We are an ad hoc coalition of groups working together to educate policymakers and the public about the need for stronger stream protection rules on Oregon’s private forestlands. Our coordinator is Mary Scurlock, a longtime freshwater conservation advocate. Contact Mary
The Oregon Stream Protection Coalition is a collaborative project of the Washington Forest Law Center, the Coast Range Association, and the Wild Salmon Center. We are honored to be supported by funding from the Lazar Foundation and Burning Foundation
What does the Coalition want?
We want the state of Oregon to implement science-based forest practices regulations and support landowner programs for logging and associated activities on private forestlands that are adequate to meet water quality standards and to prevent impairment of native aquatic species recovery.
Our short-term policy objective for 2014 and 2015 was to push for the Oregon Board of Forestry to adopt new stream protection rules under the Oregon Forest Practices Act to prevent logging that warms streams. These rules should have been designed to meet the “Protecting Coldwater Criterion” of Oregon’s stream temperature standards. The Board of Forestry adopted new rules that went into effect July 1, 2017. Unfortunately, these rules are inadequate.
Furthermore, addressing shade is just a first step toward fixing Oregon’s logging rules. Rules and landowner incentives also need to ensure streams aren’t harmed by sediment from roads and logging-associated landslides, and that forest managers are leaving enough trees to enable natural stream processes to create the kind of in-stream habitats native salmon and other aquatic species need to thrive.