The Oregon Stream Protection Coalition is on indefinite hiatus. We were an ad hoc coalition of conservation and fishing industry groups that came together around the need for sustained advocacy at the state level for strong protection of public waters affected by management of Oregon’s private forestlands.

From 2012-2021, Mary Scurlock advocated on behalf of the coalition for administrative action and accountability from the Oregon Board of Forestry and the Environmental Quality Commission for protection of water quality, salmon and other aquatic and riparian-dependent species. This work  was supported by the Lazar Foundation, the Burning Foundation and the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment (Columbia River Fund, 2017) through grants to both Wild Salmon Center and the Coast Range Association.

The work of the Oregon Stream Protection Coalition has been suspended following Scurlock’s work on a Memorandum of Understanding with a consortium of timber companies and subsequent legislation formalizing the Private Forest Accords, a collaborative process  underway to develop statewide aquatic conservation policies sufficient to anchor a federally approvable habitat conservation plan under the Endangered Species Act and, ideally, also provide reasonable assurance that water quality standards will be met under the Clean Water Act.

It is unknown at this time whether OSPC will reactivate to meet future needs for sustained state-level conservation advocacy around private lands and aquatic conservation.

Meanwhile, ForestWaters, a broad new coalition has emerged.  ForestWaters is currently active in educating Oregonians about policy changes needed to conserve public water resources on private forestlands.