Forest and Water Day

Forest slash burning behind Cape Lookout State Park.\Photo by Allison Asbjornsen.

A number of coastal conservation groups are collaborating on an all-day event on Saturday, May 12, at the Yachats Common (441 Highway 101 N.) devoted to learning about forest and water quality issues affecting coastal communities.  Community organizers, economists, and conservationists will discuss how we can work to modernize Oregon’s logging laws to protect watersheds and communities from the effects of clearcutting and aerial spraying.

The event begins at 10:30 a.m. with informational tables.  Here’s the rest of the schedule:

11:00 a.m. - A Watershed in Crisis:  Observations from the Coast Range of Coos County:

Myrtle Glenn Farm and Bed & Breakfast owners Micha Gross and Dan Pennington. Learn about the impacts of industrial logging and alternatives that could sustain a healthy future for forests, watersheds, and Coast Range communities.

12:00 p.m. - Community Organizing on Oregon’s Coast:

Featuring panelists from up and down Oregon’s coast who are organizing in their communities against the dangerous impacts of clearcut logging and aerial spraying of herbicides.

1:15 p.m.-Challenging Wall Street Forestry:

Chuck Willer, who heads the Coast Range Association, will discuss forest ownership, taxation, management and how Wall Street billionaires have colonized the private forests of Western Oregon.

5:00 p.m. - Oregon’s Unsustainable Forests - An Economic Perspective.

Natural resource economist Ernie Niemi will apply the principles of cost-benefit analysis, economic valuation, and economic-impact analysis to describe the economic importance of natural resources.

6:30 p.m. – Mini-Environmental Film Festival

The event is organized by Oregon Wild, Coast Range Forest Watch/Spray Free Coast, Lincoln County Community Rights, Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection, Coast Range Association, Oregon Forest Conservation Coalition.

For more information, contact Jason Gonzales, jg@oregonwild.org.