Coast Range Radio

One of the things I try to do on this show is get away from the binary good vs bad framing that so many of us fall into, and explore the messy complexities and grey areas within the environmental and conservation movement here in the northwest.  That's why I enjoyed today's conversation so much.My guest today is Tabatha Rood.  Tabatha is a former Forest Service National Environmental Policy Act planner and currently leads the Wild Rivers Coast Forest Collaborative in Southwest Oregon.As a former Forest Service project planner and collaborative leader, Tabatha brings a set of experiences and perspectives that are often missing in our broader dialogues.As you'll hear, Tabatha and I didn't agree on everything in our conversation, and there were a number of topics that we didn't have time to go as deep on as I would have liked.  But I really appreciated her willingness to engage with me on some thorny topics, and I found her perspectives really valuable.As always, Coast Range Radio is free on all podcast apps, which is a great way to share this episode.  We are also broadcast on community radio stations across the northwest.  A lot of them are struggling right now, and I cannot ask strongly enough that you support local, independent media!My email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, let me know what you think of the show!https://www.instagram.com/coastrangeradio/

I'm willing to bet that most Oregonians don't know who our State Treasurer is, much less what the State Treasury does.But we should.  The office of State Treasurer, currently Elizabeth Steiner by the way, is a powerful position, and invests a huge amount of public money.How that money is invested matters, and it really matters that our public dollars and pension funds are deeply invested in the fossil fuel industry.The statewide coalition Divest Oregon has been calling out the treasury's dirty investments for several years now, and they've also put out policy proposals, research, and legislation to shift our investments to help foster a clean energy economy.I'm delighted to talk with two of their members today about the work they do, how it affects all Oregonians, and how to help.As always, Coast Range Radio is free on all podcast apps, which is a great way to share this episode. My email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, let me know what you think of the show!Show Notes:https://www.divestoregon.org/The-Pause-Act--2025https://www.divestoregon.org/2025-climate-risk-reviewhttps://www.green529.org/https://www.instagram.com/coastrangeradio/

An absolute gem of a conversation with Oregon author M.L. Herring about her new book, “Born of Fire and Rain: Journey Into a Pacific Coastal Forest”.  Born of Fire and Rain is one of the best books I've ever read on our bioregion.  It is a masterfully guided hike through virtually every aspect of the Pacific Coastal rainforests, seamlessly weaving in geology, ecology, timber politics, personal narrative, and more into a beautiful tapestry of this place we call home.M.L. is the pen name of Oregon State University professor emerita Peg Herring, and I am so delighted have her on the show today.Before we get started, I have to give my usual housekeeping:  Coast Range Radio is free on all podcast apps, which is a great way to share this episode with a friend or two!And the show email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, reach out anytime with thoughts or show ideas!Born of Fire and Rain is available at bookstores throughout the northwest, or check out:https://www.mlherring.org/https://www.instagram.com/coastrangeradio/

Today's episode is all about one of the most charismatic of all charismatic megafauna, the sea otter!  Sea otters are a crucial part of nearshore marine ecosystems, but they were wiped out along the Oregon coast over 100 years ago.The Elakha Alliance has been working tirelessly for years to bring them back, and I'm so excited to be joined by Jane Bacchieri and Chanel Hason to learn more.As a note, we did an episode with Elakha co-founder Bob Bailey a few years ago, but I've been wanting to check back in with them for a while now.As always, the show email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, please reach out anytime!Show Notes:https://www.elakhaalliance.org/https://www.elakhaalliance.org/siletz-tribe-receives-major-grant-to-aid-tribes-in-returning-sea-otters-to-oregon-and-northern-california/Support the show

As of this recording on May 6th, we are well into the 2025 Oregon Legislative session.  And I, like many others, am still struggling to find a coherent throughline to the session.And many climate justice advocates are increasingly wondering whether Oregon's Democratic led government has given up on meaningful climate action.  But there is still a lot that can happen in the next two months of the legislative session, and your voice really does matter.To walk me through where things stand, and where we as citizens can make the greatest impact this session, I'm joined by my old boss, State Representative Mark Gamba.Mark Gamba represents Oregon's House District 41, which encompasses Milwaukie and parts of Southeast Portland.  He is also one of Oregon's most outspoken climate advocates, and one of my favorite returning guests.As always, if you appreciate Coast Range Radio, which is now completely independent, please help me out by recommending or sharing an episode with two friends! The show email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, please let me know what you think of the show!Support the show

All of us in the northwest love our ocean, but we often don't show it the love that it truly deserves.Ocean conservation is chronically underfunded and under prioritized, but the newly formed Oregon Ocean Alliance is aiming to change that and bring much needed attention and resources to our ocean and coastal ecosystems.To talk about all of that and more, I'm joined by two great guests, Annie Merrill of Oregon Shores, and Joe Liebezeit with Bird Alliance of Oregon.  They are also co-chairs of the Oregon Ocean Alliance. The show email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com.  Reach out anytime!Support the show

Note: This is the second part of the interview that didn't make it into the radio version.  The podcast version includes the entire interview.-----Biomass energy, that is, burning pelletized wood for electricity generation, is a classic false climate solution.  It has been devastating forests and communities in the Southeast for years, and the Biomass industry is dead set on expanding into the Pacific Northwest. We did a deep dive into Biomass a couple of years ago, which you can find in the Coast Range Radio podcast feed.But with the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans (along with some Democrats) attempting to gut protections for forests, now is a good time to learn from activists in the South and check in on the state of Biomass here in the Northwest.So I'm joined by two amazing guests, Dr Treva Gear with The Dogwood Alliance, and Brenna Bell of 350PDX.While you're here, please make sure you're subscribed, and consider leaving us a nice review on your podcast app!My email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, reach out anytime with questions, feedback, or just to say hi.Show Notes:https://dogwoodalliance.org/https://350pdx.org/ax-drax/https://www.nobigbiomasspnw.org/"Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?" - https://burnedthemovie.com/Support the showSupport the show

Biomass energy, that is, burning pelletized wood for electricity generation, is a classic false climate solution.  It has been devastating forests and communities in the Southeast for years, and the Biomass industry is dead set on expanding into the Pacific Northwest. We did a deep dive into Biomass a couple of years ago, which you can find in the Coast Range Radio podcast feed.But with the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans (along with some Democrats) attempting to gut protections for forests, now is a good time to learn from activists in the South and check in on the state of Biomass here in the Northwest.So I'm joined by two amazing guests, Dr Treva Gear with The Dogwood Alliance, and Brenna Bell of 350PDX.While you're here, please make sure you're subscribed, and consider leaving us a nice review on your podcast app!My email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, reach out anytime with questions, feedback, or just to say hi.Show Notes:https://dogwoodalliance.org/https://350pdx.org/ax-drax/https://www.nobigbiomasspnw.org/"Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?" - https://burnedthemovie.com/Support the show

This show has been pretty Oregon-centric, but I'm told there is a large landmass just north of us that also has a lot of amazing people doing environmental and climate justice work.  So I'm putting my Oregon bias aside for today to learn more about one of the most exciting and effective climate forest campaigns in the Pacific Northwest - Washington Legacy Forest Defense Campaign!To find out what a legacy forest is, and how folks are working to protect them, I'm joined by Joshua Wright with the Washington Legacy Forest Defense Coalition.  I'm also joined by Lee First with Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, to learn about the great work they do to protect Washington's coastal waterways and watersheds.Please help me out by sharing texting the link to this show to a friend or two (or sharing any other way!).  And we have a new instagram page, just in case you're into that sort of thing...Show Notes:https://twinharborswaterkeeper.org/https://www.wlfdc.org/Support the show

Today, to celebrate the first independent episode of Coast Range Radio, we are going to try something new! Sometimes its important to step back and place our work, and ourselves, in a larger context.  And even amidst the relentless assaults we are currently facing, I think this is one of those times.So I am thrilled to be joined by bestselling Oregon author, John Larison, to talk about his transcendent new book, The Ancients.  It is, among many other things, a deeply moving allegory on the climate crisis, deep time, and the resilience of life.More importantly, it is a thrilling and beautiful story, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!  The Ancients is available at local bookstores and online. The new show email is coastrangeradio@gmail.com, reach out anytime with questions, thoughts, and show ideas!Support the show

On March first, the president issued two executive orders designed to dramatically increase commercial logging on our public lands.  These executive orders are bad news on their own, but the situation is actually even more dire.These orders are part of a decades-long effort by industry, the ultra wealthy, and radical right wing anti-government legislators to privatize our public lands and extract maximum profit for the wealthy few. And look, I know that there are a million attacks and assaults that are demanding your attention.  I'm not here to tell you that forest policy is more or less important than anything else.But we in the Pacific Northwest have way more agency and influence over our public lands than most of the other battles being waged.  And in the age of spiraling climate chaos, any intact or recovering forest that is logged is a forest that may never come back.Last week, Oregon Wild put on a fantastic webinar where they went into detail on the executive orders, federal legislation, agency sabotage, and other ways that this Republican government is working to destroy our public lands.But they didn't stop at the doom and gloom.  They talked extensively about a wide variety of actions that we can take to fight back. They were kind enough to let me air clips of that webinar for today's show.  It was too long to play in its entirety for our format, so unfortunately I wasn't able to include the sections where they talked about strategies for contacting legislators, using social media, and other tactics.  But you can watch the entire webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO35KTq3CK8You can also find a really useful activism toolkit they put together at oregonwild.org/activist-toolkit/What you're going to hear today is a breakdown of what is happening at the federal level, including with these recent executive orders, and I hope you'll feel angry and inspired to take action.Show Notes:Webinar on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO35KTq3CK8Oregon Wild Activist Toolkit: https://oregonwild.org/activist-toolkit/The public lands privatization game plan: https://www.andykerr.net/kerr-public-lands-blog/2025/2/28/the-monetization-of-public-landsTrump Timber EOs:https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/immediate-expansion-of-american-timber-production/https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/addressing-the-threat-to-national-security-from-imports-of-timber-lumber/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

The Forest Service is using the threat of wildfires to justify a drastic expansion of commercial logging on our public lands. That is the contention in an investigative reporting series from Nathan Gilles at Columbia Insight.  Many of us in the environmental world have long thought this to be the case, and this series brings the receipts, including internal Forest Service documents, emails, and more.The Forest Service has received billions of dollars in recent years on top of their normal budget specifically to protect communities from wildfire.  If they are using those funds to push commercial logging, they are not only not making communities safer, they may very well be putting communities and forests at greater risk by using methods that increase the risk of high severity fire. We go deep on Nathan's reporting on the scandal, as well as some of his other science reporting.*** Quick Reminder to take action to push the Forest Service during the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment comment period.  That comment period ends on March 17th, so please take just a few minutes to speak up for our forests.  See below for links and resources.Cascadia Wildlands NWFP Action Page: https://www.cascwild.org/weigh-in-on-the-future-of-northwest-public-forests/Tribal sign on letter https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdybP5o7aSUBUaBuHV2MpZER54vX-Twmoi72DGJDPqX7jJeNA/viewformMy email is michael@coastrange.org, I love getting feedback and show ideas so drop me line!Show Notes:https://nathangilles.com/USFS investigative piecesPart 1 https://columbiainsight.org/exclusive-the-forest-service-is-using-the-threat-of-wildlfires-to-meet-timber-targets/Part 2 https://columbiainsight.org/a-mount-hood-forest-fuel-break-project-could-remove-old-growth-trees/Other StoriesAssisted Migration Primer: https://columbiainsight.org/what-is-assisted-migration-and-what-are-the-risks/Fungi and Assisted Migration: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/even-trees-need-friendsHow Hot Is Too Hot? https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/magazine/entry/between-hot-drought-and-heat-waves-climate-change-is-killing-trees#%23Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This episode is part three of our deep dive into the Forest Service's proposal to amend the Northwest Forest Plan, which covers 24 million acres over 17 nation forests spread across Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. As I've said before, it is one of the primary reasons we have any intact or recovering forests left in the Pacific Northwest. So, kind of a big deal…What we haven't gone in depth with yet is the conservation and environmental perspective.  So for a completely non-biased, totally neutral take on the good, the bad, and the “it's complicated” of the northwest forest plan, and so much more, I'm joined by Grace Brahler, wildlands director at Cascadia Wildlands.Before we get started, and I'm not about to ask for money, but if you appreciate Coast Range Radio, please help me grow our audience.  Thank your local radio station for carrying the show, share your favorite episode with your friends, go on apple podcasts or spotify and give us a 5 star review.  All of those things really do help, and best of all, they are quick and free!  And my email is michael@coastrange.org, please reach out anytime with feedback, guest ideas, or just to say hi!(Note: this episode was produced before Trump's Executive Orders on timber production.  We will talk about those in a future episode)Action Links:Cascadia Wildlands NWFP Action Page: https://www.cascwild.org/weigh-in-on-the-future-of-northwest-public-forests/Tribal sign on letter https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdybP5o7aSUBUaBuHV2MpZER54vX-Twmoi72DGJDPqX7jJeNA/viewformSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

We are going to have a couple banger episodes on the Northwest Forest Plan in the coming weeks, but I'm recording this on February 24th, just over one month since Trump's second term began, and I think we need to step back and take stock for a minute.   Don't worry, this episode is not going to be all about the dark lord, but the administration's actions have already had huge consequences here in the Pacific Northwest, so we need to address it.Most of what Trump and his court of billionaires and white supremacists/facists have done so far has not surprised me, even though it has been every bit as bad as I feared.  But I have to admit, I was caught off guard by how obsessed they have been with DEI.  Since when did concepts like diversity, equity, and inclusion become radical ideas that need to be punished with the full weight of the Federal government?  And how are the witchburnings affecting the environment, climate, and social justice movements?To answer those questions, and to discuss why DEI is so important in the environmental movement, I'm joined by aparna rajagopal.Aparna is is a self described writer, speaker, agitator, and advisor at the confluence of movements for equity and justice within the outdoor, environmental, and conservation movements.Before we get started, and I'm not about to ask for money, but if you appreciate Coast Range Radio, please help me grow our audience by sharing your favorite episode with your friends, and go on apple podcasts or spotify and give us a 5 star review.  It really does help, and best of all, it's quick and free!  And my email is michael@coastrange.org, please reach out anytime with feedback, guest ideas, or even a great sourdough recipe!Show Notes:https://theavarnagroup.com/2-weeks-in-reflections-recommendations-resources-on-dei/https://theavarnagroup.com/https://www.aparnarajagopal.com/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This is part two of our series on the Forest Service's major proposed changes to the Northwest Forest Plan.  As most of our listeners know, the 30 year old Northwest Forest Plan provides critical protections to over 24 million acres of public land in Oregon, Washington, and California.The Forest Service has proposed sweeping changes to the Plan through their recently released Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or DEIS, and public comment is open until March 17th. The DEIS would, among other things, give them wide latitude to drastically increase industrial scale logging, including in Mature and Old Growth forests.In part one of this series, we explored one most important, and also complex, aspects of the proposed changes - meaningful Tribal inclusion.  I highly recommend you listen to that episode if you haven't yet. You can find wherever you're listening to this episode!We are going to focus on two other key components of the plan, fire, and the fight to protect mature and old growth forests, in upcoming episodes.  And in the meantime, you can find guides on how to submit comments to the Forest Service in the links below.Today we are going to explore an often overlooked issue in the Northwest Forest Plan, and Forestry in general - Labor.  And more specifically, the exploitation of immigrant labor in our forests and timberlands.I'm joined by Manuel Machado from Oregon State University.  Manuel has done a lot of research into labor issues and exploitation of workers in the forestry sector.  Comment Writing Guides!Northwest Forest Plan DEIS Engagement toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MOAORP7b1YenBZsZj27qfBJiJU4b6oXAX6vXKtqdQ-w/edit?usp=sharingRecommendations for Tribal Sovereignty and Environmental Justice in the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Statement: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/nwfpjustfutures/resource-guide-for-making-public-comment/ Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

The Northwest Forest Plan is one of the primary reasons that we have any forest left in the Northwest.  Without it, and other protections that are now also at risk because of the Trump administration, our public lands would look no different than the industrial clearcuts and monocrop tree plantations that surround me in the Coast Range.In December, the Forest Service released its planned amendment to the Northwest Forest Plan in what is called a ‘Draft Environmental Impact Statement', or DEIS, and we the public have until March 17th to submit comments on their proposal.We are going to release several episodes focusing on the good, the bad, and complexities of the Forest Service's proposed changes, and we'll provide as much guidance as possible for how to submit comments and get involved in other ways.You can find guides to submit comments in the notes of the podcast version of this episode, and we will also be sharing links to comment writing guides on our website and social media very soon!For now, I'm so excited to start this mini-series off with Ryan Reed.  Ryan is from the Karuk, Hupa and Yurok tribes in Northern California, an Indigenous Fire Practitioner, wildland firefighter, co-founder of the Fire Generation Collaborative, and a member of the Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee, among many other things!  Ryan is a thoughtful, dynamic speaker, and I've wanted to have him on Coast Range Radio for a long time.Real quick before we get started, I love to get feedback, questions, show ideas or whatever else is on your mind.  My email is michael@coastrange.org.  If you appreciate what we do, please share this show with people in your community!Show Notes:https://www.firegencollab.org/https://fusee.org/Braiding Indigenous and Western Knowledge for Climate-Adapted Forests: https://depts.washington.edu/flame/mature_forests/pdfs/BraidingSweetgrassReport.pdfComment Writing Guides!Northwest Forest Plan DEIS Engagement toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MOAORP7b1YenBZsZj27qfBJiJU4b6oXAX6vXKtqdQ-w/edit?usp=sharingRecommendations for Tribal Sovereignty and Environmental Justice in the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Statement: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/nwfpjustfutures/resource-guide-for-making-public-comment/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Historic LA wildfires are still smoldering, the Oregon legislature is back in session, a massively controversial plan to drastically amend the northwest forest plan governing management policies on over 20 million acres of our most precious forests barrels forward, and that little matter of he who shall not be named returning to power and confirming that, like most sequels, this one will be worse, and yes, we are in the darkest and dumbest timeline.With so much to cover, why am I putting out a rerun?Well, I was all set to put out a brand new episode featuring speakers from a recent University or Oregon Symposium on the hugely consequential topic of Tribal Sovereignty and tribal inclusion in the Northwest forest plan.  But we had some last minute scheduling issues and I didn't have time to arrange a backup interview.  However, the event was amazing and explored some incredibly important, thorny, and inspiring issues, and I hope to bring you a conversation with some of those Tribal voices next episode.While I work to put together a new set of interviews on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Northwest Forest Plan draft amendment, including how you can help protect our most treasured forests, I think this is actually a great time to revisit an episode from last year on wildfire myths, facts, and misinformation.  Even if you already listened to this conversation when it came out, it is really worth a second listen.  I spend a lot of my time immersed in wildfire research, and I still got so much out of listening back to this interview.  I think you will too, so let's get to my interview from last year with Ralph Bloemers.  And I will note real quick that we discuss some proposed legislation from LAST year, which I think is still very relevant as we are dealing with all the same issues coming into the 2025 legislative session.Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This is our first episode of 2025, and while we brace for the tidal wave of insanity coming our way on the federal level, we are also preparing for Oregon's biennial legislative session.If you don't know, Oregon only has full legislative sessions in odd years, meaning that 2025 will be a big year for Oregon politics and policy.  Oregon's session runs from late January through late June, but most of the important opportunities for public input happen early, in February and March. I've been tracking a lot of bills as the session approaches, and I'll do my best to highlight as many as possible as the session goes on.  For instance, we'll have an episode coming up with my partners in the Oregon Ocean Alliance focusing on ocean and estuary protections, and I will be highlighting forest and climate bills as well.Today, I'm speaking with Linda Perrine of Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment, or OCERA.  OCERA is a coalition of over 30 groups pushing for a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to a healthy environment into Oregon law.As always, my email is michael@coastrange.org.  I'd love to know what you think of the show, and what you want us to cover this year.Show Notes:https://www.oceraunited.org/https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CNYOofPtUe48ZB7qzXKk02KzJD4PTfwk/viewMontana youth lawsuit: https://grist.org/regulation/held-v-montana-youth-climate-lawsuit-supreme-court-decision/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Today's show is the second part of a recent talk by conservationist and author, George Wuerthner, on the failures and fallacies of some of the ingrained beliefs around wildfires and wildfire suppression.George Wuerthner is a well-known ecologist and author who has dedicated his career to studying and advocating for wilderness and wildlife conservation. He is the author of nearly 40 books on environmental issues and natural history, including co-authoring and editing “Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy”.If you didn't hear part one, I would really encourage you to go back and listen to that episode first if possible.  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fallacy-of-chainsaw-medicine-for-wildfire/id1510457358?i=1000680034797You can listen for free by searching for Coast Range Radio on any podcast app, or at the Coast Range Radio page of our website, coastrange.org. I love to hear your thoughts on the show, email me at michael@coastrange.org anytime! Research Links/Show Notes:George's Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbWfIM5JA58Stop Clearcutting CA: https://www.sierraclub.org/grassroots-network/stop-clearcutting-ca/resources#fpfGeorge's book, Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest PolicySupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Our last episode was a great discussion with a Forest Service scientist and a forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy about the effects of various fire treatments on subsequent fire behavior.  While I appreciated their perspective and research, I wanted to bring in a different viewpoint on fire and forest ecology.It's important to remember that western forests have existed and thrived long before humans arrived in North America.  The impulse to “manage” the world around us is an ingrained human trait, and not even particularly unique to humans. However, while indigenous people throughout the Americas sustainably and vibrantly stewarded their lands for millennia, Western notions of forest management and stewardship have proven disastrous everywhere they have been forced upon landscapes and communities.So we as a society should be very cautious and humble about the idea that we can improve on nature, especially as we enter a deepening phase of the climate crisis.I promise that coast range radio is not becoming a wildfire policy podcast, but wildfire policy is the number one factor (after profits for the 1% of course) driving massive landscape management decisions across all ownership types.And it's especially relevant as the Forest service seems to be going all-in on aggressive ramped up logging in the name of wildfire management in its recently released draft environmental impact statement on its plan to amend the landmark Northwest Forest Plan.(In case you don't know, an environmental impact statement, or EIS, is a document produced by an agency as part of a mandatory process assessing environmental impacts for a given project or policy, and a draft EIS is the public's opportunity to weigh in on the agency's assessment.). Some call it genuine public engagement, and some call it a farce with a predetermined outcome.  We'll have a lot more to say about how you can engage meaningfully in the process and fight back regardless, as we'll begin a whole series on the northwest forest plan DEIS in January.So with all that in mind, I'm sharing a great talk that the Sierra Club's Stop Clearcutting California Team put on with conservationist George Wuerthner, as part of their Forest Protection Forum series.George Wuerthner is a well-known ecologist and author who has dedicated his career to studying and advocating for wilderness and wildlife conservation. He is the author of nearly 40 books on environmental issues and natural history, including co-authoring and editing “Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy” His talk was too good to edit into one episode, so I'm breaking it in two.  This is part one, and I will put out a full version in the podcast feed of coast range radio.I love to hear your thoughts on the show, email me at michael@coastrange.org anytime!Research Links/Show Notes:George's Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbWfIM5JA58Stop Clearcutting CA: https://www.sierraclub.org/grassroots-network/stop-clearcutting-ca/resources#fpfGeorge's book, Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest PolicySupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Like it or not, fire politics affects every aspect of public forest policy and the rural landscape, and that is not changing anytime soon.But is science or politics guiding the policy?  Are management decisions being made with forest ecology and community resilience as the top priorities, or are certain actors using fire as a smoke screen to score political wins, enrich wealthy mill owners, and prop up an outdated ideology that wants to turn public forests into tree plantations?  More relevant to today's conversation, what is the best available science actually telling us about fire and forest health?  About how, if, when, and why to take an active role in shaping forest landscapes with fire, healthy forest ecology, and fire resilient communities in mind?I'm joined today by Dr Kimberley Davis from the Forest Service's Missoula Fire Sciences Lab, and Dr Kerry Metlen, Senior Forest Scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Oregon.  They are two of the lead co-authors of a meta-analysis published this year examining the effects of thinning, prescribed fire, and wildfire on subsequent wildfire severity in dry type conifer forests of the Western US.They are an absolute wealth of knowledge and I was so appreciative of their ability to get into the complexities of their research in a way that was engaging and understandable.Research Links/Show Notes:Tamm Review: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/67659Summarized version with graphics: https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/pubs_journals/rmrs/sycu/2024/sycu_photos_2024_10_treatments.pdfAlternative Take on the Paper from Andy Kerr: https://www.andykerr.net/kerr-public-lands-blog/2024/8/30/rethinking-commercial-thinning-as-a-tool-to-ecologically-restore-frequent-fire-forest-types-part-2-burn-baby-burnStorymap mentioned by Kerry: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/64f55848f690452da6c58e5a888ff283Coast Range Radio fire episodes:Is the Forest Serviec Falsifying the Scientific Record, w Chad Hanson: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1046044/episodes/13024030Taxing Big Timber to Protect Communities from Wildfire: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1046044/episodes/14354418Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

As we all collectively live through the unfolding trauma of the 2024 election results, I am going to share a conversation I had yesterday with two of my colleagues in the climate justice world that I found really helpful in starting to process what this election could mean for climate justice and our movement, and how to engage in these early stages.I'm joined today by Brenna Bell from 350pdx and Forest Climate Alliance Organizer Alex Budd.  And quick disclaimer, this conversation does not necessarily represent the views of our respective organizations.If you find this show helpful, or unhelpful, or if you just want to let me know what's  on your mind, please email me anytime at michael@coastrange.org.And please consider sharing or recommending this show to other folks in your circles.  Coast Range Radio is on all podcasts, on community radio stations throughout Oregon, and at coastrange.org.  Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

“We are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster. This is a global emergency beyond any doubt. Much of the very fabric of life on Earth is imperiled.  We are stepping into a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis”.Those are the opening sentences of the 2024 State of the Climate Report, led in part by scientists at Oregon State University.  I'm willing to bet that not a single person listening to this needs to be convinced that fossil fuel caused climate change is a global emergency.I think the questions that we're all asking are, how bad is it?  Are we too late to act?  And if not, what can we do to force real action?  My guest today is Dr Jillian Gregg, one of the co-authors of the State of the Climate report.  Dr Gregg is also the CEO Terrestrial ecosystems research associates. This was a great conservation, and I hope you come away angry and inspired like I did.  Get in touch with your thoughts at michael@coastrange.org!2024 State of the Climate: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biae087/7808595?login=false#485024408Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Oregon Rural Action and Food and Water Watch recently conducted a rare flyover of Threemile Canyon Farms, one of Oregon's most notorious factory cattle farms, also known by the simultaneously anodyne and horrifying technical name: confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO, in Morrow County.In conjunction with that, both organizations have released detailed, interactive maps highlighting the extent of factory farms and associated pollution in Oregon.  These maps, and the accompanying reports, show that factory farms are expanding in Oregon, even as the public awareness of the devastating impacts grow.I'm joined today by Kaleb Ley from Oregon Rural and Aimee Travis-Stone with Food and Water Watch to learn about their efforts to confront and expose factory farms.We covered a lot more than we could fit into 30 minutes, so if you want to listen to the entire interview, or any of our episodes, you can find Coast Range Radio on any podcast app or at coastrange.org.Research Links/Show Notes:Oregon Rural Action Network: https://www.oregonrural.org/ORA Pollution Map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1ukX5PtNPEJOnN6UwiM6mUmilxRV95Sc&ll=45.839986808522895%2C-119.6917593922625&z=9FWW Oregon Mega-dairy fact sheet (2022): https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/FSW_2205_ORMega-Dairies.pdfFWW Oregon Factory Farm Fact Sheet: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/FSW_0924_FFMap_OR.pdfFWW Ineractive FF National Map: https://foodandwater.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/filtergallery/index.html?appid=571800658574445b9295f1aa8817e8aaEvent page for Food and Water Watch webinar, Oct 24th, 6:30-7:30: Mobilize Event PageSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Freshwater, i.e. non-salinated water, is arguably the most precious resource on earth, and in Oregon, by law, all water belongs to the public.  However, if you examine who actually controls water usage in Oregon, you might come away with a very different impression.Water rights, and the laws that govern them, are incredibly consequential for both humans and ecosystems, and will only become more so in the coming years and decades.A few months ago, I attended a talk by Christopher Hall, executive director of The Water League, focused on Oregon's push to modernize our water code in the 2025 legislative session. I came away from that talk fired up about water rights, and I'm excited to be joined by him today to talk about The Water League's efforts to reform Oregon's water codes https://www.waterleague.org/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Today's episode is part two of my interview with Rand Schenk, author of a great new book on history of the Forest Service, its founder, Gifford Pinchot, and over 100 years of forest management and mismanagement in the Pacific Northwest.The book, “Forest Under Siege: The Story of Old Growth After Gifford Pinchot”,  chronicles the Forest Service's progressive populist origins, how it abandoned its founding mission of conservation and drove our old growth forests to the brink of extinction, and how, or if, the agency is entering a new restoration ecology era.In part one of our interview, which you can find on the podcast feed of Coast Range Radio or at coastrange.org, we covered the story of the forest service from its humble beginnings through the era of hubris and destruction, and ended that episode with the creation of the Northwest Forest Plan.  On today's episode, we really get into the big questions around how the Forest Service wants to manage National Forests for the next generation, whether they can be trusted, and how we can protect our public lands right now.   On that note, I'll be joined by Coast Range Association's Executive Director, Chuck Willer, for an update on our campaign to protect Mature and Old Growth in the Siuslaw National Forest, so stick around for that!  Learn more at https://coastrange.org/actnow/Forest Under Siege is available at local bookstores throughout the northwest, and you can order a copy online by searching for Forest Under Siege.Support the Show.Please Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Today's episode is part one of a two part interview with Rand Schenk, author of a fascinating and timely new history of the Forest Service, its founder, Gifford Pinchot, and over 100 years of forest management and mismanagement in the Pacific Northwest.The book, “Forest Under Siege: The Story of Old Growth After Gifford Pinchot”,  explores the Forest Service's progressive populist origins, how it abandoned its founding mission of conservation and drove our old growth forests to the brink of extinction, and how, or if, the agency is entering a new restoration ecology era.Forest Under Siege is available at local bookstores throughout the northwest, and you can order a copy online by searching for Forest Under Siege.Rand will be giving a book reading at Powell's Books in Downtown Portland at 7pm on Wednesday, July 31st.Research Links/Show Notes:Powell's Link:https://www.powells.com/book/forest-under-siege-9781638640257/1-1Support the Show.Please Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Whether you live in a city, a small town, or even if you get your water from a well like I do, one of the biggest threats to drinking water in the Pacific Northwest is industrial logging.(A hugely notable exception is portland, which as my guest will touch on in the interview, does not allow logging in its drinking water source, the Bull Run watershed.  Portland's water also happens to be famous for its purity and taste, probably a coincidence though…)However, by law, Oregon's drinking watersheds have no special protections to safeguard them from being polluted or destroyed by industrial logging, and many watersheds are in the hands of large timber corporations whose executives could not care less about our drinking water.One of the worst examples of this dynamic is Jetty Creek, which is the sole source of drinking water for Rockaway Beach on Oregon's North Coast.We at the Coast Range Association have long supported and assisted the work of North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection, and I'm excited to be able to highlight their work fighting to safeguard drinking water for their communities.They are a great example of a grassroots organizing campaign based around a local issue that also connects their struggle to the broader justice movement.Before we get to that, I wanted to give a very quick update on our campaign to protect the Siuslaw National Forest, or as some folks have called it, the Siuslaw Strategic National Carbon Reserve.Many of our listeners already know that the Coast Range is the most productive temperate rainforest in the world in terms of its carbon sequestration potential.  Basically, the trees grow really big, really fast, and can live for a very long time if we don't cut them down.As the only National Forest in the Coast Range, the Siuslaw not only provides critical habitat for endangered species, it can either serve as a carbon sink or a carbon bomb, based on the management practices of the Forest Service.And as we've discussed in depth on previous episodes, the Forest Service is in the middle of dual processes amending its management practices.  So what could possibly go wrong, right?The Coast Range Association is engaged in a summer of action to protect the Siuslaw, and we need your help.  Whether you can come out into the woods with us, help organize events, table at farmers markets, or don't know what to do, we can use your help!We'll have more updates as our campaign progresses, but for now, go to coastrange.org and click the Siuslaw National Forest Action Page to learn more and sign up, and you can email me at michael@coastrange.org anytime.Show Notes:Siuslaw National Forest Action Page: https://coastrange.org/coast-range-association/siuslaw-action/North Coast Communities For Watershed Protection: https://healthywatershed.org/Save Mothball Hill campaign: https://www.change.org/Save-MothballHill-DavisRidge-SloughHill-from-ClearcuttingSupport the Show.Please Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

The Coast Range Association is a founding member of the brand new Oregon Ocean Alliance, which has formed to more effectively advocate for Oregon's ocean and coast ecosystems.  In a future episode, I'll be talking with some of the other founding members about our mission and goals and all of that good stuff.The reason I bring it up today is that one of our top ocean priorities is protecting and restoring Kelp forests.  And no one in Oregon is doing more to help kelp than the Oregon Kelp Alliance.  The Oregon Kelp Alliance, also known as ORKA, recently launched a major new project called The Oregon Kelp Forest Protection and Restoration Initiative, aimed at protecting and restoring critical kelp forests off of Oregon's Coast. I've invited the director of ORKA, Tom Calvanese, to talk about the new initiative, the global Kelp Forest Challenge and all things kelp.  Tom is a scientist, urchin diver, manager of the OSU field station in port orford, and an inspiring and passionate advocate for Oregon's Marine ecosystems, and I am so excited to talk with him today.  If you're inspired by our show today, you can learn more about everything we'll discuss today, including how to help save our kelp forests, by going to the show notes of the podcast, at our show page on the coastrange.org website, or go straight to the source: Oregonkelp.com.Research Links/Show Notes:Oregon Kelp Alliance: https://www.oregonkelp.com/Kelp Forest Alliance Roadmap: https://kelpforestalliance.com/roadmapSupport the Show.Please Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

About a year and half ago, we did an episode on a Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, timber sale in Southern Oregon called Poor Windy, as part of our Worth More Standing series highlighting some of the biggest threats to mature and old growth forests on public lands.Recently, community activists set up a tree sit in an old growth grove that was targeted for logging within the Poor Windy sale, and within weeks, they were able to get the BLM to withdraw part of that sale!  To talk about the tree sit and the victory, I'm joined by Grace Warner of Siskiyou Rising tide.But first we'll hear a short excerpt of my interview with George Sexton from Klamath-Siskiyou Wild from that previous episode, which helps set the scene and context of the issues I'll be discussing with Grace.  You can find the earlier Poor Windy episode, and our entire catalogue, for free on any podcast app or at our website, coastrange.org. Links and Further Exploration:Worth More Standing Reporthttps://www.instagram.com/siskiyou_risingtide/https://www.instagram.com/treesittersunionhttps://itsgoingdown.org/in-win-for-community-forest-defenders-stop-old-growth-logging-after-three-week-blockade-in-oregon/Support the Show.Please Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Today, we're going to go deep on an incredibly important subject, albeit one with a somewhat less than stirring name if you aren't already familiar: The northwest forest planThe northwest forest plan sets the overall management strategy for 17 National Forests across a staggering 24 million acres of federal lands in Washington, Oregon and northwestern California, and the forest service is in the process of changing that plan in a significant way for the first time in its 30 year history!Those changes could have absolutely massive consequences for the future of some of our most iconic forests, the human and non-human communities that rely on them, and even for the planet.So it is vitally important that we make sure that the Forest Service amends the northwest forest plan in a way that strengthens forest protections, prioritizing ecosystem health and carbon sequestration.Sadly, the higher ups in forest service may very well try to use this process as a way to weaken environmental protections and increase logging, even on mature and old growth!We can't let that happen.  This is a once in a generation opportunity and threat, and it is going to take massive public pressure and engagement to prevail over the Timber industry machinations that would seek to re-open these forests for wholesale liquidation.  To talk about all this I'm joined by the Coast Range Association's Director, Chuck Willer.  We're going to go through our campaign to educate, activate, and empower local grassroots groups to protect these forests, and why we are focusing our efforts on the Siuslaw National Forest here in the Coast Range.You can learn more about everything we'll be talking about today on the home page of our website, coastrange.org.Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

It is important to celebrate our victories, and today we get to talk about two of them!The Oregon Board of Forestry (BoF) recently voted to approve its first ever Habitat Conservation Plan on State Forests, and a bill to fully fund and strengthen Oregon's Marine Reserve Program sailed through the recent legislative session.To talk about these victories and get updates on what's ahead for both of these campaigns, I'm joined today by one of the leaders of each of these efforts.  Charlie Plybon from Surfrider Foundation will discuss the OMRP  legislation and what's next for ocean conservation,  and Michael Lang from the Wild Salmon Center will give us an update on the BoF's historic vote.We have done deep dives into both of these campaigns on previous episodes, so if you want to learn more, check out our free archive on the Coast Range Radio podcast feed or at our website, coastrange.org.And as always, my email is michael@coastrange.org. Research Links/Show Notes:Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife - Marine Reserves: https://oregonmarinereserves.com/Oregon Marine Reserves Partnership: https://omrp.org/State Forest Campaignhttps://standtalloregon.org/https://www.oregon.gov/odf/aboutodf/pages/stateforestsfmp.aspxOregon Department of Forestry- Forest Management Plan Homepage: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/aboutodf/pages/stateforestsfmp.aspxSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

We often think of the land and the sea as separate worlds that have little to do with each other.  But that barrier is much more fluid and interconnected than many people realize.We've talked on this program before about what folks call the ‘Land-Sea Connection', and today we're going to talk about the ‘connection' piece of that equation, estuaries! Estuaries are where the land and sea meet and intermingle, and are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world.To talk all about the campaign to protect and restore Oregon's estuaries, I'm joined by Annie Merrill of Oregon Shores.Research Links/Show Notes:Oregon Shores Estuary Hub: https://oregonshores.org/programs-campaigns/campaign-for-oregons-estuaries/Port of Coos Bay Container Port Project: https://www.portofcoosbay.com/pacific-coast-intermodal-portChannel modification: https://www.portofcoosbay.com/channel-modification-projectSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

On today's show, Canopy of Titans: the Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest!Canopy of Titans is a new book written by journalists Paul Koberstein and Jessica Applegate which shines a light on the critical importance of protecting the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.Paul and Jessica spent years reporting and researching for this book, traveling from the redwoods all the way up to alaska, and interviewing dozens of scientists, activists, experts, and even a few industry shills.  The result is a truly moving celebration of the incredible forests we fight for, and a major contribution to that fight.Canopy of Titans has just been announced as a finalist for the 2024 Oregon Book awards, and I am thrilled to be joined by one of the authors, Paul Koberstein.Cascadia Times: https://times.org/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Where I live in the coast range, I am surrounded in all directions by industrial timber plantations for miles in all directions.Now, I have no problem with logging.  I think silviculture is a good and noble profession.  But it is plain for anyone to see that the short rotation, financialized plantation management practiced by the Wall Street investors who own the vast majority of private timberland is destroying our communities and ecosystems.The Coast Range Association has been highlighting the need for an alternative model of forest management that sustains both economies and ecosystems for decades.  So when I heard about today's guest's research into community forests, I was all ears.Alexander Harris is the Land and Water policy manager at the bellingham based non-profit ReSources.   Alexander recently completed a graduate program in Environmental Policy at Western Washington University, where his research explored how community-driven forest stewardship can help restore watersheds.Research Links/Show Notes:Restoring The Nooksak Through Community-Driven Forest Stewardship: https://cedar.wwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2151&context=wwuetReferenced in this episode:https://www.nwcommunityforests.org/https://stewartmountaincf.org/https://nisquallylandtrust.org/our-lands-and-projects/nisqually-community-foresthttps://www.dnr.wa.gov/Teanawayhttps://co.chelan.wa.us/natural-resources/pages/nason-ridge-community-foresthttps://www.sightline.org/profile/kate-anderson/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBKlofDmdpo&pp=ygUOamVycnkgZnJhbmtsaW4%3DSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

For those of us who work to make a positive impact on the world, there is often a default towards focusing on big national and international level issues.Between the rapidly worsening climate crisis, national campaigns to preserve Mature and Old growth forests, decarbonization and electrification fights, never-ending election cycles, on and on,  it's easy to forget that there are important local, grassroots struggles happening in communities everywhere that deserve our support and attention.Local campaigns are, for a variety of reasons, overlooked and underappreciated. But that's where a small number of dedicated people can have an outsized impact, and cumulatively, these local fights can translate into big wins..I am going to work to highlight some of those campaigns this year, and we'll learn about two of them today.Research Links/Show Notes:Winchester Damhttps://winchesterdam.com/Feb 17 Roseburg Protest: https://winchesterdam.com/saturday-february-17-2024-at-100-pm-protest-to-remove-winchester-dam-in-front-of-fred-meyer-in-roseburg/Pipe Fork Creek/Williams Community Forest Projecthttp://williamscommunityforestproject.org/https://www.williamscommunityforestproject.org/save-pipe-fork/https://www.change.org/p/permanently-prevent-the-clearcutting-of-pipe-fork-mature-forest-in-josephine-countySupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

I don't have to tell anyone reading this that here in the west, wildfires are a fact of life. I'm also sure that most folks are already aware that the climate crisis, combined with more and more homes being built in and around forest lands is creating an escalating cycle of devastation in fire prone communities.There is a tremendous amount of pressure on politicians and agencies to act, or at least to be seen to be acting, but right now, too many people, including many key decision makers, are looking at the problem backwards.To talk about the real solutions to protecting communities from wildfires, as well as an exciting piece of legislation making its way through Salem, I'm joined by Ralph Bloemers.  Ralph is the Director of Fire Safe Communities for the Green Oregon Alliance, producer of the award winning wildfire documentary Elemental, and has worked on forest conservation issues for decades.  He is a wealth of information on wildfires, the right and wrong way to protect communities and homes, and current legislative efforts to address these issues. You can also email me anytime with feedback, questions, or show ideas at michael@coastrange.orgShow Notes:https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/23/jeff-golden-preps-proposals-wildfire-preparedness-funding/https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/01/03/oregon-needs-more-money-to-fight-big-wildfires-who-should-pay-for-it/https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/01/10/timber-industry-tied-to-proposal-shifting-wildfire-protection-costs-from-landowners-to-public/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This is our first episode of 2024, and I can't think of a better guest to start the year off with than State Representative David Gomberg.Representative Gomberg represents House district 10, which encompassess Lincoln County, as well as parts of western Benton and Lane counties, and happens to be my State Representative.Among many other positions, he serves as co-vice chair of the powerful Ways and Means budgeting committee and co-chair of the subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development, and is the Chair of the bipartisan Coastal Caucus.Before we get started, if you want to learn more about the Oregon Legislature, how it works, how to meaningfully engage, how to contact your representatives, and more, oregonlegislature.gov is a pretty great resource for a government run website.  There are also links to resources and tutorials in our show notes below.You can also email me, michael@coastrange.org, with questions, comments, or suggestions about this episode, or anything else.Show Notes:David Gomberg Legislative Webpage https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberghttps://www.oregonlegislature.gov/https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023I1#Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

It's dark, it's cold, and it's very rainy.  We may be a couple weeks from the solstice as of this recording, but for my money, we've definitely entered another coast range winter.I love to use this time of year to reflect and take stock, so I figured it was a great time to invite the Coast Range Association's Executive director, Chuck Willer back for our annual year in review episode.You can find out more about everything we'll be discussing today at our website, coastrange.org, and I really want to encourage everyone listening to go to the website and subscribe to our email newsletter.  We only send out a few emails a year, and I can promise that Chuck always has something to say that's worth reading!Research Links/Show Notes:https://coastrange.org/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/https://coastrange.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Wealth-Income-and-Rural-Communities-sm.pdfNW Forest Plan Amendment One-pager: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1151261.pdfSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

I recently had a great interview with Brenna TwoBears from the Indigenous Environmental Network, but I couldn't fit our whole conversation into our last full episode. Brenna came on to talk about IEN's ongoing fight to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, and how you can take action by submitting comments to the army corps of engineers by December 13th.   But we also covered a lot more ground, and I really appreciated what Brenna had to say on the broader context of an indigenous just transition, the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine, and more!I think anyone who likes this show will too, so I'm putting out an extended version of our conversation.If you like what we're doing here on Coast Range Radio, please help us out by sharing this episode with your friends, and consider leaving us a nice review on whatever podcast app you use.Ps- if you don't know how to do that, feel free to email me at michael@coastrange.org and I'll send you directions.As always you can find all episodes of Coast Range Radio on apple podcasts, spotify, or any other podcast app, and at coastrange.org .And, last plug I promise, it would mean a lot to us at the coast range association for you to become a monthly donor at coastrange.org, or click this donate link.  We are a small outfit, but we're extremely passionate about this work, and your support is critical to our ability to be effective.Research Links/Show Notes:Indigenous Environmental Network: https://www.ienearth.org/IEN's DAPL action alert: https://www.ienearth.org/dapl-deis-public-comment-period-extended/Register for Dec 7th virtual comment writing party: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcuusqjIiHNSQqFH0ID1davrVIBxBkAs1#/registrationFurther reading on DAPL:https://truthout.org/articles/5-years-after-standing-rock-native-tribes-still-fight-dakota-access-pipeline/https://www.npr.org/2023/09/08/1198492185/dakota-access-pipeline-river-crossing-environmental-reviewSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Today, we have not one, but two amazing guests talking about two important and timely topics: the Dakota Access Pipeline fight, and the recent Elliot State Forest drama.Bob Sallinger joins to walk me through the bombshell that Oregon State University just dropped on the Elliott State forest process, and why them walking away might actually be good news.But first, we'll hear a short excerpt of my conversation with Brenna TwoBears from the Indigenous Environmental Network about their ongoing fight to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, and how you can take action by submitting comments to the army corps of engineers by December 13th.  My conversation with Brenna was really fun and we covered way more ground than I could fit into this episode, so I'm releasing the extended interview as a bonus podcast.  I hope you give that a listen, I think fans of this show will really appreciate the full conversation!Speaking of our podcast feed, we have very few reviews and ratings, and it would mean a lot to me if a few more listeners gave us a rating and review. And, last plug I promise, it would mean a lot to us at the coast range association for you to become a monthly donor at coastrange.org, or click this donate link.  We are a small outfit, but we're extremely passionate about this work, and your support is critical to our ability to be effective.As always, my email is michael@coastrange.org.Research Links/Show Notes:Previous CRR interview w Bob Sallinger on the Elliot: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1046044/10000241Bird Conversation Oregon: https://www.birdconservationoregon.org/Oregon Dept of State Lands Elliott page: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Land/Pages/Elliott.aspxIndigenous Environmental Network: https://www.ienearth.org/IEN's DAPL action alert: https://www.ienearth.org/dapl-deis-public-comment-period-extended/Register for Dec 7th virtual comment writing party: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrcuusqjIiHNSQqFH0ID1davrVIBxBkAs1#/registrationFurther reading on DAPL:https://truthout.org/articles/5-years-after-standing-rock-native-tribes-still-fight-dakota-access-pipeline/https://www.npr.org/2023/09/08/1198492185/dakota-access-pipeline-river-crossing-environmental-reviewSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This is part three of our Forests Over Profits series, featuring selected presentations from the Forests Over Profits Conference that the Coast Range Association helped organize this September.I'm so excited for you to hear this talk by John Brush of the Cedar Moon Collective and Tryon Life Farm, entitled, "Should Anyone Own The Forest?".From the "Rights of Nature" legal movement, to community forestry, and resurgent indigenous sovereignty, Brush shared a diverse and creative set of approaches that seek to undermine capitalist extraction as the primary human relation with land. I really appreciated how Brush's approach made me think about forest ownership and relation to the land from a completely different perspective.If this show helps give you a different perspective or inspires you, please consider subscribing to Coast Range Radio on apple podcasts, spotify, or any podcast app, and I would be so grateful if you would leave a good review.  You can also learn more about the Coast Range Association at coastrange.org and my email is michael@coastrange.org.Research Links/Show Notes: - ‘Should anyone "own" the forest?', by John Brush, brush@riseup.net, (includes research links in the endnotes) https://tryonfarm.org/who.owns.forest.pdf - New Zealand forest and river given rights of “legal person”http://maorilawreview.co.nz/2014/10/tuhoe-crown-settlement-te-urewera-act-2014/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/16/new-zealand-river-granted-same-legal-rights-as-human-beingThis episode is dedicated to the memory of Sean Jacobson.  Sean was an incredibly passionate activist, permaculture practitioner, and an active member of many many different organizing efforts.  I knew Sean through our work with the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance, which put on the Forests Over Profits conference.I know how bleak the world can often feel, and it can be hard not to feel hopeless sometimes.  But there is always beauty in the world, and there is always something to keep living and fighting for.If you're struggling, it's not your fault and you are not alone.  Please reach out to someone, whether it's a friend or family member, a therapist, or as comedian Maria Bamford says, any random stranger who will listen.   Speaking of, again, my email is michael@coastrange.org, and I've always got a willing ear to lend.https://988lifeline.org/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This episode is part two of our Forests Over Profits series, featuring excerpts from our Forests Over Profits conference and protests this past September.  If you're not familiar with this series, here's what you need to know:This September, the Coast Range Association, in partnership with many other amazing organizations, organized a series of protests and a day long Forests Over Profits conference in response to a corporate timberland investment conference called, and this is their title, “Who Will Own the Forest”.Who Will Own The Forest brings together some of the world's biggest climate polluters, corporate clear-cutters, finance giants, and false climate solutions peddlers, to network and scheme on how to extract maximum short-term returns from while devastating our communities and the climate.If you want to learn more about the Who Will Own The Forest conference, I would highly encourage you to go back and listen to the episode I did a few weeks back called, “Who Will Own the Forest, with Brenna Bell”, which you can find on the Coast Range Radio podcast feed.You can also learn more at forestsoverprofits.org.Ok, back to this episode. Today, we'll hear from Coast Range Association executive Director Chuck Willer.  Chuck spoke about the groundbreaking work Coast Range Association has done highlighting the devastating role that wall street style capitalism has played in northwest forests, his Green New Deal for Northwest Forests proposal, and new directions his research is taking him.You can learn more about everything discussed here today, and a lot more, at coastrange.org.Research Links/Show Notes:Coast Range Association: https://coastrange.org/Green New Deal for NW Forests: https://coastrange.org/gnd-proposal/Wealth, Income, and Rural Communities: https://coastrange.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Wealth-Income-and-Rural-Communities-sm.pdfForests Over Profits:Forestsoverprofits.orghttps://www.worldforestry.org/who-will-own-the-forest/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

Hopefully, you've already heard our last two episodes on the Who Will Own The Forest conference, or maybe you attended the Forests Over Profits protest or counter-conference that We helped organize in response.If not, I would highly encourage you to go back and listen to the episode I did a few weeks back called, “Who Will Own the Forest, with Brenna Bell” so you can have some context for this episode.  You can also go to forestsoverprofits.org to learn more.As everyone who attended our counter-conference can attest, it was a packed day of inspiring and enraging presentations, and I am working to get as many of them as possible uploaded as bonus episodes in the coming weeks.  This episode features one of my favorites, a panel presentation with Brenna TwoBear and Thomas Joseph of the Indigenous Environmental Network Panel (IEN).  They were also joined by IEN interns Elisa Soto-Danseco and Joshua Witchger, who actually went inside the Who Will Own The Forest Conference and gave a reportback on what they saw from the inside.See Below for links and further reading, and learn more about the Indigenous Environmental Network at IENearth.org.  Research Links/Show Notes:CRR #65: Who Will Own The Forest, with Brenna Bell:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-will-own-the-forest-with-brenna-bell/id1510457358?i=1000627598597https://coastrange.org/Forestsoverprofits.orgIndigenous Environmental Networkhttps://www.ienearth.org/https://www.puebloactionalliance.org/no-false-solutionshttps://www.ienearth.org/nature-based-solutions/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This September, The Coast Range Association, along with partners like 350pdx, Indigenous Environmental Network, Rainforest Action Network, the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance, and many more, organized a major protest and counter conference in response to the Who Will Own The Forest timber investor conference.If you aren't familiar with the Who Will Own the Forest Conference, I'd encourage you to listen to the episode with Brenna Bell of 350pdx, which you can find on this pod feed or at our website, coastrange.org.The short version is that Who Will Own The Forest is an annual “timberland investment conference” bringing together some of the world's biggest climate polluters, corporate forest clear-cutters, finance giants, and false climate solutions peddlers.  Just to name a few, JP morgan-Chase, weyerhauser,  BP,  the list goes on and on, but you get the idea. Attendees come from all over the world to scheme on ever more efficient ways to exploit communities and natural resources, sabotage efforts to decarbonize, and extract maximum profits for the 1%.So in response, we staged a day long protest outside of the conference which drew around two hundred people, and the next day, we held a day long, Forests Over Profits  counter conference which was attended by roughly the same number of folks! There is clearly an appetite for taking on Wall St's exploitation of forestlands, and I'm so excited to see where this movement goes from here.  If you want to learn more or get involved, email me at michael@coastrange.org.For today's episode, I'm going to be airing a few clips from our Forests over Profits Conference, and I will be putting out another episode or two highlighting different presentations from the Forests Over Profits Conference soon.  I'm releasing this episode on Indigenous People's Day, October 9th, So in honor of that, today's episode will focus on clips from some of our conference's Indigenous presenters, including an Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) panel discussion and a talk on the commercialization of Huckleberries and other sacred foods.  The Indigenous Environmental Network panel in particular was really powerful and inspiring, but I only have time to air a few clips for our radio edition.   I really encourage you to listen to their entire presentation, so I'll be putting out the full discussion as a bonus episode on this feed.Links and resources:CRR #65: Who Will Own The Forest, with Brenna Bell:More about our campaigns:https://coastrange.org/Forestsoverprofits.orghttps://www.ienearth.org/The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative False Solutions AllianceHuckleberry commercializationFairy Creek campaign:-Amazing documentary https://rematriationthefilm.com/-About Grandma LosahSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

We talk a lot on this show about the devastation wrought on our environment and communities by invasive capitalism, and today we get to talk about something tangible we can do to fight back!On September 26-28, Wall Street investors will join timber corporations, big oil, carbon offset & biomass companies in Portland for their annual “Who Will Own the Forest?” conference. With tickets costing over two thousand dollars apiece, this “timberland investment conference” brings together some of the world's biggest climate polluters, corporate forest clear-cutters, and false climate solutions peddlers.  For anyone who's watched the Godfather movie's, I liken this conference to the scene where the mafia bosses are all gathered around a cake with an image of Cuba on the top, divvying up the pieces of the island and deciding who gets control over what.But instead of Who WILL Own the Forest, we should be asking, who should own the forest?  Should forests even be owned?  And should the greatest value of our forests be reduced to quarterly returns for wealthy investors?A coalition of groups, including 350, Indigenous Environmental Network, Rainforest Action Network, the Coast Range association, and many more, think these are some of the questions that should be asked at the Who Will Own the Forest Conference.  And even though we weren't invited to this event, we're going anyway, and you are invited to join us!To talk about “Who will own the forest”, our response, and how to get involved in disrupting invasive capital's plans, I'm joined by Brenna Bell, the Forest Climate Manager for 350PDX.  She has been deeply involved in forest defense for over two decades, and is co-founder of the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance.  Links and Resources:https://forestsoverprofits.org/https://www.worldforestry.org/who-will-own-the-forest/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

One of the most important questions in the drive to rapidly decarbonize our society is how to replace fossil fuel generated electricity with clean, renewable sourcesAnd one of the key questions there is, what counts as clean and renewable?Today's episode is all about biomass energy, which is essentially the burning of pelletized wood for electricity.  The Biomass industry is valued at over 100 billion dollars per year and growing, and many countries count biomass as renewable and carbon neutral.  But is it really?  Or is it one more false solution which is polluting communities, exploiting natural resources, and worsening the climate crisis?  And with the Biomass industry looking to expand into the Pacific Northwest, what does that mean for our timberlands and rural communities?To answer these questions,  I'm joined by Rita Frost and Peter RiggsRita Frost is a forest advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Born and raised in the Southern US, she lives on unceded Kalapuya land in the Willamette Valley.  Rita has worked with communities confronting the biomass manufacturing industry in the Southern U.S. for the past 8 years. Peter Riggs is the director of Pivot Point, which works on a variety of land use and climate change issues in Washington state, nationally, globally.  He is based on Harstine Island in the southern Salish Sea.Research Links/Show Notes:https://environmentalpaper.org/the-biomass-delusion/Drax in Longview: https://www.kttn.com/v2-energy-market-for-wood-pellets-globally-threatens-u-s-forests/https://naacp.org/resources/resolution-wood-pellets-oppositionhttps://www.southernenvironment.org/news/new-study-confirms-harmful-impacts-of-biomass/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

North Coast Land Conservancy, or NCLC, has been working to conserve land along the northern Oregon coast and coast range for nearly 40 years, and Katie Voelke has been its Executive Director since 2008.In this interview, she discusses NCLC's conservation philosophy, Oregon's land-sea connection, reckoning with the ownership model of conservation on stolen indigenous lands, and more.Learn more about North Coast Land Conservancy at https://nclctrust.org/Learn about our organization, the Coast Range Association at https://coastrange.org/ , and my email is michael@coastrange.org Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

This episode is part two of my conversation with State Representative Mark Gamba, breaking down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the 2023 legislative sessionMark Gamba represents house district 41, which encompasses Milwaukie, Oak Grove, and parts of Southeast Portland.  I knew I could trust him to give an honest assessment of his first year in Salem, and he really delivered.  You don't need to listen to episode one before jumping into the second half of our conversation, but I highly recommend listening to both episodes.  Find the first episode in our podcast feed or HERE.Research Links/Show Notes:Representative Mark Gamba's legislative website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gambaSome of our allied organizations' 2023 Session recap:https://oregonwild.org/about/blog/assessing-wreckage-2023-oregon-leg-session?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=062823_orleg&emci=43ed9420-da15-ee11-a9bb-00224832eb73&emdi=d077785f-0d16-ee11-a9bb-00224832eb73&ceid=12095021https://www.olcv.org/session-is-over-heres-how-we-did/https://www.beyondtoxics.org/2023-legislation/https://standuptofactoryfarms.org/About the Oregon Forest Resources Institute: https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/04/oregon-forest-resources-institute-osu-timber-industry-investigation-lobbying/https://www.propublica.org/series/the-cuttingPolluted By Money Series:https://projects.oregonlive.com/polluted-by-money/Support the showSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

As the dust settles on another chaotic legislative session, I wanted to look back, revisit some of the bills we dug into on previous episodes, and explore how we can keep pressure on our legislators between sessions.I couldn't think of a better person to guide us through the good, the bad, and the ugly of this legislative session than one of oregon's most tireless climate champions, State Representative Mark Gamba.  I've known Mark since I worked as the field director for his 2020 congressional bid, so I knew I could trust him to give a no BS account of his perspective on the session.However, I didn't realize just how honest and unfiltered he was prepared to be.  He had a lot to say about how business gets done in Salem that I think people need to hear, and I think his perspective is one that you don't often hear from a politician, regardless of party affiliation.  We covered a lot of ground, and I just can't bear to edit it down to thirty minutes, so I'm breaking our conversation into two episodes.  I will release the second half in two weeks.  Make sure to subscribe to Coast Range Radio wherever you get podcasts so you can be sure to catch the full conversation.Feedback, questions, suggestions? My email is michael@coastrange.org.Research Links/Show Notes:Representative Mark Gamba's legislative website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gambaSome of our allied organizations' 2023 Session recap:https://oregonwild.org/about/blog/assessing-wreckage-2023-oregon-leg-session?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=062823_orleg&emci=43ed9420-da15-ee11-a9bb-00224832eb73&emdi=d077785f-0d16-ee11-a9bb-00224832eb73&ceid=12095021https://www.olcv.org/session-is-over-heres-how-we-did/https://www.beyondtoxics.org/2023-legislation/https://standuptofactoryfarms.org/About the Oregon Forest Resources Institute: https://www.opb.org/article/2020/08/04/oregon-forest-resources-institute-osu-timber-industry-investigation-lobbying/https://www.propublica.org/series/the-cuttingPolluted By Money Series:https://projects.oregonlive.com/polluted-by-money/Support the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!

As we head into fire season, I wanted to revisit an episode from last year about an amazing documentary film called Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire.After a nationwide theatrical release and over a dozen awards, Elemental has just come out on streaming on Amazon, Apple TV, Google play, and Vimeo.  Fire is, and always has been, a permanent part of our western landscapes and ecosystems, but the debate and policy prescriptions around how to protect our communities is shockingly disconnected from the science and and on the ground reality.  On this episode, we spoke with the director of  “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” to learn about the realities of how we can co-exist with wildfires.  Trip Jennings is the Principal & Founder of Balance Media, a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, and has won dozens of awards for his past films.  His new film, ‘Elemental', has been met with rave reviews, and is changing the narrative around wildfires.  “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” is available to stream on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Vimeo, or at Elementalfilm.comShow Notes:Elemental: https://www.elementalfilm.com/https://www.elementalfilm.com/streamingFirefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology: https://fusee.org/Oregon Department of Forestry Risk Assessment Explorer: ​​https://tools.oregonexplorer.info/oe_htmlviewer/index.html?viewer=wildfireODF Senate Bill 762 Homepage: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Pages/sb762.aspxSupport the showPlease Donate to Help us Keep This Show Free!