More Oregonians are suffering from respiratory, heart and mental health issues caused by extreme weather events linked to climate change, and rural, elderly and minority communities are being hit the hardest, a new state report found.
Environment
Federal government acknowledges dams devastated Northwest tribes and fish stocks
The federal government this week acknowledged that the construction and operation of 11 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers during the last century has had a devastating effect on eight Northwest tribes and more than a dozen native fish stocks, some of which have gone extinct.
No longer considered predators, Oregon beavers get new protections from state
Starting July 1, beavers will be classified solely as “furbearers,” an animal whose fur has commercial value, and no longer be classified as “predators.”
Smoke in Coast Range is a controlled burn
There is a fire, but it’s of the tame rather than the wild variety. FGF&R said a 25 acre controlled burn off Highway 26 near milepost 35 was the cause of smoke in the region.
Birds found on the Oregon Coast coated in ‘tar-like substance’
A group of state and federal agencies are responding to reports of an unknown tar-like substance washing up along Oregon’s North Coast, extending southward to areas as far as the Salishan Spit, and also along Washington’s southern coast.
Plan to reduce logging, protect habitat in Oregon’s western state forests passes on split vote
The landmark Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan will move forward following a 4-3 vote from the state Board of Forestry on Thursday.
Clean Water Services says most work at Balm Grove is complete
In a brief update issued Friday, Clean Water Services said that the bulk of their work at Balm Grove was complete, but work would continue to “ensure our engineered log jams and other project elements are working,” the agency said.
Habitat plan for western state forests could cost counties $18 million a year in timber revenue
The Oregon Department of Forestry released long-awaited revenue projections for 14 counties if a landmark conservation plan is adopted. Washington County could lose more than $5.6 million, or less than 0.3% of the county’s total $1.7 billion budget this year.
After federal grant denied, county may seek state funds to replace two Gales Creek-area culverts
The Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation is still trying to fund the replacement of two culverts in the Gales Creek area on White Creek, a small tributary that empties into Gales Creek near the junction of Highways 6 and 8.
COLUMN | Protecting Floodplains on the Tualatin River
“Flooding is a normal part of our waterways,” writes TSWCD Education & Outreach Specialist Adriana Lovell. “When houses and things that are meant to stay dry are built too close to these seasonally wet places, trouble abounds.”