About Tom Pratum

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So far Tom Pratum has created 185 blog entries.

September 2025 Conservation Column – Rescission of the Roadless Rule

By |2025-08-29T17:49:16-07:00August 26th, 2025|Conservation Columns, Home Page|

The Conservation Column by Pepper Trail   I’ll admit it.  I am overwhelmed and devastated by the Trump Administration’s all-out attacks on environmental protections, green energy, and climate science (well, science in general).  It is hard to know where to begin to fight this many-headed monster, especially when Congress and the Supreme Court seem to [...]

White City Lagoons Work (August 2025)

By |2025-08-14T10:33:58-07:00August 14th, 2025|Home Page, News Page|

We wanted to bring to everyone’s attention that sometime in the next couple of weeks there will be some work happening at the White City Lagoons Enhancement area. This is the area with the path where bird viewing is allowed.  During the work there will be some days when birding will not be possible. We [...]

June 2025 Conservation Column

By |2025-05-30T19:00:01-07:00May 30th, 2025|Conservation Columns, Home Page|

The Conservation Column by Pepper Trail There is so much terrible news coming out of Washington, DC that it is impossible to keep up.  Certainly, that is true with the over 1000-page “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed the Republican-controlled House by a single vote this week.  It is likely that very few if any Representatives [...]

May 2025 Conservation Column

By |2025-04-24T14:56:06-07:00April 24th, 2025|Conservation Columns|

The Conservation Column by Pepper Trail   Dire Threats to the Endangered Species Act Until recently, the Trump Administration’s attacks on endangered species protections – though far-reaching and devastating - had been largely indirect.  These had focused on prioritizing fossil fuel extraction over every other use of public lands, and gutting any federal action to [...]

February 2025 Conservation Column

By |2025-02-05T17:04:10-08:00February 5th, 2025|Conservation Columns|

The Conservation Column By Pepper Trail I-5 Wildlife Crossing Let’s start with some GOOD news. As many of you will have heard, the US Department of Transportation has awarded a $33 million grant for the construction of the Mariposa Preserve Wildlife Crossing over I-5. This grant was through the Federal Highways Administration Wildlife Crossings Pilot [...]

January 2025 Conservation Column

By |2025-01-02T13:13:24-08:00January 2nd, 2025|Conservation Columns|

The Conservation Column By Pepper Trail As I look toward 2025, I have no doubt that we conservationists are in for the fight of our lives. With the election of Donald Trump, we must expect a massive, across-the-board assault on the laws, regulations, and policies that protect wildlife, public lands, clean air, and water, and [...]

I-5 Wildlife Crossing wins $33 million federal grant!

By |2025-01-18T10:43:37-08:00December 20th, 2024|Home Page, News Page|

RVAS is a member of the Southern Oregon Wildlife Crossing Coalition, which led the effort for a wildlife crossing over I-5. After years of work, it's going to happen! https://www.merkley.senate.gov/merkley-wyden-announce-over-33-million-for-southern-oregon-critical-wildlife-crossing/

September 2024 Conservation Column

By |2024-09-13T18:08:24-07:00September 13th, 2024|Conservation, Conservation Columns|

The Conservation Column By Juliet Grable For this month’s column, I’m providing an update on the botulism outbreak at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge in northern California. The update draws from two stories I wrote for Jefferson Public Radio, though I’m sure the tally of birds that have died during the outbreak has increased since [...]

Greenway Fuels Reduction Work and its Impact on Nesting Birds

By |2025-01-18T10:45:56-08:00May 21st, 2024|Home Page, News Page|

The Conservation Column (to appear in the June issue of The Chat) By Pepper Trail For those of you involved in the Bear Creek Community Bird Survey – and for all of you who simply enjoy walking and birding along the Bear Creek Greenway – brace yourselves. Jackson County Parks has authorized the “Bear Creek [...]

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