Wildlife, Hiking, New Forest & More!
Wow, there was a lot of major news crammed into this 4 day work week! So here it is;
The positive news:
Story #1
Courtesy of Oregon Forestry Dept
“Oregon Lottery – It does good things” - Oregon created a new state forest for the first time since 1948, 43,000 acres of young pine trees in central Oregon. The state purchased the land from Fidelity National Timber Resources Inc., of Whitefish, Mont., with $15 million in lottery-backed bonds.
The land was owned for much of the 20th century by the founders of the town of Gilchrist. The department said Gilchrist Timber Co. sold it to Crown Pacific Partners, which logged the timber in the 1990s and replanted before going broke. Fidelity National Timber Resources bought 293,000 acres from Crown Pacific in 2006. It is the real estate subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial Inc., a title insurance company based in Florida.
The sale was part of a strategy of finding buyers who would maintain conservation benefits of the land, said Greg Lane, executive vice president of Fidelity National Timber Resources. – Source: Registered Guard
Story #2
Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife announced Rocky Mountain Goat reintroduction. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are about to move 30 to 40 Rocky Mountain goats from their home in the Elkhorn Mountains onto the slopes of Oregon’s second-tallest peak.
He said the goats will be trapped with a drop-net in northeast Oregon’s Elkhorn Mountains, home of the state’s 400-strong parent herd.
They will be taken to the upper headwaters of the Whitewater River, which is on the Warm Springs Reservation.
Assuming all goes well, he said, additional transplant sites in the future might include the slopes of Three Sisters, Three Fingered Jack and, eventually, the Columbia River Gorge.
A few introductions were attempted in the gorge a few decades ago, but only a few goats at a time were transplanted, not enough to establish breeding herds. – Source: Oregon Live
Story #3
Courtesy of NAU
Project Wilderness is up for a $10,000 grant which you can help us win! NAU.Com a Portland, Oregon based clothing company is awarding $10,000 to support one non-profit who instigates lasting, positive change in their communities.
You ask, what will Project Wilderness do with the $10,000 if they win? Well, here’s your answer:
Project Wilderness is working to break the mold of standard non-profit funding by developing a Portland based for-profit subsidiary.
“The Green House”, a wilderness themed ale house will donate 100% of proceeds above and beyond standard operating expenses for Project Wilderness to improve & expand public land in the Pacific Northwest. In addition The Green House will serve as a conduit to further engage the community in stewardship education and volunteerism.
Click the link to vote for Project Wilderness!
http://www.nau.com/collective/grant-for-change/project-wilderness-1375.html.share
Tragic news:
Courtesy of Terry Richard
News reports said a hiker fell to his death on Saddle Mountain this past weekend. Reports said the accident occurred after a group of hikers reached the mountain’s 3,283-foot summit Sunday. One of the hikers in his 20s apparently went out on a ledge to take some pictures, lost his footing and fell more than 100 feet down a steep slope. Rescuers said the hiker died shortly after a rescue climber was able to reach him. – Source: KATU
This is not the first death at saddle mountain and recently a hiker died at Silver Falls State Park.
Remember while hiking obey signs warning of danger & do not climb over any fence. The photo is not worth your life.
Dominic Aiello
Founder & President
www.facebook.com/projectwilderness
www.twitter.com/prowilderness
Can you name this location? Well it’s not Deschutes National Forest, but it’s near the area. The picture was taken near the Warm Springs Indian Reservation on the way back to Portland from the cleanup this past Saturday (4/24). What a beautiful area, isn’t it? You wouldn’t throw your garbage away here would you?
Clearly this specific picture could be dumped skulls and not poached. However every trash site included a deer carcass, several of which still had red tissue on the joints. Pointing to out of season kills. I would like to remind everyone that poachers are not hunters they are poachers. The hunters I know take pride in legal and ethical methods to harvest meat. Meat which was from an animal that was able to roam free its entire life and not confined to a pasture or barn before slaughter. Poachers ignore laws and use any means possible to harvest meat, regardless of the effects on the overall health of the animal population.
Dominic Aiello
