THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS NOW PUT 50% OF ALL NATIONAL FOREST LANDS AT RISK

Details regarding the Trump Administration’s plans to weaken environmental regulations and increase the speed and scale of timber production on federally managed lands are beginning to take shape, and the situation is developing at an alarming rate. 

In a recent blog post, we discussed a number of recent executive orders that framed domestic energy and timber production as national security emergencies and directed agency officials to explore ways to circumvent environmental regulations to accelerate the pace and scale of timber and energy projects. In that blog, we noted that “…many of the aspects of these executive actions will include administrative processes that will create opportunities for CFC and the public to engage with and, eventually, litigate if necessary.”     

When reading and discussing implications from the executive orders internally, we noted that wildfire wasn’t addressed, and we were concerned that in the future, the threat of wildfire would be used as an unwarranted pretense to skirt environmental laws while simultaneously hindering the ability of organizations like CFC to effectively challenge these policy changes and actions. 

Unfortunately, that is exactly what we are beginning to see happening. 

Federal officials have now begun implementing changes and policies to comply with recent executive orders to increase domestic timber production. Brook Rollins, the new Secretary of Agriculture, who oversees the department housing the U.S. Forest Service, and Chris French, Acting Associate Chief of the Forest Service, set a goal to increase timber production by 25% and took actions that could dramatically limit the effectiveness of environmental regulations. 

Last week, Secretary Rollins issued an emergency declaration affecting approximately 50% of all national forest lands.

Rollins’s declaration relied on authority created by the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The emergency authorities created by the new law are intended to enable land managers to more quickly take actions to address issues like reducing wildland fire risk to communities, critical infrastructure, or key ecological values. However, we, and others, were concerned that these provisions could be interpreted and applied quite broadly, and although the IIJA limited the types of actions managers could take to address the emergency, it did not include limits regulating the size of the projects.

Of greater concern is that the memos also directly calls out other existing emergency authorities, which would allow for projects to be completed before going through environmental assessment, Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation, and tribal consultation, and encourage the use of emergency authorities as much as possible. For example, the memo issued by Chris French notes that the agency will be issuing guidance by mid-April on how to do the bare minimum to comply with environmental and historic preservation laws.

Taking all of these directives together, there is a real danger that the new declarations will be used to implement questionably justified, large-scale timber sales and similar projects with little oversight.

So what do these recent updates mean for our region? 

These recent actions by the Administration could result in the implementation of poorly planned projects before stakeholders can weigh in and concerned groups can litigate. There is clear potential for harm to our forests and wildlife created by these new directives, but it is still unclear exactly how individual national forests will develop and implement projects following the new direction from Washington, D.C. 

In other words, although the recent executive orders and the actions we’re beginning to see agency officials take in response are serious threats to the long-term health of our national forests, we are still unable to say for certain what the local impacts may be. We expect the forthcoming guidance from those leading the Forest Service to project planners will be useful in determining what these directives will actually mean at the local level. 

CFC and our partners are monitoring these developments closely and are gearing up to fight back and stand up for forests, watersheds, wildlife, and communities. The onslaught of attacks being levied against environmental regulations is complex and developing rapidly. We will continue to analyze what is happening and try to clearly explain what these actions mean for the places we treasure and fight to protect. To stay up to date and receive alerts when there are opportunities to fight back, sign up for our email list. Once signed up, you’ll receive updates in our monthly newsletter, action alerts that empower you to speak out and make a difference, and learn about events, volunteer opportunities, and other steps you can take to make local ecosystems healthier and more resilient. 

WHAT DO THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS MEAN FOR OUR REGION?

Over the past months, the Trump Administration has issued a number of executive orders that have alarmed conservationists across the country and the Pacific Northwest in particular. The speed and volume of these orders have left many unsure of what their impacts will be and what can be done to ensure that communities, wildlife, and ecosystems in our region are protected.

To help answer these questions, CFC’s Communications Manager, Bryn Gray Harding, sat down with CFC’s Policy Manager, lawyer and environmental law and policy expert, Ashley Short, for a discussion about these orders and what they mean for the places CFC is working to protect. 

A transcript of that conversation, edited for length and clarity, is below.

 

Bryn Gray Harding

There have been a number of executive orders issued by the Trump Administration recently aimed at changing the way public resources are used, specifically related to increasing energy and timber production. Looking at these orders as a whole, what is the administration trying to accomplish? 

Ashley Short

There have been several Executive Orders aimed at increasing domestic energy production at all phases, and then other orders aimed at increasing timber production. These actions are largely focused on increasing domestic output and reducing reliance on imports, in part by speeding up how quickly projects happen. These orders direct agencies to use existing emergency authorities in potentially questionable ways and frame timber and energy production in terms of national security. Some timber and energy projects take a long time to get permitted from start to finish because agencies have to comply with current environmental laws. We would say that that’s a good thing. It helps make fine-tuned projects that don’t cause undue harm for species and ecosystems. Speaking very broadly, the administration is trying to speed up timelines for projects on federally managed land through these orders.

BGH

Do these orders create a threat of immediate changes to logging and mining processes in the places we’re seeking to protect? How are these actions actually going to impact conditions on the ground? 

AS

I don’t think we’re going to see things like old-growth logging on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest directly resulting from these executive orders for a number of reasons. The timber executive orders, in particular, are really just focused on streamlining how fast projects get done using existing authorities. Are there things in there that are concerning? Yes. Are there things we will monitor closely? Absolutely. However, many of the aspects of these executive actions will include administrative processes that will create opportunities for CFC and the public to engage with and, eventually, litigate if necessary.

BGH

What are the things that you’re concerned about?

AS

There are a number of things. For example, in one of the orders about timber, there is a note about allowing agencies to determine on their own, without meaningful oversight, whether they are complying with the Endangered Species Act. So, for example, if that authority to determine compliance was given to the Forest Service, the Forest Service would be deciding whether or not there projects are complying with the Endangered Species Act instead of another agency, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, looking over the Forest Service’s plans and determining whether or not they’re complying with the ESA. So, that could be concerning.

But even on that issue, we’re in a “wait and see” space. The Executive Order doesn’t mandate that that change happen; it directs agencies to explore opportunities to determine if it can happen. It’s not something that’s immediately happening. These orders are kicking off many processes to investigate and change rules, and we will have opportunities to be engaged in that.

The one thing that poses a more immediate threat is that copper is now listed as a critical mineral, which might increase the urgency regarding our efforts to protect Mount St. Helens from a gold, copper, and molybdenum mine. But again, we’re waiting to see how these changes around domestic mineral production are going to be implemented.

BGH

A lot of the text of these orders seems to suggest or imply that decision-making agencies should find ways to circumvent things like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Should we expect to no longer be able to rely on these laws to protect our shared natural resources?

AS

So yes, the orders are trying to minimize the effectiveness of laws like the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. However, a lot of what these orders are doing is about using existing emergency authorities or invoking national security to speed processes up. In a lot of these cases, these emergency authorities are defined by law or have some sort of limitations on them. So, you can challenge whether using emergency authorities to avoid environmental reviews is justified or not in court. Invoking emergency authority isn’t a way for the administration to do whatever they want without any process at all.   

BGH

Are there things that CFC is doing right now or that our supporters can be doing to help push back against some of these actions?

AS

That’s a good question. At the moment, we are primarily watching to see what will actually happen. Many of the processes agencies are being ordered to begin have tight timelines. For example, some are directing agencies to develop these recommendations within the next 10 or 30 days. I believe that in the coming months, we will start to see many of these processes begin, and we must be prepared to articulate why these are poor ideas and what we stand for. 

When the time is right, we will create opportunities for our supporters to take action and make their voices heard!  Grassroots public engagement will be essential. Right now, we are closely monitoring the situation and working with coalitions of like-minded environmental groups to have strength in solidarity. Things are changing daily, all of which is impacted by the significant number of federal workers who were fired or in the process of losing their job. It’s still uncertain how quickly or slowly these changes or potential changes will occur. In short, we need to stay on top of everything, and we need to be ready to act when the time is right. 

BGH

Is there anything else that you think would be important for CFC supporters to know or to understand or information that would be helpful when they see a post or headlines about these orders?

AS

Yeah, at least from a local perspective, I think it’s key to understand how important the forest collaboratives* are and will be over the next four years. Our local Forest Service is invested and engaged in those spaces, and we’re hopeful that continuing to engage locally on specific projects and building on those existing and strong relationships will lead to outcomes that CFC and our supporters can support or at least live with. 

I think staying locally focused and being engaged with our local Forest Service staff is a good way to help protect the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the long-term. We also intend to continue supporting individual civil servants who are being asked to do more with fewer resources, less capacity, and evaporating job security. Yes, it’s quite chaotic at the top, but we and our forest collaborative partners can ensure that decision-making doesn’t veer too far in the wrong direction, at least locally. And if there are pressures from above that mandate poor practices, then we will stand up as the watchdog we are, to hold them accountable, even if that means litigation. I think this is expected of us internally and externally. When and if this time comes, we’ll need strong backing from our supporters then too. 

* Forest Collaboratives are organizations that exist to create dialogue among federal agencies, Tribal governments, conservationists, the timber industry, other local governments, local businesses, and rural community members about land management projects like timber sales and restoration initiatives. Forest Collaboratives allow groups and individuals holding diverse perspectives and priorities to hear about and weigh in on projects from the earliest stages of planning processes. They help these various interests work together to create zones of agreement and to identify and address disagreements or concerns. By supporting these collaboratives and taking their recommendations seriously, agencies like the U.S. Forest Service can often address concerns about upcoming projects before plans are finalized, helping avoid unnecessary conflicts or litigation. CFC is a founding member and active participant of two forest collaboratives that help guide land management decisions in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

READ OUR OFFICIAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN AMENDMENT

Cascade Forest Conservancy has submitted official comments responding to the Northwest Forest Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Thank you to all who joined CFC in speaking out for enhanced protections for mature and old-growth forests and more Tribal co-management with federal agencies.

You can read CFC’s comments here.

 

ACTION ALERT: STOP THE DABBLER TIMBER SALE

In the northeastern corner of Clark County, southwest of Yale Lake between Canyon and Siouxon Creeks, 135 acres of structurally complex, naturally regenerated, and beautiful mature forests stands approaching old-growth status are about to be lost forever unless urgent action is taken now.
Washington residents, especially residents of Clark County, can help make a difference by asking our new Commissioner of Public Lands, Dave Upthegrove, to do all he can to honor the request of Clark County Council and residents to reverse the Dabbler timber sale.

 

Photos courtesy of Legacy Forest Defense Coalition

 

On January 15th, Clark County’s Councilors sent a formal request to Washington’s new Public Lands Commissioner, Dave Upthegrove, asking him to postpone harvest of the Dabbler timber sale and create a framework for conserving older forests throughout the county.

In their request, the Clark County Council, the beneficiary of funds provided by the sale, wrote: 

“Clark County sits at the western foothills of the Cascades near the area impacted by the 1902 Yacolt Burn and contains very few remaining legacy forest resources. The proposed Dabbler sale area contains structurally complex naturally regenerated forest that are approaching old growth and therefore highly valued by our community. Not only do these remnants of our original forests provide wildlife habitat, promote watershed health, and mitigate climate impacts, but they provide public recreation and economic opportunities beyond the dollars generated through harvest alone.”

State decision-makers ignored the County Council’s request and sold the sale at auction on January 30. We’re now asking the new Public Lands Commissioner to do everything he can to undo the sale and protect these forests.

 

Here is how you can help:

Send an email to Washington Commissioner of Public Lands, Dave Upthegrove (cpl@dnr.wa.gov) asking that he do everything in his power to respect the wishes of the Clark County Council and residents by stopping the Dabbler Timber sale.

 

Below are talking points to get you started:

  • I am disappointed that the state’s Board of Natural Resources did not honor Clark County’s request to postpone the harvest of the Dabbler sale. Clark County is the financial beneficiary of the sale and their wishes should be respected.

  • Healthy mature and old-growth forests are critical to conserving Washington’s wildlife, slowing the acceleration of climate change, and mitigating climate change impacts. Once these forests are gone, they will take hundreds of years to recover, if they ever do.

  • Although the Dabbler Timber sale was initially approved prior to the start of your term, I am asking you to do anything and everything within your authority to halt the harvest of these rare and beautiful stands of legacy forests before it’s too late.

 

Questions? Contact CFC’s Policy Manager, Ashley Short, by emailing ashley@cascadeforest.org

PROJECT UPDATE: AQUATIC RESTORATION AT CAMP CREEK

Below its picturesque and much-loved falls (accessible following a quick hike from a parking area along Forest Road 23), Camp Creek flows through a grove of beautiful mature, conifer forest before joining the Cispus River.

Camp Creek is spawning habitat for coho salmon and steelhead, as well as rearing habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon. But like many waterways in the Pacific Northwest, Camp Creek was (until recently) degraded and lacked many of the habitat features that fish depend on.

 

Prior to recent restoration efforts, Camp Creek was heavily channelized and lacked complexity.

 

Because of factors like a lack of instream wood, Camp Creek had become heavily channelized. Rather than spreading out across the landscape into a complex series of pools and side channels, the stream was flowing quickly in one direction, stripping away much of the gravel and sediment spawning fish depend on. 

But last summer, CFC oversaw a large aquatic habitat restoration project that is already having significant positive impacts. We installed more than 300 large logs to help Camp Creek re-engage its side channels and add habitat complexity. Because of the positive relationships we’ve built with the Forest Service and other organizations, we were able to complete this work for a fraction of what a project of this scale would typically cost.

 

CFC worked with local contractors to place more than 300 large pieces of wood into Camp Creek.

 

During a visit to the site in January, we saw indications that our restoration efforts were having the intended effects. Camp Creek’s side channels were flowing once again. We observed many new pools and other beneficial habitat features that are known to support spawning and maturing salmon and steelhead. We even observed evidence of recently spawning fish and feeding eagles! 

 

In-stream wood at Camp Creek is re-engaging side channels and improving habitat for salmon and steelhead

 

Our work at Camp Creek is complementing other nearby aquatic restoration work—such as a multi-year aquatic restoration project happening nearby at the confluence of the Cispus River and Yellowjacket Creek—making this entire segment of the watershed better for fish and wildlife.

 

A spawning Chinook salmon

 

As climate change continues to alter seasonal precipitation and flow patterns and warm water temperatures in streams across the region, projects like this will be essential to conserving local species and ecosystems.

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON NO LONGER HAS A WOLF PACK

In the Spring of 2023, we shared some exciting news: wolves had finally returned to southwest Washington after a century of absence. The state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed that a male, WA109M, and an adult female had been seen traveling together in winter (meeting the state’s definition for a pack) in a sparsely populated area along the southeastern border of the Yakama Reservation. 

 

WA109M, photographed by a trail camera in 2021. WDFW

 

Sadly, the Big Muddy Pack, named for the Big Muddy River, is no more. 

Beginning in October 2023, monthly WDFW monitoring reports began to note that agency officials were unable to locate the pack’s female. Months later, the Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2023 Annual Report, released April 2024, confirmed what some had feared: southwest Washington no longer had a wolf pack. Then this October, WDFW, along with the US Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that both members of the pack have been illegally killed and are offering a $10,000 reward for information related to the death of either animal. 

The protected status of gray wolves, both federally and at the state level, is contentious. Here in Washington, a species recovery plan adopted in 2011 divided the state into three regions; Eastern Washington (where the majority of the state’s wolf population reside), Northern Cascades, and Southern Cascades and Northwest Coast. The state’s recovery plan calls for the presence of two breeding packs in each of the three regions for three consecutive years prior to delisting. So far, that condition has not been met. There are currently 33 confirmed packs in the Eastern Washington and Northern Cascades.  

 

Wolf pack territories as of 2023. WDFW

 

Washington’s overall wolf population is on the rise, despite the loss of the Big Muddy Pack and the enduring absence of wolves in the South Cascades and Northwest Coast recovery region. The state’s latest report shows wolf numbers are up 20% since the previous count in 2022, which, this February, led WDFW to formally recommend that the state reclassify wolves from “endangered” to “sensitive.” So far, no changes to wolves’ protected status has been made.

Wolves are a keystone species and their presence can lead to a cascade of positive ecological impacts in the areas they occupy. The loss of the Big Muddy Pack is a setback for the species’ recovery in southwest Washington, but it’s not the end of the story. As the population of wolves in other parts of the state grows (provided adequate protections remain in place) it is all but inevitable that other wolves will travel south and west, seeking territories of their own. The deaths of WA109M and his mate, as well as the ongoing efforts to delist the species, illustrate that the strong feelings people and policymakers have about the presence of wolves will shape their future and that their protected status is far from settled. 

IT’S HUCKLEBERRY SEASON!

I, like many of us, am a proud huckleberry fanatic, so it’s no surprise that huckleberry season (late July through September) is my favorite time of year to be in the forest.

I love huckleberries. If a huckleberry milkshake is on a menu, I’m ordering it. Did I want a milkshake when I came in? Doesn’t matter. Huckleberry lotion? Slather it on. Huckleberry pie? Huckleberry soda? Huckleberry candies? Absolutely! Huckleberry patch along a hiking trail? There goes my schedule for the day. 

To celebrate the huckleberry season and the ongoing efforts of Cascade Forest Conservancy’s staff and volunteers to monitor the efficacy of huckleberry patch restoration efforts, please enjoy these delicious huckleberry facts!

 

1. Huckleberries have been a culturally significant food source since time immemorial

 

Huckleberries are considered a sacred and culturally significant “first food” among many Indigenous communities in the West, including the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. Indigenous communities maintained and enhanced huckleberry fields for centuries by using fire and other techniques to create optimal growing conditions for plentiful berry harvests. A number of adaptations, including fire-resistant foliage, make huckleberry plants resilient to low-intensity fires. Regular burns can even benefit berry production by eliminating competition from less fire-resistant species and allowing more light to reach the forest understory.

Today, huckleberry production is well below the historic estimates we are able to make based on anecdotal observations from Tribes, forest inventory data and historical photos (aerial and other). This is true in forests across the region and at a number of specific, historically important berry patches like the Sawtooth Berry Fields within the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This decrease is mainly due to fire suppression and the resulting conifer encroachment and increased competition from other shrubs.

 

An Indigenous woman drying huckleberries in southwest Washington, 1937

 

In the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service is working to restore several huckleberry patches through targeted thinning activities meant to help recreate the growing conditions that existed before the suppression of forest fires and the forced removal of native peoples from their lands. 

Cascade Forest Conservancy and our science and stewardship volunteers have been working over the course of several years to assess the impact of these efforts through ongoing monitoring of berry production in the project area. 

 

2. Huckleberries are an economically important forest product

There are efforts underway attempting to produce commercially viable domesticated huckleberries or crossbreed huckleberries with domestic blueberries. However, at this point in time, every huckleberry you have ever eaten or consumed has come from a wild plant somewhere in the forest.

Commercial harvest permits in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest allow individuals to pick up to 75 pounds of berries each harvest season. Depending on the location, year, and whether a picker is selling to a wholesaler or directly to consumers, huckleberries harvested in the forest can fetch local pickers anywhere between $11 to $50 per pound. 

 

3. Huckleberries are exceptionally delicious and nutritious

The twelve species of huckleberries that grow in the Gifford Pinchot National Forests are not true huckleberries, but are in fact native blueberries belonging to the genus Vaccinium. True huckleberries are native to the eastern US and belong to the genus Gaylussacia.

Whatever we call them, huckleberries are exceptionally delicious and nutritious. For example, western huckleberries pack in four times the amount of the beneficial antioxidant anthocyanin than commercially produced varieties of blueberries. Compared to their domesticated blueberry cousins, wild huckleberries have a darker color and a deeper, more intense flavor.

 

The nutrition provided by huckleberries benefits the health of both human and non-human species. The fruits provide important forage for birds, bears, and many other species of native wildlife.

 

4. Huckleberry cobbler will change your life

While science has not empirically proved it (yet), among us huckleberry fanatics, it is a widely accepted fact that huckleberry cobbler is the most delicious thing a person can eat. 

Obtain a free personal use huckleberry picking permit to get everything you need for your life-changing cobbler here. Non-commercial huckleberry permits allow each permit holder to collect one gallon of berries per day, and up to three gallons of berries per year. Ask a ranger where the berries are ripe, and make sure to pay attention to restrictions indicating where you can and can’t pick. 

NEWS RELEASE: Forest Service moves forward with timber sale in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest over objections of conservation groups

Vancouver, WA — on May 28, the US Forest Service released its final decision about the upcoming Yellowjacket timber sale. The decision came over the objections of concerned conservation groups, who say the agency’s plans do not adequately protect critical habitats and mature stands, and that the cumulative impacts of concentrated timber harvests on the area’s watersheds were not sufficiently considered by Forest Service planners.

The Yellowjacket sale will occur on national forest lands in Lewis and Skamania counties east of Mount St. Helens in the Camp Creek-Cispus River and Yellowjacket Creek watersheds. The sale includes a total of 4,651 acres of timber harvest, in addition to various infrastructure and habitat improvement activities.

Molly Whitney, Executive Director of the Vancouver-based Cascade Forest Conservancy, said in an email to the group’s supporters, “[o]ur national forests are on the frontline of climate change. These places contain the vast majority of our region’s remaining old-growth and mature forests; a resource that belongs to all of us. The science is clear. Protecting old-growth and mature forests in the Pacific Northwest is critical to slowing climate change and creating resilience to climate impacts for our local communities, ecosystems, and wildlife. It is imperative that we work to protect these forests and enhance connectivity, but in many ways, the decision released by the Forest Service fails to do that.”

 

 

The Yellowjacket timber units are primarily composed of forests dominated by Douglas fir, western hemlock, and silver fir. These forests are located west of the Cascade crest, an area with abundant annual precipitation and a relatively low risk of wildfires.

Whitney says that one of the problems with the Yellowjacket sale is the intensity of the logging, pointing out the agency’s use of a controversial practice known as regeneration harvests, which materials published by the Forest Service say are designed to create more of the young forest habitat preferred by deer and elk by removing up to 90% of an area’s existing canopy cover. Whitney says that regeneration harvests are essentially clear-cuts and that more young forest habitats are already being created by wildfire, drought, root disease, and insect outbreaks. 

“The Forest Service has acknowledged that protecting mature and old-growth forests is one of the simplest things it can do to combat climate change,” said Ryan Talbott, Pacific Northwest Conservation Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Yet the agency continues to approve sales like Yellowjacket that target the very forests that it knows should be left standing. And keeping mature and old-growth forests intact not only benefits our climate but protects watersheds and wildlife habitat.”

 

 

“We used every tool available to us to change the outcome of this decision,” said Ashley Short, Cascade Forest Conservancy’s Policy Manager, and that her organization had been discussing concerns and areas of agreement about the sale with agency officials and the timber industry for years. “We submitted official comments, collected data about stands out in the field, raised issues, and filed objections.” Short says some of her group’s concerns were heard and incorporated into the final plan, but that many of the issues raised, including concerns about the cumulative effects on watersheds of harvest concentrated near waterways, were ignored.

The Yellowjacket timber sale is happening during a time of major transition in how national forest lands are managed. Since taking office, the Biden Administration has been taking steps to rethink how public lands are managed, including executive orders focused on protecting mature and old-growth forests, the formation of a federal committee to formulate recommendations for an update to the Northwest Forest Plan, and the Infrastructure Bill which directs significant funding to climate-related programs.

Short says that while the Administration is trying to take steps to protect old-growth and mature forests, “the changes aren’t making it down to on-the-ground decision-making yet, and that will have consequences for years to come.”    

NEWS RELEASE: CFC Objects to Upcoming Timber Sale In Gifford Pinchot National Forest

NEWS RELEASE | March 25, 2024

Vancouver, WA – Cascade Forest Conservancy, a Vancouver-based conservation nonprofit, is objecting to plans for the upcoming Yellowjacket timber sale, which will occur on national forest lands in Lewis and Skamania counties east of Mount St. Helens in the Camp Creek-Cispus River and Yellowjacket Creek watersheds. The conservation group says that the Forest Service provided inadequate analysis about certain aspects of the project, which they argue could result in harm to sensitive species and waterways in the forest. Plans for the proposed project include a total of 4,651 acres of timber harvest in addition to other infrastructure and habitat improvement activities. 

Ashley Short, Cascade Forest Conservancy’s Policy Manager, said the Forest Service’s analysis of the timber sale’s impacts on waterways was conducted at a level that was too broad. “Analysis this broad hides what’s really going on at the various places affected by a project like this and ignores what could happen to specific waterways and sensitive species if Cascade Forest Conservancy didn’t speak up,” she said, adding that failing to object could contribute to a bad precedent regarding the level of analysis the agency applies to future projects.

Cascade Forest Conservancy’s objection, authored by Short and filed on Friday, March 22, argued that the agency’s plans for the timber sale failed to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires federal agencies to provide site-specific analysis for impacts resulting from actions taken on public land, but “instead rolled site-specific impacts into a larger watershed, diluting the true impacts of the project.”

According to Short, the Forest Service may choose to allow certain impacts to result from timber sales, but are obligated to study those impacts and present their analysis to the public for comment and engagement first.

Molly Whitney, Cascade Forest Conservancy’s Executive Director, says the conservation group has a positive working relationship with the Forest Service and expressed optimism that the concerns raised in her organization’s objection would be resolved without the need for litigation. Parties who object to timber sales discuss their concerns at an objection mediation meeting with the Forest Service. 

“In this instance, the Forest Service failed to provide adequate site-specific analysis relating to the impacts of logging activities near several important streams. There is reason to believe that some of the streams located near timber stands where the agency is planning high-intensity harvest activities contain rare and sensitive species, like the Cascade torrent salamanders. We want the agency to provide the site-specific analysis required by law and that is needed to fully understand and address the impacts of this sale on places like Pinto and Stepladder Creek.” Said Whitney. “We want to see a specific analysis of how sedimentation from timber harvest activities will impact these waterways and the species depending on them. And we are asking the agency to address any site-specific negative impacts they find by reducing the intensity of timber harvest in certain areas.”

 

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HISTORIC NEW PROTECTIONS FOR THE GREEN RIVER

On December 18, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) announced new rules designating portions of three waterways, the Cascade River, Napeequa River, and Skamania County’s Green River, as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs). The new designations are the end result of a multi-year effort by several organizations, including Cascade Forest Conservancy, to safeguard some of Washington’s most exceptional waters.

Under federal law, individual states are directed to designate waterways of exceptional ecological and recreational value as ORWs. These designations provide a high level of federal protection under the Clean Water Act of 1972, but until now, Washington had never used this tool.

The Green River’s new protections are well-deserved. The upper reaches of this waterway flow from the foothills of Mount St. Helens. This section of the river is beloved by recreationists of all kinds, including hikers, mountain bikers, backcountry horseback riders, hunters, anglers, botanizers, foragers, and many others. The river also has unique ecological significance due to its role as a gene bank for wild steelhead—an area set aside for wild fish populations to protect genetic diversity and ultimately the long-term health and survival of the species.

“Protecting Washington’s pristine waters benefits all Washingtonians and is critical for the state’s salmon and steelhead,” said Molly Whitney, Cascade Forest Conservancy’s Executive Director. The Tier III A classification assigned to the Green River means that new forms of pollution along the designated portions are prohibited.

 

 

Securing these designations would not have been possible without the help of concerned citizens, including many CFC supporters! After attending an event supporting the new rule held at the beginning of September, Tara Easter submitted written comments and attended an in-person hearing in Kalama, WA. 

“I felt it was important to show my support for these designations as a Washington resident concerned with the health and resilience of our freshwater ecosystems,” she explained.

The passion and advocacy of our community was a significant help in our efforts to see these new protections enacted. Thank you to everyone who submitted comments or otherwise supported this effort!

 

Thanks to the supporters who came out in support of Washington’s first ORW designations

 

In addition to added protections for the ecosystems and wildlife of the Green River, this designation is particularly helpful towards our long-term efforts to defend the surrounding area against the threat of mining. While these new protections do not explicitly prevent mining in this area, they will make it more difficult and costly to develop a mine here. In this way, the designation of the Green River as an ORW directly compliments our ongoing work with the Green River Valley Alliance to secure permanent protections for the area through a legislative mineral withdrawal.

We are thrilled Ecology has recognized the unique values of the waterways that have become Washington’s first ORWs—especially of the Green. Keep an eye out for an in-person celebration of these designations in the new year as we mark a successful end of this multi-year, collaborative effort.