Wild Northwest

Hiatus

wildnw — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 18:12:53 +0000

This site is on hold while the proprietor scrambles for work. Stay tuned for future postings.

Goodbye Clearcut, Hello Concrete

wildnw — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 17:17:24 +0000

Today’s Tacoma News Tribune details the sell-off of western Washington’s commercial forests for development.

WildNW Back Online

wildnw — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 16:33:08 +0000

WildNW has been out the last few days, making a spring pilgrimage to the rainforest, which lived up to billing. Highlights: a herd of thirty Roosevelt elk fording the Quinault River at dusk; a bald eagle serenading its mate from the treetops above my camp in the Hoh; snow and hail falling through the big trees during a Tuesday hike.

Olympic National Park might seem substantial on a map, but the original park boundaries were considerably more ambitious before Big Timber and elected officials colluded to make permanent incursions and adjustments to our heritage. A detailed history on the subject is Carsten Lien’s Olympic Battleground.

Spotted Owls Halt Logging

wildnw — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:20:23 +0000

From Medford, Oregon’s Mail Tribune: “More than 60 million board feet of timber already sold but not cut on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Medford District is on hold after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service withdrew its biological opinion authorizing logging in northern spotted owl habitat.”

This is one of the last areas where the BLM has been able to log old growth with near impunity. In 2004 Greenpeace set up its first U.S. “Forest Rescue Station” in the cutover forests high above the Rogue River to protest the Kelsey-Whisky sale and others like it in the Medford District. WildNW has lived in this region and has first-hand knowledge of the timber sales. Despite much talk of thinning, substantial groves of old growth were on the cutting block.

Hats off to George Sexton and the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center and the other environmental groups for keeping the feds honest.

Snake Dance

wildnw — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:37:55 +0000

Dems in Congress are gearing up for another hard look at the four lower Snake River dams. The Idaho Statesman has the details.

Try this mind game at home: Close your eyes and imagine the Snake River flowing free through four breached dams. Now imagine the seasonal water fluctuations, and the commensurate growth of willows, cottonwoods, and other riparian vegetation. Imagine the animals that repopulate this riverside habitat, the salmon and steelhead that push upstream through restored riffles and runs. Envision new trails and recreational areas, the increase in white water enthusiasts, hunters, and anglers. Think about what they bring to local economies.

I’ll gladly pay the extra few dollars in my utility bill.

Wolf Sighting in OR

wildnw — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:20:31 +0000

The Olympian ran a story yesterday about a probable wolf sighting in the Wenaha Wildlife Area near Troy, Oregon. Said a biologist with Oregon Fish and Wildlife: “We’re pretty sure it’s a wild wolf by the way it acted. Some of our guys saw it. When they came around a corner, it took off. The tracks were huge.”

Given a chance, it’s only a matter of time before wolves find their way from Idaho to Oregon. If you want to hear the howl of the wild, demand your state legislators plan for their return.

Pygmy Rabbits Get Boost

wildnw — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 16:15:28 +0000

NPR has a story today on efforts to captive breed rare Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits and reintroduce them to the wild. The rabbits’ shrub-steppe habitat in Central Washington has been largely converted to agriculture.

Urban Peregrines

wildnw — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:48:24 +0000

The Falcon Research Group has just posted its first blog update since last July. Peregrine falcons continue to colonize Seattle and surrounding areas. Last year there were six breeding pairs in and around the city, nesting on the skyscrapers and bridges that mimic their cliff habitats in the wild. Peregrines also nest in Tacoma and Portland. The breeding season is now underway, so keep a lookout for these speedy and graceful raptors.

“Extraordinary Progress”

wildnw — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:26:36 +0000

Today’s Seattle Times has an editorial on the recent steps forward for Washington State’s Wild Sky Wilderness and Elwha River dam removal.

Pendleton Wolf Roundup

wildnw — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 20:27:20 +0000

I missed this one yesterday. On Wednesday the 7th, U.S. Fish & Wildlife officials had a public meeting in this Oregon rodeo town to discuss possible federal wolf de-listing. If the governor of Idaho had his way, the 750 or so wolves in his state would be reduced to 100. This is bad news for Washington and Oregon. Wolf de-listing would make wolf recovery in the Northwest much more difficult. See The Oregonian for the full story.