Serious barred owl encroachment on northern spotted owl habitat has led the US Fish and Wildlife Service to propose a management plan to right the dynamic. Read more about the need for the plan and what the implications could be if the situation is not addressed.
Read MoreLife isn’t easy for a Pacific fisher; avoiding poisons, traps, and climate change. Ms. Carnivora Pennanti Fisher tells her story of struggle with her fisher kits in this journal entry.
Read MoreOur Climate Director, Joseph, writes a touching blog about his longtime friend, Diarmuid, a true beaver believer.
Read MoreThe northern goshawk is an avian species whose population directly relies on the extent of the presence mature and old-growth forests and has been on the decline alongside mature and old-growth forests. The species is currently not listed under the ESA. Read more about the goshawk here.
Read MoreWe are so wild about the Siskiyou Mountains salamander, it is the KS Wild mascot! We continue to advocate on behalf of this species that is only found in the Klamath-Siskiyou region. Learn more about our efforts to protect this species through advocacy that dates back over two decades here.
Read MoreConsidering that Oregon is known as the “Beaver State,” regulations are lacking to protect this iconic animal that is present in so many waterways and provides so many ecological and hydrological benefits. Can we, as humans, use our skills to coexist with this essential critter? Proposed HB 3464 will change how Oregonians relate to beavers.
Read MoreWe need to protect Oregon lands from climate extremes and harness their potential as a climate solution. The Senate Committee on Natural Resources has scheduled a hearing on SB 530, common-sense legislation that will help increase carbon sequestration on our forests, agricultural lands, and wetlands and improve the resilience of our water, wildlife, and communities. Learn more about SB 530 and action you can take for natural climate solutions in this blog.
Read MoreCheck out all the progress our incredible volunteer stewards have been able to accomplish lately!
Read MoreAmerica’s road network, as currently designed, is a major impediment to wildlife migration. The passage of HB 4130-1 in the legislature this year is particularly important to the prospect of building wildlife crossing in our region. Read more about KS Wild’s work as a partner in the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition (SOWCC), focusing on improved wildlife passages on Interstate 5 between Ashland and the California state line along the Siskiyou Crest.
Read MoreAs a part of KS Wild’s efforts to advance natural solutions to climate change, we are advocating for the recovery of beaver. These aquatic rodents are a keystone species—their life cycle allows other species to thrive—and their natural dams help native fish and other species adapt to climate change.
Read MoreTo be the eyes and ears of public lands defense requires KS Wild’s ForestWatch staff to be diligent in how we approach the scope of our work. Read about our plans for 2020, which defending public lands in a number of vital ways.
Read MoreWith the passage of a public lands bill, Oregon will build on its Wild & Scenic River legacy and KS Wild will achieve some long sought after conservation measures. The Oregon Wildlands Act adds 250 miles of new rivers and streams to the National Wild & Scenic River system, protecting southern Oregon streams from mining!
Read MoreOn a chilly sun-filled February morning KS Wild land steward volunteers, local community groups and the Bureau of Land Management showed up strong to preserve a low elevation wetland meadow at French Flat. Stewarding public lands is so important, and so rewarding!
Read MoreA forest after fire is not a tragedy; it’s simply a stage in the life of the forest. Post-fire logging is often framed as focused on fire prevention. In reality, important biological characteristics are removed from post-fire forests. Because of this, salvage logging acts as an unnatural human disturbance to the sensitive post fire landscape.
Read MoreFighting fossil fuel projects like the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas export project is only half of the climate change battle in our region. Climate change is getting worse fast so we also have to act to prepare the Klamath-Siskiyou for a warming world. KS Wild has just assembled the best available science in a comprehensive report to help show the path forward to help public lands adapt to climate change.
Read MoreAt KS Wild, we have a deep admiration for this creature that so deeply epitomizes the wilderness. Unfortunately, the story of the wolf is one of systematic persecution and deep-rooted mythologies that inspire fear in people. Some say the removal of the wolf is a bitter reflection of our society’s tendency to suppress all things wild; others, want nothing more than to allow wolves to fade into extinction.
Read MorePart of our work at KS Wild is to track management decisions by the US Fish and Wildlife service to list at-risk species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In continuing a 22-year battle to protect their declining populations, we filed lawsuit with three of our conservation allies to list the Pacific fisher. Other species we continue to fight for include the Siskiyou Mountain Salamander, the Wolverine and four species of Lamprey.
Read MoreEnvironmental stewards can operate in a variety of ways: as practitioners, donors, and doers. Our staff works hard each day as practitioners, working directly with government agencies and stakeholders to promote best practices in the management of our public lands. Foundations and community members serve as vital donors, providing financial support for our work. The doers are all of you—KS Wild members, volunteers, interns, and partners—who take part in our work, voice your support for public lands, or even just get out on a hike.
Read MoreWhile most Americans cherish the idea that public lands belong to and benefit all of us, corporate timber, mining and grazing interests have long sought to privatize public lands in order to maximize profits to their respective industries. While subsidized logging, mining and grazing occur on the vast majority of public lands, these extremists bristle at the idea of there being any rules regarding their exploitation of our forests and rivers.
Read MoreAfter decades of trapping and poisoning, the last wolf in California was shot in 1924. Since then, roads and highways were built and huge tracts of forest have been converted to industrial tree farms. Today, the wolf re-enters a landscape filled with strip-malls, subdivisions, climatic shifts and severe drought. It will take work with residents in areas where wolves migrate to ensure co-existence.
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