In late November 2019, a Washington D.C. judge ruled that 2.5 million acres of public forests managed by BLM in western Oregon have a timber-first mandate. If this ruling is upheld, the fate of these public lands will include more ancient forests turned to stump fields, at the expense of our climate, our communities, and our water security.
Read MoreKS Wild, the Applegate Neighborhood Network (ANN), and the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest partnered to host a native grass planting stewardship event up on the Siskiyou Crest at Big Red Mountain, a botanical area that is being damaged by unauthorized off-highway vehicle use.
Read MoreInstead of continuing the century-old practice of trying to suppress wildfires, we need to learn from the our native American forebears how to use controlled burns to keep our Klamath-Siskiyou forests healthy and biologically diverse.
Read MoreThe morning of September 21st, KS Wild gathered with volunteers and the Forest Service along the banks of the Wild and Scenic Illinois River to celebrate National Public Lands Day and protect this area from illegal Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) use. See a slideshow of our stewardship action that day!
Read MoreAlex Hole is a high elevation wet meadow, and every year cattle from the adjacent Klamath National Forest “drift” over the Crest and trample it, destroying fragile plants and whole ecosystems. Each year, KS Wild volunteers sets up a fence to protect from the cattle.
Read MoreFor the second talk in KS Wild’s Summer Speaker Series on Fire Management, Dr. Christopher J. Dunn focused on five key things we need to remember in our fire-prone landscape, and a new method derived from his research that may alter how we fight fires in the future.
Read MoreFor five days in May, KS Wild leads a raft-supported hike along the Rogue River. This guest post by Tuula Rebhahn details the journey along the river and the adventure that awaits you!
Read MoreThe Red Buttes Wilderness offers large trees, expansive wildflowers, and crystal clear creeks. Here, Conservation Director George Sexton shares a favorite trail in what was once known as the “Applegate Alps.”
Read MoreEarlier this month, KS Wild collaborated with other organizations and agencies on the 5th annual weed pull at the Mariposa Lily Preserve.
Read MoreKS Wild, the Northwest Forest Worker Center, and Lomakatsi Restoration Project hosted “The Hands that Touch the Land,” a hike focusing on ecological forestry work.
Read MoreDefending the Eight Dollar Mountain Botanical Area, on the edge of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, is a high priority for KS Wild’s stewardship program. Teams of volunteers have worked for years to clean up illegal dumping sites and protect the botanical hotspot from illegal off-highway vehicle use (OHV). Our goal is to install gates to prevent further degradation, and allow for an orderly managed botanical area.
Read MoreSenator Wyden learned from the crowd at his Josephine County Town Hall that protecting the Rogue, its tributaries, and all of the wild places in Oregon, is of utmost importance to Oregonians. He also heard that his constituents here in southern Oregon see and appreciate the hard work he is doing in the nation’s capital to keep our lands and rivers pristine and protected.
Read MoreKS Wild works hard to protect places like the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, and we love bringing our community out to these special places so you can experience all that our region, and its wild places, has to offer. The Bees & Blossoms hike was graciously led by the founder of the Native Bee Society, Brian Dysktra.
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 MoreThe U.S. Senate passed the Natural Resources Management Act (S. 47), including the Oregon Wildlands Act (S. 1548), the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Act (S. 513/H.R. 1308), and the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund,. The package now heads to the U.S. House where we are hopeful it will pass and be signed into law.
Read MorePublic lands should not be a pawn in political fights. Hard working public employees should not be forced to take short term loans or visit food banks as the price of public service. Timber, oil and gas, and other extractive industries should not enjoy unfettered access to public lands while restoration, fire safety work, and recreation are shut down.
Read MoreThe State of Oregon adopted new standards that will allow for more prescribed fire. We need more prescribed fire to help restore forests degraded by past management and to prepare for climate change impacts. This is a step in the right direction.
Read MoreThe recent government shutdown does not apply to timber sales, but it does apply to fuels reduction and community protection projects on public land.
Read MoreOur plans are bold. We cover millions of acres of forests, wildlands, and rivers. This region is one of the most valued and treasured regions in all of the West because of its unique biodiversity. Alongside our partners like you, we promise to deliver results that benefit wild nature in the Klamath-Siskiyou. Read more about our plans for 2019.
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