Conservation Today

Richard is the Aquatic Scientist for the North Umpqua Hydro Project. He describes how the project was originally built in the late 1940's through the early 50's. Then in 1990's it went through it's 50-year relicensing, making it more fish-friendly, even putting a fish ladder on Soda Springs Damn. Richard discusses the technology for getting the fish over the dam and back down, and other improvements of the relicensing. Richard also discusses the general ecology of salmon in the North Umpqua River.

A movie of the Hydro Project can be seen here: https://youtu.be/_mpyX3N57oU.

Richard also talks about The North Umpqua Foundation, helping to protect the North Umpqua River. The North Umpqua Foundation is having their annual dinner at Steamboat Inn on October 20, celebrating 50 years of the Wild and Scenic Rivers. For more information on the dinner, see www.northumpqua.org. For the Pacific Rivers new film on the Wild and Scenic Rivers, see: https://vimeo.com/292826814.

Pat describes his work as the Conservation Chair of Umpqua Watersheds. He monitors public land projects and provides comments to BLM on behalf of the public. Pat talks about the new BLM management plan and how logging is not regulated. Pat describes recent studies that describe how the private industrial timber land that surrounds public BLM land degrade the BLM and degrade our watersheds in general. Industrial tree plantations are more prone to wildland fire as well as cause summer low flows in streams. Pat also talks about how private industrial timber corporations pay far lower taxes than they have historically, and far lower in Oregon than surrounding states. Pat ends with his words of wisdom on how to move forward to make watersheds better in the long run.

Biochar is the topic of this week's conversation with Scott McKain, from the Umpqua Basin Education Team (UBET). Scott discusses the chemistry of biochar, and why it is so good for soils. We also talk about the Amazon indians use of biochar, which is still evident 3,000 years later. Scott describes how biochar can be made locally, including how you can make some in your back yard, and the best techniques for applying it to your garden. We discuss how some timber industry mills distribute biochar, and the UBET attempt to convert logging slash piles to biochar on the Umpqua National Forest. Just the act of top-lighting slash piles, instead of bottom lighting, will produce less smoke, cleaner air, and a bit of biochar. Scott invites the public to Elkton on October 27 for a biochar demonstration. For more information, see: http://ubetbiochar.blogspot.com/. You can email Scott questions at ssmckain at charter dot net.

Biochar is the topic of this week's conversation with Scott McKain, from the Umpqua Basin Education Team (UBET). Scott discusses the chemistry of biochar, and why it is so good for soils. We also talk about the Amazon indians use of biochar, which is still evident 10,000 years later. Scott describes how biochar can be made locally, including how you can make some in your back yard, and the best techniques for applying it to your garden. We discuss how some timber industry mills distribute biochar, and the UBET attempt to convert logging slash piles to biochar on the Umpqua National Forest. Just the act of top-lighting slash piles, instead of bottom lighting, will produce less smoke, cleaner air, and a bit of biochar. Scott invites the public to Elkton on October 22 for a biochar demonstration. For more information, see: http://ubetbiochar.blogspot.com/. You can email Scott questions at ssmckain at charter dot net.

Jason describes problems with the Oregon Forest Practices Act (OFPA), and how it fails to protect people, fish, and wildlife from industrial forest management on corporate private lands. For instance, schools and homes have inadequate buffers from the pesticides sprayed from helicopters on clearcuts. Jason describes studies that found industrial tree plantations are a fire hazard and also contribute to summer low water flows in Oregon streams. The forest practices of adjoining states (Washington, California and Idaho) have far greater protections for fish, soils, and people. These states also have a tax on trees cut that help provide public services, while Oregon has eliminated it's tax on corporate forest owners, causing Oregon to loose around $40 million annually. This is in spite of the fact that logs from many Oregon clearcuts are being shipped overseas, also depriving Oregon workers of mill jobs. Finally, Jason talks about efforts to reform the OFPA, and how you can stay informed. These web sites will help: http://www.clearcutoregon.com/

https://sprayfreecoast.com/

http://www.oregonwild.org/

Kat Stone and John Hunter talk about Douglas County Park politics, including the value of the parks, the Parks Master Plan, and the loss of parks like Busenbark. Also discussed are the gun issues in the county, Bolon Island (near Reedsport), and the county's proposal to circumvent land-use laws by allowing property to be chopped into smaller pieces. Other county parks discussed are Discovery Point in Winchester Bay, and Mildred Kanipe Park near Oakland.

John and Kat are two of the directors of Umpqua Watersheds. You can donate to their watchdog expenses by clicking on the donate button here:

http://www.umpquawatersheds.org/

To follow the commissioners meetings, go here:

http://www.co.douglas.or.us/audio/

Wildlife Safari in Winston Oregon is a 600-acre facility helping to conserve some of the world's most endangered species. They provide a spectacular drive-through wildlife park, where the animals roam free and we stay in our cars. I talked with Wildlife Safari education director Leila Goulet. Leila talks about the history of Wildlife Safari, it's education programs, and the iconic wildlife species staying in the park. Afterwards I went on one of several "Wildlife Encounters" provided by the park, the Bear Encounter. In this part of the recording, you will hear the bear keeper talking about two different kinds of bears, out of the many species at the park. More information is found here:

https://wildlifesafari.net/ and here:

https://www.facebook.com/Wildlife.Safari.Oregon/

Picture I've taken at Wildlife Safari are here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskER55gb

Mark Lenihan is president of Douglas County's new chapter of PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. PFLAG just finished sponsoring the second annual Gay Pride in Roseburg. Mark explains the how our local chapter fits into the national PFLAG organization. Mark talks about his background, and how he transformed from a traditional view of LGBTQ identified people, to where he is now, supporting the community. Mark explains what all those letters mean (LGBTQ), problems faced by the Douglas County community, and how PFLAG is helping to solve those problems with education, social services and other support. Mark gives his phone number for anyone to call with questions. PFLAG Roseburg plans on having a website soon, and when they do, I'll post that link here. Meanwhile, you can email Mark at marklenihan at gmail dot com. Here is the facebook page link:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/496877364016348/about/

Lisa Arkin, executive director of Beyond Toxics, describes how this state-wide organization works to reduce toxins in our environment. This includes protecting bees from neonicotinoids, a pesticide that kills our most important food pollinator. Lisa describes the problems with corporate forestry and their aerial herbicide spray program, including chemical impacts to rural Oregonians. She describes incidents in Douglas County. Lisa talks about road-side spraying, including the recent killing of thousands of mature ponderosa pine trees along a scenic highway. Lisa explains how Lane County, in contrast to Douglas County, does virtually NO roadside spraying. Finally, Lisa talks about Environmental Justice Programs, including efforts to protect farmworkers.

To see which household products contain bee-killing neonicotinoids: http://www.beyondtoxics.org/wp-content/uploads/Toxic10_Neonics_FINAL_3-12-18.pdf

More information at: http://www.beyondtoxics.org/

Cristina Hubbard is executive director of Forest Web of Cottage Grove. Like the mycorrhizal fungal filaments beneath the forest floor, holding the ecosystem together, Forest Web pulls information and actions together from many local groups. Forest Web is also involved in protecting local parks and BLM old growth forests near Cottage Grove, like the Boehner Woods they convinced the BLM to designate as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). Cristina talks about their fight to protect the Elliott State Forest, Wolves in Oregon, and even the Roseburg BLM old growth forest threatened by the Lone Rock Timber's road right of way (of which Francis gives an update on it's current status). Stay informed at their Facebook page: foerstwebofcottagegrove, web page https://www.forestweb-cg.org/, and email [email protected]