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act
Although the comment period has passed, we’re keeping an eye on this proposed rule, which would limit state and Tribal authority to protect clean water from pollution resulting from pipelines and other major infrastructure projects during the permitting process. - Trump Admin Announces Revisions to Resource Management Plans for Northwestern and Coastal Oregon and Southwestern Oregon
These changes, which would open up parts of Western Oregon forests to logging, only applies to BLM lands, but still sets a dangerous precedent. Our partners at Oregon Wild have put together this analysis to guide your comments, which are due March 23rd.
Roots & Branches: Black History Month Edition
Read
Darker Wilderness: Black Nature Writing from Soil to Stars, ed. Erin Sharkey
An award-winning collection of essays focused on the lived experience and role of nature in the lives of Black folks in the U.S.
The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection by Dorceta E. Taylor
Explores the contributions of people of color, women, and the poor working class to the early environmental movement in the U.S., as well as the ways these groups continue to bear the brunt of environmental injustice.
Listen
“The Black Voices You Didn’t Expect To Be Climate Justice Advocates with Dr. Margot Brown of EDF” – Joy Report podcast (available on the podcast platform of your choice)
Host Arielle V. King and Dr. Margot Brown talk about the enduring legacies & stories of Black people throughout history whose work helped propel the environmental justice movement forward, even before the traditional movement began.
Watch
Oregon Experience | Remember Mulugeta: Confronting Hate in Portland | Season 20 | Episode 1 | OPB
This film, which was co-produced by our friend Nora Colie of Making Earth Cool, revisits a racially motivated 1988 murder in Portland.