July 31, 2020

In 2018, Cascade Forest Conservancy partnered with Cowlitz Indian Tribe to reintroduce beavers to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest for the first time since the 1930s.

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of these animals to the health of the forest. In his award-winning book, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, Ben Goldfarb describes the fur trade that eradicated beaver populations as an ecological and social disaster on par with the destruction of the bison herds of the Great Plains.

Beavers are a keystone species–dam-building, wetland restoring, water-storing, habitat engineers. The weight of their ponds push water deep into the ground, refilling aquifers and allowing water to be in the system even during dry summers. The slack waters and ponds beavers create help filter pollutants out of water systems, dissipate floods, disrupt the spread of fires, and create habitat that greatly benefits other species. In some parts of the West, wetlands cover 2% of the total land area but contain 80% of an ecosystem’s biodiversity. As the effects of climate change accelerate, the benefits beavers bring to the landscape are more important than ever.

So far, this project has been a success, and it’s still going strong!

 

We’re expanding the project and releasing even more animals this year. Here is the latest.

Our Program Director, Shiloh Halsey, and Science and Stewardship Manager, Amanda Keasberry are now permitted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to house and relocate beavers in multiple SW Washington counties. In July, we completed building our new beaver housing facility on land belonging to a generous supporter. Trapped beavers must be kept in housing facilities where we monitor their health and collect data before release.

We’re thrilled to be expanding the capacity of this program. We plan to release 3-4 beaver families this fall–families of beavers are made of between two to six animals.

This year, the project will benefit from an additional partnership. Researchers from Washington State University Vancouver are working on a new way to track beavers and understand their impacts, one that uses environmental DNA taken from water samples. The researchers will be working with the beavers who pass through our new facility and tracking them post-release. The new technique they are developing could be key to monitoring wild and reintroduced beaver populations without having to physically track down individual animals.

June 3rd, 2020

Here at the Cascade Forest Conservancy, we work every day to protect the places and people of southern Washington’s Cascades. Some may wonder why an environmental organization should take a stand on an issue some would consider beyond the scope of our mission. We don’t see it that way. Our efforts are regional, but our vision, one in which human communities exist in harmony and peace with the thriving natural world, is global. Racism and racist violence are antithetical to that goal. Environmental wellbeing is not possible apart from social and racial justice.

The protests that have spread across our nation are not solely about the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police officers. We are still mourning the death of Emmett Till. Of Tamir Rice. Of Sandra Bland. Of Trevon Martin, and countless other precious lives. We are still mourning the historical looting and land theft of the indigenous peoples of our region, and the continuing discrimination and injustice these communities face today.

A majority of our staff benefit from white privilege, as do many other leaders within the environmentalist movement. Historically, conservationists have not been vocal leaders in the long fight for social and racial justice in this country. We can no longer bear to remain in the silence our privilege affords.

At CFC, we are committed to listening, and speaking up when we see injustice–whether that be environmental policies that endanger the health and safety of marginalized communities, unequal opportunities to safely enjoy the benefits wild places provide, unjust laws, or police brutality.

We ask that you join us. Listen to and amplify the voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and POC perspectives. Research intersectional environmentalism. Read about the history of Vanport. Educate yourself about the history of indigenous peoples in our region (Vine Deloria Jr.’s Indians of the Pacific Northwest is an excellent place to start) and continue to fight for a world that is sustainable, whole, and where black lives matter.

May 22 2020

If you’re anything like us, you can’t wait to get back out on the trail this summer. It was recently announced that after COVID-19 closures, most of the day-use trails and recreation areas in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest have reopened. As glad as that news makes us, the situation is far from back to normal. Here’s what you need to know before hiking in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest during the pandemic:

Check ahead of time to confirm that the area you plan to visit is open. You can find information on current trail openings and closures at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest’s website here. 

Site facilities may still be closed. Just because the trailhead is open, does not necessarily mean the site’s facilities are. Vault bathrooms may be open, but the Forest Service will not be maintaining them as usual because employees don’t currently have the PPE to do so safely. There is no guarantee that open facilities are COVID free. Take precautions for your own safety and the safety of others. Plan (and pack) accordingly.

Avoid crowded areas. If you get to a trailhead and the parking lot is full, don’t hike there. Period. The trail will be too crowded to safely practice social distancing. Plus, if you park on the side of the road, you could be towed, and who wants to end a day in the woods trying to hitch a ride to an impound lot? Not us. Probably not you either. Have a plan B (maybe even a plan C) before you head out.

DO NOT visit stores in rural communities. Can’t stress this one enough: unless you’re a local resident, don’t stop into stores in rural communities. Plan ahead and bring everything you’ll need with you. Don’t risk exposing people in rural communities to the virus because you didn’t bring enough water or snacks.

Campgrounds are still closed, but dispersed camping is allowed. Campgrounds currently remain closed and the GPNF is working to open them with safety as the number one priority.  If you choose to disperse camp, please take all of your trash home and dispose of human waste properly.

These are strange times, so be safe out there. If a hiker or other recreational user gets into trouble, response times will likely be longer since local emergency responders (many of whom are volunteers) are also under the Executive Order unless necessary or exempted. Emergency responders are also focusing on keeping their local communities safe. So remember, always pack the 10 essentials. Bring more food and water than you think you need. Bring basic first aid, supportive footwear, and rain-gear, no matter what the weather forecast says. Tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.

We’ll see you (from a safe distance) on the trail!

By Michal Orczyk  |  Development Director

April 22, 2020

Today is Earth Day, and it’s a special one: today we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of this historic moment in American history, which has now become a global phenomenon. Many people know about Earth Day, but those who weren’t around in 1970 might not know its origins. It is an amazing story that shows how grassroots activism, as well as courageous political leaders (sorely lacking in our day) can make sweeping changes in our world.

In American government and society, some initial discourse about human impacts on the environment began in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Writers like John Muir popularized a romantic vision of nature and wilderness, and how human values were sometimes in conflict with nature. National parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite were established in 1872 and 1890 respectively, and the idea of wilderness as a valuable part of the American landscape began to be appreciated (though indigenous people understood this long before). However, it wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that scientists, naturalists and activists started to raise considerable alarm over the impacts of human industry on wildlife, landscapes, and our own health. Concepts like air and water pollution, biodiversity, and climate change began to take hold. One watershed moment was the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, which sold over 500,000 copies in 24 countries.

In the late 1960s Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson was inspired by the student environmental movement, and announced the idea for a teach-in on college campuses to the national media. He also persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican congressman, to serve as his co-chair. They chose April 22, a weekday falling between Spring Break and final exams, to maximize the greatest student participation. 

Dennis Hayes, a young activist and the organizer of this teach-in, realized the potential for this event to gain traction, and turned it into a national campaign that quickly drew massive media attention. Soon there were events planned in towns and universities across the United States. Nearly 20 million Americans took part! A high school senior in Portland convinced Oregon Governor, Tom McCall, to deliver a speech to an audience at his school, Fremont Junior High School (today Parkrose Middle School).

(Oregon Governor Tom McCall speaking at an Earth Day event in 1970. Source: Oregon Historical Society)

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders. By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act,  the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act.  Two years later Congress passed the Clean Water Act.  A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and soon after, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. These laws have protected millions of men, women and children from disease and death and have protected hundreds of species from extinction. (Source: https://www.earthday.org/history/)

CFC had big plans for Earth Day 2020, and due to COVID-19 we have to change some of those. However, we’d like to thank the organizers of Earth Day Oregon for bringing together hundreds of Oregon businesses and nonprofits to share a message – we must protect our home, our planet, from our own reckless behavior. Check out https://earthdayor.org/ to learn more about this wonderful state-wide campaign. Special thanks to our Earth Day Oregon 2020 business partners:

Chinook Book

Aesthete Tea

Jam on Hawthorne

Falling Sky Brewing

Oregon Data

By Amanda Keasberry  |  Science and Stewardship Manager

April 17, 2020

 

 

April is Citizen Science Month and you can still be involved! Our Science and Stewardship Manager, Amanda, delivers a message about the importance of understanding the life-cycle events of plants (phenology) and how you can help climate science researchers collect data by observing plants in your backyard or neighborhood.

By Amanda Keasberry  |  Science and Stewardship Manager

April 16, 2020

Many of our important stewardship and restoration projects rely on the generosity of volunteer citizen scientists who join us in the forests of Washington’s south Cascades. April is Citizen Science Month, and I recently began to wonder more about the origins of citizen science, and why it’s become so popular today. So here is a quick dive into the fascinating history of citizen science!

“In citizen science, the public participates voluntarily in the scientific process, addressing real-world problems in ways that may include formulating research questions, conducting scientific experiments, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, making new discoveries, developing technologies and applications, and solving complex problems” (citizenscience.gov). 

The first mention of ‘citizen scientist’ appeared in a 1979 New Scientist article by James Oberg. Oberg wrote about his skepticism that ufology, the study of unidentified flying objects, could be called science and argued that those who studied this “science” were “crackpots and cranks,” whom he later referred to as “citizen scientists.” The first mention of the term was drenched in sarcasm, but nonetheless, those were people of the general public making new discoveries (people just might not agree on what those discoveries actually were…). The term ‘citizen scientist’ was not seen again in writing until 1989 when it was officially used by the Audubon Society to describe a group of 225 volunteers who helped collect rain samples to assist with an acid-rain awareness campaign. 

But long before the term ‘citizen science’ was ever used, there were many amateur and non-professional scientists who volunteered their time to further scientific understanding and exploration. Some of these amateurs are now considered some of the most renowned scientists of all time, like René Descartes, Charles Darwin, and Issac Newton. All of them began as independent, amateur scientists who were initially headed down a different career path. But their intrigue for science led them to discoveries of fundamental scientific concepts and theories which continue to shape our understanding of our world to this day. By the 20th century, science was mostly taken over by professional scientists and researchers who obtained funding through universities and governmental agencies. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the bureaucracy of science research was being brought into question, and the revival of the amateur scientist was being advocated for.

By the 1990s, the use of ‘citizen science’ began to take off and there was an increase in the number of citizen projects, the variety of projects, and the size and scope of projects. Volunteers were being used across all fields and disciplines–making important contributions everywhere from astronomy to oceanography and everything in between. Today the number of citizen science participants have grown even more thanks to technological advancements. Advances like the internet and the creation of mobile smartphones have not only made information easier to obtain, but have created new ways for researchers to engage with large groups of people. For scientists who rely on data collected from the field, smartphones and their connectivity to the internet and their internal global positioning systems have greatly increased the ease of collecting data anywhere in the world. Volunteers are making huge contributions to our knowledge, whether gathering data from their own backyards or in the most remote places of the forest. 

CFC has greatly benefited from being able to use smartphones and tablets when out in the field to collect geospatially-referenced data that we can easily share with our partners and the community. Using smartphones or tablets also allows for a uniform way to collect data. We tend toward simplicity in survey design and clarity in the data collection process to ensure quality and consistent data is collected. The quality of data collected by citizen scientists often raises concern among researchers. Some researchers discredit citizen science work, while others believe volunteers can collect comparable data to that of professional scientists. CFC believes there is a huge benefit to public involvement in science and restoration projects and that, in addition, it helps build support from the community for important restoration and conservation work. Citizen science has been an integral part of many of our projects like huckleberry monitoring, beaver habitat site assessments, and the wildlife camera surveys. 

We could not gather as much data without the help of citizen scientists, and I know this is the case for other organizations, agencies, and researchers.

Most citizen science projects, including ours, are put on hold right now. But there are actually plenty of citizen science opportunities that you can participate in from the comfort of your home. I will be posting a tutorial for a fun project related to climate change that you can participate in right in your backyard or neighborhood. By participating in this project, you will provide researchers with a more robust dataset which will help them to answer some of the unknowns about climate change. Stay tuned for the video on Friday!

Part two of our quarantine reading list features submissions from Suzanne Whitney and Lucy Brookham. We hope these great reads inspire, intrigue and entertain you as we work together to flatten the curve. Stay safe everyone, we’re in this together.

– The CFC Team

 

SUZANNE WHITNEY  Science and Restoration Manager

 

Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World

by Mark Kurlansky 

This is a fascinating and accessible book that explores the intersections among ecology, human history, food, and conservation. The global impact of this one species is amazing! If it leaves you wanting more, follow up with Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenberg.

 
 

Northwest Trees: Identifying and Understanding the Region’s Native Trees

By Ramona Hammerly and Stephen Arno

While sheltering in place, I’ve been digging into a couple of books to beef up my knowledge of Pacific Northwest species. In particular, I’m enjoying Northwest Trees: Identifying and Understanding the Region’s Native Trees by Stephen Arno. This book includes beautiful illustrations and spends several pages providing deeper information on each species. It’s a great compliment to a comprehensive field guide.

 

All That the Rain Promises and More…

by David Arora

Want to think about mushrooms instead? All that the Rains Promise and More… is a fun place to start.
 
 
 

Prodigal Summer

by Barbara Kingsolver

A sweet novel that weaves conservation issues (pesticide use, importance of predators, conservation genetics) into a story that connects several members of a small community in southern Appalachia. If you don’t do fiction, Kingsolver also writes lovely essays that combine human experience and her passion for natural history; High Tide in Tucson is a nice collection.

 
 

Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth

by E.O. Wilson

If you enjoyed Shiloh’s recommendation of A Sand County Almanac, you could try The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth by E.O Wilson. This book is a plea from a southern gentleman and one of the greatest minds in ecology in which he makes a case for why conservation should be a priority for religious leaders (and everyone).

 

Desert Solitare

By Edward Abbey

If you prefer a more radical take, I also love Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. Leopold, Wilson and Abbey are very different authors with different motivations, but they all make the case for conservation and preservation in personal ways based on their own life experiences.

 
 
 

LUCY BROOKHAM  Policy Manager

 

The Book of Fire

by William H. Cottrell

A short and highly illustrated book for all ages – introducing non-scientists to the anatomy of wildfire. Beginning at the molecular level, the book illustrates and describes the process of flame-progression, from how a twig catches fire to how an entire forest burns.
 

Sea and Smoke: Flavors from the Untamed Pacific Northwest

by Blaine Wetzel and Joe Ray

An ambitious cookbook celebrating the cuisine of hyperlocalism inspired by the rugged coastal location of Lummi Island.

 
 

The Man Who Planted Trees

by Richard Powers

A poetic and inspiring story of one man’s quest to clone the world’s champion trees in an effort to save the planet’s essential ecosystems. A light and easy read that incorporates forest ecology and storytelling.