gaia ki public lands projects of concern 10-10

8/8/2019 Gaia Ki Public Lands Projects of Concern 10-10

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Gaia Ki

Public Lands Projects of Concern;

October 2010 Update

The following public lands projects, management activities, andecological needs are among the current priorities being addressed by our

organization.

Timber Sales requiring involvement in public NEPA and/or judicial

processes, public outreach and education, surveys, and ongoing monitoring:

Deschutes National Forest: o Ogden: 26,520 acres, 14,600 acres of logging and mechanical actions, in pre-decisional

NEPA analysis;

o Junction: 17,500 acres, 16,034 acres of logging and mechanical actions, in pre-decisional

NEPA analysis;o Popper: undisclosed acres; new watershed scale logging-thinning project, soon to begin

pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Rim Paunina: 40,000 acres, 12,700 acres of logging; a collaborative logging-thinningproject being developed cooperatively by the USFS, timber corporations, county officials,

and conservation representatives including Oregon 'Wild,' and the Nature Conservancy(with at least one staff-leader being paid jointly by TNC and the USFS), in pre-decisional

NEPA analysis;

o Glaze Meadows: 1,189 acres of logging thinning and related mechanized actions;

instigated by Oregon 'Wild' in a beautiful old growth wetlands area previously protectedfrom logging; this logging-'thinning' project pretentiously touted as a "model of

restoration" now underway has resulted in the logging of mature and old characteristictrees surrounding a wet meadow, removing needing hiding, foraging, and nesting cover for

wildlife species and damaging forest soil communities and hydrology; substantive changesare required to protect all mature and old characteristic trees, wildlife habitat, forest soils,

and wetlands-forest hydrology before logging resumes;

o Flank: 5,600 acres of logging, in pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Deadlog: 16,055 acres, 6,660 acres of logging, 11,281 acres of mechanical actions;initiated by the Deschutes Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy and their collaborative

Fire Learning Network; attempts to bring changes to USFS and TNC plans to protect allmature and old characteristic trees, and provide for necessary wildlife habitat in the rare

remaining 900 acres of old growth forest in the project were rejected, with the final project

authorizing excessive harmful logging while pretending to be a "fire risk reduction" and"restoration" project; in auction and implementation phase.

o West Tumbull: 1,302 acres logging, HFRA - WUI project, in implementation;

o Five Buttes: 141,772 acres, 4,235 acres of logging, currently in 9th Cir. Court litigationappeal;

o EXF: 3,615 acre project area, 2,554 acres of logging; located in a rare remainingecologically intact forest that naturally regenerated from wildfire in 1845, this purported

science research project would log 70% of all classes of trees in the area, including loggingmature and old growth trees; irretrievably altering one of the last remaining natural forest

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habitats in the surrounding forest landscape, precluding future research opportunities tolearn from - instead of remake - wild nature; Gaia Ki has thoroughly surveyed the area,

brought together the legal and science team, and is playing a key role assisting in therecently filed lawsuit;

o SAFR: 24,467 acres, 13,500 acres of logging, 17,573 acres of mechanical actions, inimplementation phase;

o Snow Fuels: 6,099 acres of logging, in implementation phase;

Ochoco National Forest: o Howard Elliot Johnson: 44,858 acres, 4,138 acres of logging, 4,574 acres of mechanical

actions, in pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Canyon: 31,524 acres, 4,099 acres of logging, 13,632 acres of mechanical actions, in

implementation phase;o Spears: 39,200 acres, 4,935 acres of logging, 16,740 acres of mechanical actions, in

implementation phase;

o East Maury: 24,239 acres, 5,562 acres of logging, 13,890 acres of mechanical actions, in


o Upper Beaver: 37,000 acres, 2,674 acres of logging, 6,727 acres of mechanical actions, in


Umatilla National Forest:

o Wildcat II, 25,450 acres, 13,700 acres of mechanical actions, 1,963 acres of logging,NEPA decision under appeal, will likely require litigation;

o Cobbler II: 34,000 acres, 2,500 acres of logging, in pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Mirage: 13,193 acres, 2,604 acres logging; 2,615 acres of mechanical actions, in pre-

decisional NEPA analysis;

o Farley/Bruin: 56,226 acres, 2,848 acres of logging, 4,887 acres of mechanical actions, in

pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Potamus: new project, watershed-wide - acres undisclosed as yet, soon to begin NEPA

analysis;o South George: 21,000 acres, 4,500 acres of logging, in pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Tolgate: watershed wide logging-thinning, acres undisclosed - still being developed forpublic NEPA release;

Fremont and Winema National Forests: o Deuce: 26,616 acres, 8,287 acres logging, 23,938 acres mechanical actions, in pre-


o Fort: 6,884 acres, 4,108 acres logging, 4,437 acres mechanical actions, in pre-decisional

NEPA analysis;

o Coyote: 5750 acres, 3,792 acres logging, 4,962 acres mechanical actions, in pre-decisional

NEPA analysis;

Malheur National Forest: o Galena: 38,200 acres, 6,900 acres logging, 2,800 acres of mechanical actions, in pre-


o Starr: undisclosed, watershed-wide - still in early pre-NEPA planning;

o Jane: 32,265 acres, 11,260 acres of logging and mechanical actions, in implementation

phase;



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o Soda Bear: 20,774 acres, 8,335 acres logging, 7,644 acres of mechanical actions, in pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

o Damon: 19,421 acres, 8,173 acres logging, 6,718 acres mechanical actions, inimplementation phase;

o Dads Creek: 7,200 acres, 1,421 acres of logging, 2,668 acres of mechanical actions, inimplementation phase;

Central Oregon BLM:o Rudio Mountain: approximately 30,080 acres, in pre-decisional NEPA analysis;

Management Planning:

Blue Mountains Forest Plan NEPA analysis for the new Forest Plan for the Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman, and Malheur National Forests, directing management actions across 5.5 million acres of

public lands for the next 15 or more years;

BLM John Day Basin Resource Management Plan NEPA analysis directing BLM managementof the John Day River Basin for the next 15 years;

Travel Management Planning:

Deschutes-Ochoco-Crooked River National Grassland Travel Management Plan NEPAanalysis directing ORV use across the entirety of these three public lands areas, affecting over9,000 miles of roads and trails;

Deschutes National Forest's proposed Lava Rock (144,000 acres), Three Trails (93,000 acres),and Meadow Lakes (9,500 acres) ORV systems currently under NEPA analysis;

Ochoco National Forest's proposed Summit (164,000 acres) ORV trail system, currently underNEPA analysis;

Energy Development:

BLM regulated Newberry Geothermal Energy Exploration, Testing, and new lease offerings inthe Deschutes National Forest immediately adjoining the ecologically treasured NewberryNational Volcanic Monument, under segmented phases of post decision implementation and pre-

decisional NEPA analysis for what ultimately may be a proposed full industrial scale energyproduction facility;

Energy and Natural Gas Transmission Routes affecting public lands in the Umatilla andWallowa-Whitman National Forests and adjoining BLM lands (B2H transmission lines); affecting

Mt. Hood National Forest and adjoining BLM lands (Palomar Pipeline); and affecting theFremont-Winema National Forest and adjoining BLM lands;

Wind Power facilities and transmission routes affecting significant extents of both private andpublic lands in a number of new and existing expansion proposals across Oregon's eastside region;

Livestock Grazing

Region-wide ongoing livestock grazing allotment management NEPA planning and monitoringaffecting natural ecosystems and waterways throughout Oregon's eastside;

Wilderness Management and Recreation

Wilderness Designations: ongoing efforts addressing the need for additional wildernessprotections and expansions for remaining roadless areas and ecologically significant locations;



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Wilderness Protection from ORV disturbance and resource damaging incursions, excessiverecreational development, and fragmented connectivity due to harmful management projects in

adjoining public lands between existent wilderness and roadless locations;

Wilderness Maintenance ensuring public trails in remote locations remain open for the naturalrecreational experience of the serenity, adventure, and wonder of wild nature. Currently agency

funding is channeled towards timber sales, road construction, and the development of ORVsystems, with little funding or attention given to natural recreational opportunities and wilderness

locations. Diminished access due to vanishing and blocked natural trail systems overtaxesremaining accessible trails, resulting in high human density levels in popular locations adversely

impacting wilderness integrity, while other largely abandoned locations are subjected to increasingdepredations from ORV incursions and disturbance, driving those desiring natural experiences

from affected areas;

Ecosystem Restoration:

Salmonid watersystems across the region are listed as "Water Quality Impaired" by OregonState. There exists an imperative need for region-wide local-scale projects restoring salmonid

watersystems and recovering imperiled aquatic species;

Natural Habitat and Connectivity across the region there are many species of concern

experiencing population and distribution declines due to degraded habitat conditions. There is aneed to protect existent habitat, remove excessive roads that fragment habitat connectivity, andallow natural ecological processes to continue to effectively recover without further ecosystem

degradation from misguided timber sales disguised as "restoration;"

Soil communities and natural hydrology represent the foundation of healthy naturalecosystems, and are of paramount importance in this era of exponentially increasing climate

change. Forest soils provide significant carbon sequestration helping offset the adverse impactsof societal induced climate change. Soil communities are rich in biodiversity, with research

evidencing many varied and new species that play essential roles in the interwoven weave of natural ecology. Soil communities provide the foundational nutrients and moisture requisite for

ecologically viable natural ecosystems. Protecting soil communities from mechanized

management and livestock grazing harms is a foundationalstep towards proactively addressing the effects of climatechange and effective regional ecosystem restoration;

Biodiversity and the recovery of imperiled species objectives require the development of visionarymanagement planning protecting species populations and

habitat. Wolves are continuing to pioneer historicalterritories deeper into Oregon's eastside public lands, and

are in need of protection from disturbance and harms.Regionally, there are over 200 species of concern that are

evidencing habitat loss and/or declining population trends.

Research into these species habitat requirements must beincorporated into the core objectives guiding managementactions, effective protective provisions must be set, and

non-intrusive monitoring of population and distributiontrends must be established for priority species of concern to

enable recovery;

Spirit Hawk

gaia ki public lands projects of concern 10-10

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