Stories and Insights from KS Wild

The Biden Administration has announced a federal rule for how the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) mission addresses the climate and biodiversity crises, attempting to re-balance BLM’s multi-use mandate for managing public lands, which for decades has favored resource extraction over any other use.

The Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) continues to propose timber sales and contend they are retaining (rather than logging) old-growth, and conservation organizations and the BLM’s neighbors will argue that the BLM is in fact logging old-growth. So, who is right and what’s behind the conflicting claims?

For the past 7 years, the timber industry has filed numerous lawsuits with the goal of reopening these lands for logging. The legal attempts extended from Medford federal courts and made it all of the way to the Supreme Court this winter before the highest court in the country declined to hear their case earlier this month. 

Following years of public concern and successful op eds and appeals, the Bear Grub timber sale is canceled (again)! Read more about the decision here.

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.

Life 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.

With the fire season in the rearview mirror, we offer this recap of the 2023 wildfires in the Klamath-Siskiyou region. Read more about each fire and gain access to resources for your own wildfire safety.

KS Wild’s Executive Director recently visited the Irongate Dam, one of four dams set to be removed by 2024 to create a free-flowing Klamath River. Read more about his experience here.

The Northwest Forest Plan is the largest, truly science-based forest and ecosystem management plan in the country, affecting 19 million acres of public lands across western Washington, Oregon, and northern California, and it’s getting an update. Learn more here.

As numerous fires continue to sweep through northern California, resources are being compiled to issue aid to aid our community members, provide up-to-date information on evacuations and road closures, and supply smoke and fire updates.

Wildfires are producing intense smoke this summer that can pose serious health risks. Please protect yourself and those you care for from excessive smoke, especially those that have sensitive respiratory systems. Read our blog post if you want to learn more about smoke resources.

The Medford District BLM Poor Windy Timber Sale allows logging on more than 15,000 acres, including cutting down 4,573 acres of mature and old-growth trees.

We’re celebrating 7 years of partnership and stewardship with the US Forest Service at Alex Hole meadow on the Siskiyou Crest! Read about our work and victories in this blog post.

Our Climate Director, Joseph, writes a touching blog about his longtime friend, Diarmuid, a true beaver believer.

We’re celebrating six years of stewardship at Eight Dollar Mountain and Days Gulch Botanical Areas! Read about our victories we are able to accomplish with the support of an amazing volunteer group alongside the US Forest Service!

Federal agencies such as the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management are legally required to consider public opinion. When you or your community join the decision-making process through contributing substantive public comments, you have the opportunity to influence the actions of the agency involved. Learn how to make comments on federal projects in this blog.

The 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.

We 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.

The US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the first ever national inventory of mature and old-growth forests. Want to know what this all means for the protection of forests in the Pacific Northwest?

Check out the Medford BLM's latest old-growth timber sale called "Last Chance" and read KS Wild's "scoping" comments in this blog.

Considering 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.

Some timber advocates within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) simply cannot abide the idea that there are old-growth forests designated as protected on public lands, so they’ve designed a new program called “Integrated Vegetation Management” to target Late Successional Reserves for logging. Learn more about the IVM project in this blog.

We 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.