Morning Thoughts

I woke up this morning to a fierce windstorm, with blowing rain that turned to snow. It's March, that most variable of months. The view out my window at work has changed every day - heavy gray clouds to blue skies, bare hills to snowy white. Every week I think it's time to take off the winter studded tires, every week there's some day that I'm grateful I didn't get around to that chore.
As always with the heavy snow, I worry about the wildlife. This back and forth weather is so difficult for everyone from robins to bluebirds, elk to cottontails.

Elk here in the Grande Ronde valley have lost most of their low elevation winter and spring grazing and loafing grounds to development. On the Zumwalt Prairie, rifle shots keep the elk herds moving off pastures claimed for cattle and fields claimed for wheat, and the wolves, that would keep the elk moving along, are likewise chased away or shot. This morning under gray-white skies, it seems like wildlife is everywhere on the run.

I worry about the lack of red-wing blackbirds ... I've only heard one by the ponds on Cricket Flats, and only seen two in the Grande Ronde Valley one day - and none since then. The morning should be a cacophony of birdsong, and usually the red-wings would be mobbing the sunflower seed bird feeder. I know that populations of migratory birds can be wiped out by pesticide and herbicide poisoning on their long journeys and in their southern wintering grounds. I wonder if that is what has happened to our local red-wings. I have close friends who think that the cost of organically grown food is too high and not worth paying. What is the price of a red-wing blackbird's song in the spring?

I also miss the evening songs of the little spring peeper frogs. I've witnessed the decline of these little frogs over the past twelve years, and think we have made some pretty poor trades lately as a society.

Rachel Carson wrote "Silent Spring" back in the 1960's. We organized, marched, passed laws and regulations, banned some of the worst offenders like DDT. The bald eagles and ospreys began to return. It seemed like we had responded in time.

Now it seems spring has lost not only the frogs, but the red-wings. It's not quite silent yet, but much of the music is diminished. There is clearly more work to be done.

I remember reading that when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. It was one of those sayings quoted in the 60's. It is still true.

A resilient system, able to recover from damage and abuse, and the terrible challenges of climate change, needs all its pieces ... frogs and wolves, red-wings and elk, bluebirds and beaver ...
Here, this morning, with clouds so low I can't even see the hills, I re-commit myself to the work that needs to be done to protect and restore resilience: native species, linked travel corridors, protected habitat. Call it sustainability, call it ecology, call it good science - we know what needs to be done. This place, this ecosystem, is our "household" (the meaning of 'oikos') and it is falling apart. It needs our love, our care, and our commitment, more now than ever.

- Danae Yurgel

Toward a Sustainable Future for the U.S. Power Sector: Beyond Business as Usual

By Brian Kelly, HCPC Restoration Coordinator

Sustainability makes sense. We can provide enough electricity to meet our needs through a shift to more sustainable practices according to a recent report by Synapse Energy Economics. This report describes a scenario where fossil-fueled and nuclear-powered electric production would be reduced and renewable energy sources would be increased. Aggressive energy efficiency and conservation practices would slow the future demand for electricity. The result would be an economically viable and environmentally responsible system that would effectively power our country.

Toward a Sustainable Future for the U.S. Power Sector: Beyond Business as Usual 2011 is the name of the report that was the topic of a recent presentation sponsored by Oregon Rural Action in La Grande. At this gathering, I learned that changing to a more sustainable model would actually be less expensive over time than continuing onward with a “business as usual” model. Other benefits of this sustainable model include new jobs, healthier people, reduced water use for power plant cooling, less pollution and nuclear waste, lowered carbon emissions, and less use of natural gas.

Working for HCPC on energy issues, I’ve learned plenty about the problems of “business as usual”. Our local Wilderness areas have seen air pollution from the Boardman coal-burning electric plant. A proposed electric transmission line would affect thousands of acres of eastern Oregon including sage-grouse habitat. A local wind energy project proposal would impact important wildlife habitat affecting golden eagles, elk, deer, bats, hawks and wildlife habitat connectivity. Looking farther back in time, it’s worth noting that HCPC was born in 1965 to prevent dam building in Hells Canyon in pursuit of hydro-electric power. Our legacy runs deep for the protection of wild lands and wildlife in the face of energy development. So while we continue to protect and restore the Hells Canyon region in the face of destructive energy proposals, we can look to the Synapse report for direction toward a future where electric energy production is compatible with healthy ecosystems both locally and world wide.

According to the authors of the Synapse report, “The study does not lay out an optimized or detailed roadmap for this industry. Rather, it explores a fundamental change in direction. The intent is to challenge assumptions and inform our energy policy debate.”

It is time to challenge the assumptions upon which our current system is based.

· Nationally, about half of our electric energy production currently comes from coal. The environmental damage from the mining of coal is staggering and the pollution from burning coal is huge. Retrofitting smokestacks with pollution controls is very expensive. Coal is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions.

· The recent disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan should give us plenty of concern about the future of nuclear power.

· Natural gas is currently relatively inexpensive. However, it is a fossil fuel that emits carbon, and there is evidence that the fracking process used to obtain natural gas causes groundwater contamination.

It is time to increase energy efficiency and the role of renewable energy.

· The price of solar power has decreased and it’s projected to decline further, according to the report. Additionally, solar power that is generated locally does not need to be transported long distances. “Distributed generation” renewables do not require the huge transmission lines that are needed for centralized power plants.

· Wind energy would increase according to the model described in the report. While wind development will play an important role in the future, my experience informs me that it will be important for new wind developments to be carefully reviewed and appropriately located in order to prevent harm to wildlife, habitat and people. It’s also worth noting that the majority of the onshore wind potential in the U.S. will be found in the central states. As wind energy continues to develop, it will be important to develop adequate review processes to ensure necessary protections. Current review processes have not always been up to the task. It will also be important to research the effects of wind energy developments on birds, bats and wildlife habitat as well as the social, economic and health effects on people. Science-based research must be applied to wind proposals before they are allowed to be built in order to prevent problems. Otherwise, they will merely serve as a cautionary tale of regret.

· Conservation and energy efficiency programs would result in a net decrease in demand for electricity by the year 2050 averaging about 0.1% per year according to the report. Conservation must be an important part of the solution.

The Synapse report provides a vision where renewable energy and conservation allow us to move toward a more sustainable future. There will be a devilish amount of details to be sorted out and a tremendous amount of effort involved in bringing this vision toward reality. However, moving toward a goal of sustainability is a necessary part of the future vision for our planet.

You can read the report Toward a Sustainable Future for the U.S. Power Sector: Beyond Business as Usual 2011 by Synapse Energy Economics at the following website:

http://www.synapse-energy.com/Downloads/SynapseReport.2011-11.CSI.BBAU-2011.11-037.pdf

BLM Revises Resource Plan: A look at Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is revising its Resource Management Plan for approximately 428,425 surface acres in northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. In order to make the best decisions for the future of these northeast Oregon BLM lands, they must be viewed in the larger context of our Public lands including the Wallowa-Whitman, Malheur, and Umatilla National Forests, and other conservation lands such as Tribal lands as well.

One of the important areas that will be impacted by this plan revision is the “Areas of Critical Environmental Concern” (ACEC). ACECs are “areas within the BLM public lands where special management attention is required to protect and prevent irreparable damage to important historic, cultural, or scenic values, fish and wildlife resources, or other natural systems or processes, or to protect life and safety from natural hazards.” This plan revision will determine how existing ACECs are managed and if new ones are established. HCPC will be working to protect these vital conservation lands and to protect new areas worthy of designation.

Joseph Creek and Grande Ronde ACECs

The BLM land that comprises the Joseph Creek and Grande Ronde ACECs is part of an incredible conservation landscape that is still being fully realized. The various federal and state agencies, Tribal lands, private landowners, and NGO’s involved in protecting this area is very impressive and testifies to the region-wide importance of this area (see map below). For the BLMs part, they have done a good job of establishing ACECs in this important area and increasing the size of the Grande Ronde River ACEC from 9,715 acres when designated, to its current size of 16,958 acres.

The Joseph Creek ACEC (mapped in bright green) was established to protect the natural riparian plant communities of Joseph Creek, and to protect wildlife habitat, high scenic qualities, and outstanding geologic system values for education and recreational purposes. The Grande Ronde ACEC (mapped in dark red) was established to protect the area’s unique natural, scenic, geological, ecological, and cultural resource values, and to protect wildlife habitat and enhance recreation opportunities. Geologic system values (i.e., regional uplift and forced entrenchment of the river) of the Goosenecks National Natural Landmark (http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/site.cfm?Site=GRRG-WA) are also protected and included within this ACEC.

The Grande Ronde and Joseph Creek ACECs provide protection of a well-connected hydrological system that is in good condition and supports ESA listed fish; Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. As the map illustrates above, the Grande Ronde ACEC overlaps a large portion of the Grande Ronde Wild and Scenic River including lands within the Grande Ronde Roadless Area. This ACEC also helps to enhance connectivity between the Wenaha River as it flows from the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness Area, and Joseph Creek and the Snake River. The Joseph Creek ACEC provides a direct link to the Nez Perce Precious Lands (mapped in bright red) which are managed for a very high conservation purpose including no livestock grazing. The Precious Lands tie in with other BLM lands on Joseph Creek and with the over 40,000 acre Joseph Canyon Roadless Area on Forest Service managed Public Land (mapped in yellow). The Joseph Canyon Roadless Area is the largest “unprotected” core habitat area remaining in this area. Moreover, the Nez Perce Precious Lands also form a bridge connecting to the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and the extensive roadless wildlands therein.

The Joseph Creek and Grande Ronde ACECs play a vital connectivity role in linking these priceless wildlands. It is important that the BLM increases protection for these incredible ACECs through the ongoing Resource Management Plan revisions.

post by David Mildrexler, Ecosystem Conservation Coordinator, HCPC

Listening for the first red-wings, Looking for the first buttercups

It's early February already, although you wouldn't know it from the lack of snow.

Up on Cricket Flats, it's time to start listening for the return of the first red-wing blackbirds on the ponds. This week-end I'll start checking the rocky southwest-facing corner where the first buttercups appear. Soon the spring calendar of flowers and migratory birds will unroll. It's my favorite time of year, welcoming back these old friends who come to visit the breaks.

In town, I'll be more prosaically watching for the first dandelion to bloom in the orchard. In the years to come I will be doing my best to encourage wilder flowers to bloom.

In both places I watch finches return to the bird feeders and listen to the bright songs of chickadees. In both places, I worry about the lack of snow and wonder how best to foster and encourage native plants and wildlife. In both places, I look to science to help me understand more about how everything is connected, how changes ripple through the ecosystem.

I've been reading about some of the research that's being done on the impacts of climate disruption - several studies now show that elk and deer are browsing at higher elevations with the reduction in snow pack, especially browsing down vegetation long streams and creeks. In the spring, this means there is less cover along the streams for migrating songbirds, to hide, feed and nest, so songbird numbers are plummeting in these areas. Oh for a wolf pack to keep the elk and deer moving! More and more studies by a range of researchers show the long term beneficial effects of the presence of top carnivores, especially wolves and cougar, on keeping the herbivores from grazing down the streamside plants. Songbirds need wolves...

Writers such as Henry David Thoreau and John Muir have spoken eloquently of how everything in nature is truly connected to everything else - a web of relationships. Break a strand, and the web is more vulnerable, shredding and unraveling along that break. Poets tell us of the heart of that, but scientific research can tell us how the strands are connected, and which strands we are missing. We are just beginning to understand how complex and interconnected nature is, and how inextricably our welfare is wrapped up in the integrity of this web. Whether it is understanding more about how mycorrhizal soil life affects fruit tree production or how climate disruption and lack of top predators affects songbird populations, the information we gather can help direct our choices for the integrity of the web, and, consequently, our own well-being.

Part of what I respect so much about the work HCPC does is that it is directed by what science can now tell us. Whether it is protecting key fishbearing streams from damage or protecting key elk calving grounds from disruption; speaking out for the return of native species including wolves and wolverines, bighorn and bull trout; challenging the lack of analysis in categorical exclusions and travel planning; HCPC works with the best scientific research available.

HCPC's mission is simple at it's heart - protect, preserve, and restore - but the issues we tackle are complex. HCPC brings scientific knowledge and understanding to these issues, promoting more informed choices.

So here's to the turning of the year, the very beginning of spring, and another year protecting, preserving and restoring this place I call home.

- Danae Yurgel

Joseph Canyon Potential Wilderness Area

The Joseph Canyon Potential Wilderness Area, located in north Wallowa County on the Wallowa Whitman National Forest, includes approximately 40,221 acres of steep, remote canyon country. The "Potential Wilderness Area" boundary includes the Forest Service's official "Inventoried Roadless Area" boundary, plus the additional roadless lands that are contiguous with this boundary. While somewhat technical, the important point is that the Potential Wilderness Area best represents the total extent of the contiguous unroaded lands centered around Joseph Canyon that retain Wilderness quality. Joseph Canyon exemplifies the rugged topography of northeast Oregon's incredible canyon county, characterized by very steep canyons and grass-covered slopes interspersed with numerous exposed basalt layers.

Photo looking north into Swamp Creek toward its confluence with Joseph Creek. Note the fire scar from a 2010 grass fire. Large core habitat areas such as Joseph Canyon are the best remaining natural laboratories to observe the role of natural disturbance processes on unmanaged landscapes. Recent research indicates that large disturbances are a critical factor for ecosystems to adjust to changing climatic conditions.

The map below shows the Joseph Canyon Potential Wilderness Area mapped in orange. The area is fairly well-known, largely because of the Joseph Canyon Viewpoint, a highway pullout 30 miles north of Enterprise that overlooks the 2,000-foot depths of Joseph Canyon and is one of 38 sites that form the Nez Perce National Historical Park (http://www.nps.gov/nepe/index.htm). Joseph Creek drainage was an important travel route for the Nez Perce as they made their seasonal treks between their winter villages along the Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers and summer encampments throughout the Wallowa Valley. The name, "Joseph Canyon" is thought to be derived from the fact that the younger Chief Joseph was born in a cave in the Washington side of Joseph Canyon in Asotin County.

The Joseph Canyon Potential Wilderness Area is comprised of three main drainages: Swamp, Davis and Joseph Creeks. Joseph and Swamp Creeks are designated Wild and Scenic Rivers within the roadless area and the Joseph Canyon Creek system is home to a large population of native Snake River steelhead, listed as threatened under ESA in August 1998. Not shown on the map above is a large piece of BLM land that contains an additional 2 miles of Joseph Creek. This stretch of Joseph Creek on BLM land has been proposed for addition to the existing Wild and Scenic River Designation.

Joseph Canyon is renowned for wildlife and harbors old growth Ponderosa Pine woodlands. It includes the historic Chico Trail and has significant historical value that embraces all of the major peoples that have shaped the region; the Nez Perce Indians; pioneers and settlers, the Forest Service, and backcountry hunters and hikers. The trails have been used since time immemorial.
A recent group of hikers on the Chico Trail observing an old derelict phone line that extended between historic Forest Service Guard Stations, one at Sled Springs, and the other in Swamp Creek. Familes that lived in these remote guard stations hiked the same trails that the Nez Perce hiked to come and go into this remarkable country.

The Joseph Canyon Roadless Area adjoins the Nez Perce Precious Lands Wildlife Area to the north (see figure above and http://www.nezperce.org/Wolf/Exec_Summary.pdf). The Precious Lands are 15,000 acres of contiguous “roadless” lands including portions of Joseph Canyon and also adjoin to BLM and State lands to the north. Their protection significantly heightens the conservation value of the Joseph Canyon Roadless Area.

Efforts to gain the interest of U.S. Congressmen were successful in 1983 when the area was included as a part of HB 1149, a wilderness bill sponsored by Congressmen Weaver, Wyden, and AuCoin. It was not, however, included in the Senate version of the 1984 Oregon wilderness bill sponsored by Senator Hatfield.

Natural, ecological and scenic value: Joseph Canyon is a key travel corridor for many wildlife species between the remote Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. This area provides escapement for elk, deer and bear during hunting seasons. Over half of this roadless area is within elk winter range and the northern part within Joseph Creek is used by a herd of bighorn sheep. The many rock cliffs provide nesting for avian species such as peregrine falcon, roosting sites for bats, and unique habitats for other wildlife species (e.g. cougars). Condor historically used Joseph Canyon and one of the historical Nez Perce names for the area was “Condor Canyon.” In addition to the breathtaking views from Joseph Canyon Viewpoint, numerous ridges offer both stunning views of the deep canyons and expansive vistas.

Solitude and recreation: Backcountry hunting, horse-back riding, hiking, scenic viewing and camping have long been popular in Joseph Canyon. The rugged country provides challenging opportunities in deep, remote canyons, separated by secluded ridge tops.

After climbing Starvation Ridge, hikers relax and enjoy the view into Swamp Creek.

Threats: Motorized recreation is the greatest threat to Joseph Canyon. It is imperative that the entire Potential Wilderness Area be safeguarded from motorized recreation. However, some alternatives have proposed designating the historic Chico Trail as a motorized route under the Wallowa-Whitman Travel Management Plan.

Solutions: Joseph Canyon is one of the most special landscapes on the entire Wallowa-Whitman National Forest and should be given Wilderness protection. The ongoing Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revisions requires evaluation of the Wilderness quality of all Potential Wilderness Areas and the opportunity for the Forest Service to recommend that Joseph Canyon be protected through Wilderness designation.

For more information about this awesome landscape please contact David Mildrexler at david@hellscanyon.org. Hells Canyon Preservation Council.

Boardman Coal Plant is Oregon's Largest Greenhouse Gas Emitter

By Brian Kelly, Restoration Coordinator
Photo courtesy of Columbia Riverkeeper

I’ve been following the news about the Boardman coal plant ever since I found out that it pollutes the air over Hells Canyon. And the Eagle Cap Wilderness and the Strawberry Mountains as well, not to mention Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. The coal plant is Oregon’s largest stationary source of sulfur dioxide (acid rain) and nitrogen oxides (haze). It is the state’s second largest source of mercury pollution.

So it was not too surprising when the US Environmental Protection Agency recently announced that the Boardman coal-fired electric plant is also Oregon’s largest stationary source of greenhouse gasses.

In 2010, the plant released nearly 4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to the EPA. That’s about equal to the carbon emissions from 800,000 passenger vehicles during a year.

The good news is that the plant will stop burning coal by the end of the decade. Hells Canyon Preservation Council was a member of the coalition that brought about this important victory. Last summer, HCPC and our allies settled a lawsuit whereby the plant will stop burning coal by 2020, reduce pollution in the interim period, and fund environmental projects including restoration work in the Eagle Caps and Hells Canyon.

There are many other sources of carbon emissions. There is much work yet to be done to protect our planet from ourselves. But for today, I am grateful to read a new report about pollution and to know that we have begun to take care of a local part of the problem.

Reflections on No Snow

It doesn't quite seem like January, with the lower hills all free of snow. Temperatures have been warm for this time of year, and I worry about summer drought. Promised snow showers have turned into brief rains. I'm not complaining about the sunshine - I love every minute of it in the dark of winter. The deer and elk have an easier time grazing, but I worry about ticks and other parasites being more of a problem for them this summer if we don't have our usual weeks of freezing cold.
Climate change may seem theoretical, but climate disruption is already taking a toll on wildlife here and around the world. In such a time of change, the concept of wildlife corridors and links becomes very vivid and real. Over and over scientists are warning of the importance of connected habitat for wildlife to be able to survive and thrive.

Looking at the Big Picture in 2012, HCPC will be bringing up the topic of connectivity in the national Forest Travel Management Plans and the Blue Mountain Forest Plan Revision. Paying attention to the smaller details in 2012, HCPC will be bringing wildlife habitat and connectivity issues to bear on timber sales, energy development, and other projects.

It's gonna be a busy year. Or rather, another busy year (for a quick list of some of HCPC's accomplishments in 2011, click here).

With a new Executive Director (read about Darilyn here), the generous response from our members to our fall/winter drive, and the continued support of funders, HCPC is poised now to make a real impact in 2012 on the protection and restoration of these wild lands in this unique and special place that I am so lucky to call home.

- Danae Yurgel