The U.S. Forest Service wants to log on 1,400 acres in Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest. This includes critical habitat for Northern Spotted Owls to nest, roost, and forage, and 500 acres of old-growth forest eligible for wilderness designation that is part of the proposed Crater Lake Wilderness. Today, less than 10 percent of the West’s forests remain unaffected by logging, roads, livestock grazing, or other disruptive activities. Yet forests serve an irreplaceable role as sources of clean drinking water, habitat for wildlife, and places for recreational and spiritual renewal. Send the U.S. Forest Service a message that we need to protect our wild forests and the native species they shelter.
Why is this important?
Western Environmental Law Center is a nonprofit, public-interest environmental law firm. We filed a lawsuit challenging the Loafer logging Project in December 2013. In April 2014, in response to WELC’s lawsuit, the Forest Service pulled its proposal, but now it’s back. We are fighting this project because it would not only impact native and endangered species in the short-term, but would preclude some of the last remaining untouched Western forests from wilderness protection.
