After nearly a year of negotiations, an agreement over new rules for the Oregon Forest Practices Act has been reached between timber and environmental groups to overhaul management of 10 million acres of private forestlands in Oregon. These changes will update Oregon's forest practice laws and provide significant new protections for our imperiled salmon, recreational and commercial fisheries, and for the communities that rely on these resources.
Read Morehe Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) has failed to protect the clear, cold streams and fish in our region by excluding them in their decision to expand stream buffers for Western Oregon’s forests. ODF granted limited protections for streams to the north but left out almost the entirety of the Siskiyou region (essentially the Rogue Basin) in their policy decision.
Read MoreRetaining trees in streamside areas is incredibly important to keeping streams cool and water clean. A healthy riparian buffer where logging is limited adjacent to streams serves a number of important functions. The shade from trees prevents the water from getting warmer, something that will be more and more important in the face of climate change.
Read MoreRogue Riverkeeper and our allies have been fighting the proposal for a gas pipeline, power plant, and export terminal through southern Oregon for years. This dangerous and unnecessary project threatens private property owners with eminent domain, will impact dozens of threatened and endangered species, will clear-cut a 95 foot swath for 235 miles, will raise our gas rates here at home, and accelerate climate change.
Read MoreRogue Riverkeeper has monitored local streams for fecal bacteria, turbidity, pH, temperature, and conductivity with a number of great partners throughout our region. Our past efforts have documented steadily declining water quality throughout the Little Butte Creek watershed, improving water quality on Evans Creek, and highlighted the source of pollution on Ashland Creek so that steps could be taken to improve the situation.
Read MoreThe public lands in the Smith River Watershed are legendary for their unique botanical diver- sity and for providing clear, cold water to the largest un-damned river system on the West Coast. It is a stunning and spectacular part of America’s natural heritage that is literally like nowhere else on Earth.
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