June Digest

Well, it certainly feels like summer has arrived!  The hot weather is a strong reminder that the Klamath-Siskiyou region is likely in for an above-normal summer in terms of temperature and wildfire risk. But after the year we've just had, I continue to question what "normal" even means. Fire and climate continue to be at the forefront of our work. ForestWatch is diligently tracking and pushing back against post-fire logging while also fighting to keep big trees in the forests. We're supporting bills for permanent protections on our waterways that provide safe, clean water to communities in the Klamath-Siskiyou. KS Wild's Climate program is also producing a lot of resources to help you prepare for and live through fire season, like the Forest & Fire Toolkit. In the coming weeks, we'll be updating KS Wild's Fire Dashboard, a compilation of resources for fire season including maps of active fires and feeds with up-to-date information. We also released a podcast series that will be running through the summer, telling the story of fire from voices on the front lines—cultural fire practitioners, wildland firefighters, fire scientists, and policy makers—as well as from people who live with the impacts of fire in their communities. Be sure to check it out! For the Wild, Jessica Klinke, Communications Director In this month’s digest: ForestWatch: BLM Old-Growth Shell Game Climate: Fire-Resistant Landscaping Podcast: One Foot in the Black - Episodes Out Now Rogue Riverkeeper: Welcome Emily Bowes, Conservation Director Wildlife: Pacific Fisher — Fighting for Protections Events: Love Where You Live Online Series + In-Person Events Red darlingtonia, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest ForestWatch BLM Old-Growth Shell Game The Medford BLM's public lands old-growth logging program is a case study of nepotism and dysfunction. First the BLM withdrew from the NW Forest Plan so that it could write itself a "Resource Management Plan" that calls for old-growth logging throughout the "Harvest Land Base." Then BLM timber planners decided that they need not analyze the effects of old-growth logging "in detail" or consider alternatives to old-growth logging. Now the BLM intends to also target old-growth forests located in the Late Successional Reserves for canopy removal to create "open seral conditions." See: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/123406/510 The sad truth is that the Medford BLM does not value old-growth forests, the wildlife that relies on such habitat, or public input. It is an insular and myopic agency in dire need of reform.  Climate Fire-Resistant Landscaping This June, harden the landscape around your property with fire-resistant plants. Strategically planting fire-resistant plant species helps resist the spread of fire to your home.  What are Fire-Resistant Plants? Fire-resistant plants don’t readily ignite from a flame or other ignition sources. Although these  plants can be damaged or even killed by fire, their foliage and stems do not contribute significantly to the fuel and, therefore, the intensity of a fire. To learn more about fire-resistant plants and materials, check out KS Wild’s Preparing for Wildfire Guidesheet.  Podcast One Foot in the Black: Landscapes Shaped by Fire (Episode 2) One Foot in the Black is a six-episode podcast, which tells the story of fire in the West—how the landscape has been shaped by fire, how climate change is remaking the rules, and how our future of living with fire is tied to the past.  In Episode 2 we step back to learn about the role fire has played in shaping the landscapes of the West and how humans co-existed with fire before U.S. government policies on wildfire suppression and forced removal of Indigenous people. This is the story of Indigenous fire. We hear from tribal members and cultural fire practitioners about what we can learn from Tribes about putting fire back on the ground.   All episodes can be found on major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and YouTube. It can be as easy as asking, "Alexa, play podcast One Foot in the Black." Rogue Riverkeeper Welcome to new Conservation Director, Emily Bowes Emily moved to Medford from Lawrence, Kansas a week before starting high school. Moving from the plains to an area full of mountains and rivers was quite a shock and she still hasn’t gotten over it. In high school, Emily volunteered with KS Wild’s Lesley Adams on the “Save the Wild Rogue” campaign, further ingraining her love for the area and the Rogue. She continued her education at Humboldt State University, receiving a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis on plant ecology. Before returning to KS Wild as Conservation Director for Rogue Riverkeeper, Emily contributed to sustainable natural resources management and the enforcement of environmental compliance policies working with private environmental compliance firms, the federal government, as well as other nonprofits in northern California and southern Oregon. We are so excited to work with Emily to further Rogue Riverkeeper’s current campaigns and to build on past successes. We look forward to sharing more with you about Emily’s work, efforts, and contributions in the months and years ahead. Wildlife Pacific Fisher The Pacific fisher (Pekania pennanti), a forest carnivore, lives in old-growth forests of the northern U.S. and Canada. They are specialized animals that frequently travel along waterways and rest in or on live trees, snags, or logs with cavities. These characteristics are usually only found in large, undisturbed tracts of old forest. In addition to the severe loss and fragmentation of habitat caused by logging, development, trapping and road building, fisher have been harmed by widespread use of rat poisons (rodenticides) often used in the cultivation of cannabis.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service continues to deny petitions for listing Pacific fisher as endangered. KS Wild recently joined the Center for Biological Diversity and EPIC in filing our intent to sue the Service over its denial of protections to the majority of fishers on the West Coast. You can read the press release here.  Special Places + Permanent Protections Senator Ron Wyden re-introduces the ORE Act The Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act protects southwest Oregon’s wild rivers, wild salmon, and wild steelhead. Community members like you have already helped secure a temporary moratorium on strip mining in the Baldface, Rough & Ready, and Hunter Creek watersheds in Josephine and Curry Counties, and we are pleased to see Senator Wyden’s latest bill wants to make those temporary protections permanent. The inclusion of the Southwest Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act (SOWSPA) within the Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act ensures more than 100,000 acres of public land in these watersheds are afforded permanent and long-lasting safeguards from hard-rock strip mining. Please thank Senator Ron Wyden for continuing to advocate for wild rivers & public lands in southwest Oregon.  Events Love Where You Live Event Series: Biodiversity in the Klamath-Siskiyou Join KS Wild for a monthly, online event series featuring guest speakers exploring special topics around biodiversity in the Klamath-Siskiyou.  Bridging the gaps between traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary science Thursday, June 24th - 6:00-7:00pm PST (Online) Guest speaker Keith Parker, a Yurok Tribe Senior Fisheries Biologist, discusses how the Klamath River Basin supports the highest diversity of lamprey species of any single watershed in the world. Learn about this tribal trust fish species protected under tribal treaty and the importance of it for the Tribes of the Klamath Basin. Brought to you by Native Fish Society and KS Wild Sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs For more information on our speakers and to sign up for the event, visit our website. 6th Annual Star Thistle Weed Pull at the Mariposa Lily Preserve Wednesday, June 23rd - 3:30-6:30pm PST (Online) Join KS Wild, Bureau of Land Management, the Siskiyou Chapter of the Native Plant Society, and Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument for an invasive weed pull in the Mariposa Preserve. Just outside of Ashland, this 222-acre Botanical Area is a designated conservation area (botanical preserve) that lies within the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument. It serves to protect two rare endemic plants: Greene's Mariposa Lily (Calochortus greenei) (the Botanical Area's namesake) and Detling's microseris (Microseris laciniata ssp. detlingii). Sign up for more details about where to meet and what to bring!    Support KS Wild Can you join us in the fight to keep old-growth forests standing?  $5 makes a difference Your support ensures our team's ability to continue safeguarding wildlife, retaining wildlands, preserving clean water, and fighting for protection of our communities in the era of climate change.    Connect With Us: Facebook   Instagram   Contact Info: {{OrganizationAddress}}   These emails are important to protect the KS. If you really want to, click here to {{if IsSentByTargetedEmail}}{{UnsubscribeLink}}{{end}} KS Wild is committed to building and maintaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive conservation organization. KS Wild understands that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential components of not only an effective conservation movement, but of resilient communities. We continue to seek the best practices of inclusion for our board, staff, supporters, event participants, and the general public.