December 2016 Newsletter

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Message from our Executive Director

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Dear friends,

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season! I know that many of you are worried about the recent elections and wondering how our special places and species will survive the next Congress and Administration. I want to provide a message of hope.

First, we’ve seen this before. When the Bush Administration came in, we thought all our nation’s environmental laws would be demolished. They weren’t. If you were part of the environmental movement then like I was, you remember that this was because we put up a good fight and were a force to be reckoned with. Not on our watch was our motto!

We need this kind of feisty optimism again. We have incredible power when we work together. When it comes down to it, most Americans believe strongly in preserving our public lands and sensitive species that don’t have a voice or pocketbook. We represent all that’s good and beautiful, and a legacy for our children. Nobody can stop that.

There will be fights to protect the Endangered Species Act. Fights to keep our public lands public. Fights to protect natural resources from being over-exploited. But we will win, and we will do it as a team.

We will need to reach across the urban/rural divide and find the common values and love of place that we all share. We will need to continue working through our local collaborative groups in the forest, and directly on forest projects that government agencies may not have the funding or priority to do.

How can you help? Please take action when we send you opportunities to help stop the mine or protect the forest. Join us in the field as we lead restoration projects to improve forest health. And, please donate: https://cascadeforest.org/donate/. Groups like ours will need more staff and resources to accomplish what we’ll need to do.

Thank you for your support. Have hope, take part, join together and conservation will prevail.

Happy Holidays!

– Matt Little

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New huckleberry monitoring project in 2017

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”25″][vc_column_text]It has been an exciting year of restoration and data collection in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We’ve had the opportunity to meet many new stewards and work with new partners in our efforts to build stronger community connections and improve forest management in the region. We are now in the midst of planning next year’s field season and we have some great new projects lined up!
We have recently received word that we will be partnering with the Pinchot Partners collaborative group to carry out post-management monitoring of huckleberry restoration sites. Huckleberry picking is an important activity for local communities and forest visitors. It is also a traditional harvesting activity for Native American groups, many of which take part in our forest collaborative process. Our work will entail taking measurements of huckleberry growth after Forest Service thinning work has been completed, as well as establishing photo points at future restoration sites. We will be measuring plant density and size, fruiting, disturbance, and regrowth of surrounding vegetation. Our work will be coupled with efforts of other collaborative members to identify which treatment approaches have been most effective and what areas are best suited to thinning treatments for huckleberry restoration. We will be reaching out to our members to help with the monitoring project, so please stay tuned!
We have also solidified plans for a large riparian restoration project. Cascade Forest Conservancy staff and volunteers will be planting hardwood and conifer trees along streams that are expected to warm with climate change. This work will support habitat for bull trout, steelhead, salmon, and other aquatic species. This is the first step of our comprehensive aquatic restoration plan. We will keep you updated as other parts of the plan are unveiled.
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Recap: CFC 2016 gala

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”25″][vc_column_text]On November 3rd we celebrated the past year’s successes and our historic name-change to the Cascade Forest Conservancy at the Columbia Sportswear store in downtown Portland. Thank you to everyone who attended and congratulations to our Volunteer of the Year, Michael Sulis, and the many auction winners! The night was a great success – we raised nearly $34,000 for our programs, like the campaign to stop a dangerous mine near Mount St. Helens. People took home rafting trips, sports apparel, artwork and all sorts of great items. We hope to see you at next year’s event![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”35px”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”2151″ img_size=”medium” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”2152″ img_size=”medium” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”2150″ img_size=”medium” qode_css_animation=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Profile: Mark Buchweitz, Canvass Team Manager

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If someone had told me years ago that I would be going to people’s homes and talking to them about protecting our environment, I would not have believed it. I’m a naturally shy person to begin with, and asking strangers for money is not something that comes naturally to me. But I came to the Northwest to experience the kind of wildlife, streams, mountains and forests that I’d only read about. My home state of Wisconsin has some beautiful forests, but 100 years ago we clear-cut all of our old-growth. When I saw my first old-growth forest it was hard to believe it was real. I couldn’t believe that some people still wanted to cut old growth forests and turn healthy, diverse ecosystems into some sort of wood farm. I wanted to tell people not to make the same mistakes we made in the Midwest! So I decided to work for our forests, first as a canvasser and now as Canvass Team Manager for the CFC.

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I feel privileged to be part of the Cascade Forest Conservancy’s efforts to raise awareness and funds to protect the places that make the Northwest the envy of the rest of our country. Canvassing can be challenging at times, working in the cold, darkness and rain. But meeting so many supportive people makes the job very rewarding. In the challenging political climate we’re about to face, it’s good to know that you can still influence how our forest is managed. So when one of our canvassers comes to your door and interrupts your dinner and family time, please give them a minute to tell you how we’re working to protect the places you treasure – and of course help us with a tax-deductible donation.

And if you can’t donate, become a volunteer! Check out our website for opportunities. https://cascadeforest.org/get-involved/

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September news from the CFC

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Protect YOUR Public Lands

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]Last Saturday, Sept. 24, was National Public Lands Day. Our Executive Director Matt Little spent the weekend near the Eagle Cap Wilderness and shot this short video about an urgent issue affecting us all – an attempt by lawmakers to hand off your public lands to state agencies that can then sell them to developers. Click here or here to tell Congress you don’t support these actions, and watch the video below.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”35px”][vc_single_image image=”1957″ img_size=”large” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” qode_css_animation=”” link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TZ1WnuALB8″][vc_empty_space height=”35px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Another Successful Summer With Our Volunteers

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]We’ve had a great field season with many new volunteers joining for citizen science and restoration projects. Our work has been used for everything from road restoration to timber harvest proposals to invasive species treatment plans. There are two remaining trips this year: a post-fire seeding trip this weekend at Mount Adams and a wildlife camera survey trip on October 16th, which will also take place near Mount Adams. The seeding trip is all filled up but there are a couple open spaces for the wildlife survey trip. Send us a message if you’d like to join.
We’d also like to give a big thank you to Keen Footwear for supporting our citizen science program! Thanks, Keen![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_single_image image=”1958″ img_size=”medium” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” qode_css_animation=”” link=”http://www.keenfootwear.com”][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]

Auction and Banquet November 3!

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_column_text]We are gearing up for our biggest event of the year, our annual auction and banquet! Columbia Sportswear is graciously hosting us on November 3 at their flagship store in downtown Portland. Anxious about the election on Nov. 8? Come cool your nerves with us: we’ll have a delicious catered dinner, open bar and fantastic deals at our auction. Items include outdoor gear, vacation packages, theater and sports tickets, cabin retreats, paintings by local artists, and more. Click here to get more details and reserve your spot.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”1959,1960,1961,1962″ img_size=”small”][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]

Silver Creek Timber Sale Update

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_column_text]This summer, the CFC challenged the Silver Creek timber sale proposed by the Forest Service due to our concerns about 176 acres of regeneration harvest (similar to clear cutting), including portions in northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet habitat.
The CFC actively participates in two collaborative groups in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest where we engage with community members and Forest Service staff early on in the planning process. Working with the collaboratives, the CFC advocated for larger riparian buffers in the Silver Creek sale to protect riparian areas, including listed fish habitat. Cutting too close to streams, in an area with unstable soils, would risk increasing sedimentation in fish habitat. Our collaborative efforts paid off when the proposed project included sufficient no-cut buffers to protect riparian areas.
Despite these positive changes, the proposed project did not go far enough to protect older forest and wildlife habitat. The project still proposed extensive regeneration harvest on 176 acres that would reduce canopy cover to 15% or less and have short-term impacts that mimic clear-cutting. The justification for this harmful practice is that it would create habitat for early seral species, like deer and elk; but these claims were not backed up by the agency’s own analysis.
One unit proposed for regeneration harvest in this sale contains an approximately 95-year-old, naturally regenerated forest that provides the large trees necessary for the endangered northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet. CFC encouraged the Forest Service to eliminate this unit from harvest in our formal objection because this older, diverse forest provides habitat for endangered and rare wildlife species. We are continuing to work with the Forest Service to make improvements to this sale before it is approved, to safeguard our wildlife, forests and rivers.
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July Newsletter

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July 2016 Newsletter

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”normal” color=”#444444″ thickness=”3″][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][vc_column_text]Road Field Work July 2013 058New Name, Same Mission
As you may have seen, we have changed our name, look, and website. This has come as the result of almost two years of surveys and polls to find the best words and images that capture our mission  protecting and sustaining the forests, streams, wildlife, and communities in the heart of the Cascades through conservation, education, and advocacy. Thank you to those of you who have helped us through this process.
The name “Gifford Pinchot Task Force” has served us well for over 30 years, and was very appropriate during the decade when we were actually a task force of volunteers committed to protecting the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Over time, though, we have grown into a nonprofit advocacy P1000082organization that ensures the sustainability of the entire ecosystem of Washington’s South Cascades. The name and logo of the Cascade Forest Conservancy reflect this transition, as well as our new tagline “Conserving the Wild Places of Washington’s South Cascades.”
Please check out our new website at www.cascadeforest.org, and thank you for continuing to partner with us as we move into the next 30 years of protecting the forests and streams of Southwest Washington. For more information on the new name and our organization moving forward, read our press release here.


Upper White Salmon Timber Sale
We’ve been hard at work on collaborative forest management in the Upper White Planning Area on the south Upper White collaborative trip - June 2016 2side of Mount Adams. We are working with the Forest Service and local partners to find common ground and to work together to restore this magnificent area and protect the unique ecological features there. We’ve
come a long way and will be ironing out comments and positions over the next few weeks. We’d like to thank the volunteers who signed up for our forest surveys and helped us collect important data about the health of this forest and the distribution of old growth ponderosa pines. For on this and other timber projects click here.
 


DSC00731Auction and Banquet November 3!
Save the date! We will be holding our second annual auction and banquet on November 3 at the Columbia Sportswear flagship store in downtown Portland. Click here to get more details, buy a ticket or become a sponsor. Attending our event is a great way to support the CFC and our mission while also having a blast – you’ll enjoy delicious food and drink, fun games, live and silent auctions and more. Our auction brings together over 130 friends and supporters to recognize the importance of conserving the wild places we cherish. Last year we celebrated 30 years of conservation at our first annual event, a big success and lively evening. At this year’s celebration we will look toward the future as we carry on our mission under a new name.
 


Volunteer trips in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
We are halfway through our field season, and we’ve had a great time so far carrying out surveys in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. We’ve traveled to the forests of Mount Adams to examine forest health, strolled the gravel roads along Trout Creek exploring culverts and stream sedimentation, and hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in search of invasive plants. We have upcoming trips in July and August, and we would gladly welcome your involvement! Send us an email and sign up to take part. Road survey trip is July 23 and 24, meadow enhancement trip is Aug 27 and 28, and our post-fire seeding trip is Sept 30 – Oct 2. Community participation is critical to our conservation and restoration efforts, so consider lending a hand and exploring the forest with a mission.

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Road survey team for our June 18th trip


Welcome New Staff!
A warm CFC welcome to three new staff members.
Nicole
Nicole Budine
joins CFC as our Policy and Campaign Manager, where she will be managing our mining and sustainable forest campaigns. Nicole is a biologist with a J.D. from the University of Oregon, and she previously worked at Oregon Wild and Trustees for Alaska.

 
MICHAL_NOHOVMichal Orczyk recently moved from California to join us as our Development Manager, and comes with experience organizing fundraising events and managing development programs at the International Center for Journalists and the College Preparatory School.
 
 

11147140_1572451653034303_4969659487042440643_nXavier Reed joins our canvass team as an Outreach Advocate. Xavier has a degree in biology and worked previously for Representative Sherrie Sprenger. We are lucky to have such talented staff on our growing CFC team!

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