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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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/
Mentions Medford and Ashland CBCs along with Pepper Trail and some photos by Frank Lospolluto: https://enewsPO.oregonlive.com/data/56410/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/56410/pub/96465/page/56/content/3196715
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 [...]
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 [...]
Taken from the May 2024 edition of The Chat, by Pepper Trail. Many of you are doubtless aware of the problem of commercial jet boats on the Upper Rogue River. A private business operating out of TouVelle State Park has had significant negative impacts on fish, wildlife, and recreational users on the river. Longtime RVAS [...]
The Conservation Column Klamath River Dams Update By Juliet Grable As I’m sure most of you are aware, removal of the Klamath River dams is proceeding on schedule. Drawdown, or draining of the reservoirs, was initiated at Iron Gate Dam on January 9, and on February 15 Klamath River Renewal Corporation announced that ini-tial drawdown [...]
