From Native Fish Society
On Tuesday, October 6, the Oregon Board of Forestry will be presented with a choice: take the next step to pursue a Habitat Conservation Plan to protect fish and wildlife on state forest lands or continue with business as usual.
The board will hear virtual testimony from only 15 individuals in advance of their vote. Will you help us and our conservation partners speak up for the fish and wildlife that depend on these lands and the Oregonians that value them for clean water, carbon storage, and recreation?
We need you to sign up to provide three minutes of testimony in support of pursuing a robust conservation plan for state forests. Sign-up will open at 8am tomorrow and close at 5pm (Thursday, October 1) via this link.
Department of Forestry staff will select 15 individuals to provide testimony. We encourage you to sign up as early as possible tomorrow. Native Fish Society staff and our conservation partners are available to help review your testimony in advance, so please reach out if you are selected to testify and would like support as you draft your comments.
If you are unable to testify, we encourage you to email comments to boardofforestry@oregon.gov by 11:59pm on Friday, October 2. Craft your own or use our suggested language below:
Dear Members of the Oregon Board of Forestry,
I write today to encourage you to continue pursuing a Habitat Conservation Plan for Western Oregon’s state forests. In its current form, the draft Habitat Conservation Plan covers about 640,000 acres of Oregon forests and includes conservation strategies for listed species like at-risk Oregon Coast Coho Salmon. Forestry practices and inadequate stream protections on state forest lands were a primary factor in the federal government’s decision to list Oregon Coast Coho Salmon as threatened with extinction. The ongoing clearcutting of steep, landslide-prone slopes and lack of sufficient stream buffers continues to impede the recovery of abundant, wild Coho Salmon throughout the streams of Oregon’s northern coast range. It’s time to forge a new future for our state forest lands—a future that enables our fish and wildlife to flourish and provides value to all Oregonians!
It’s time to chart a new course for Oregon’s state forests. We hope you will join us as we advocate together for the revival of abundant wild fish, free-flowing rivers, and thriving local communities.
For wild,
Jennifer Fairbrother
Conservation Director
