Trails Club of Oregon

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Conservation Note for December

Conservation Committee Note for December

Many of our most beautiful places to hike and camp and kayak, canoe and backpack are now past their “Best By:”  dates.  They all need our protection and many need restoration,

Our current administration has been aptly described as working to take the “Public” out of public lands, permitting mining and timber cutting, raising recreation use fees, turning over public lands to private, for-profit management.

On Nov 5, 2019 a letter was published in the journal BioScience signed by 11,000 scientists warning of a climate emergency.  The lead authors are two of our own, Bill Ripple and Christopher Wolf of Oregon State University.  The letter  begins:

Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and to “tell it like it is.” They declare “clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency.”  They include a series of graphic depictions of how we are doing, 15 indicators of human activities such as (increasing) carbon emissions, and decreasing global tree cover, and 14 “vital signs” of global warming, such as increasing CO2 and methane,  increasing global surface temperature, increasing ocean heat content, increasing ocean acidity, decreases in various ice masses, and increases in extreme weather events. It is clear from the charts that we have not reversed or even slowed most of the changes leading toward a crisis in global warming.  The authors suggest we must pay attention to these climate “vital signs,” and take action when they are not improving or are worsening.

(Find the full letter by searching for BioScience 11,000 scientists.)

This letter made headlines, but only briefly.  The climate emergency has not gone away with the disappearance of the headlines.  The changes in our most beautiful places and the damage to our public lands is not unrelated to the forces driving the worsening climate “vital signs.”  Most relevantly for those of us who enjoy the outdoors, the authors  estimate that “up to a third of emissions reductions needed by 2030 for the Paris agreement (less than 2°C rise in temperature) could be obtained with natural climate solutions” such as  “protecting the remaining primary and intact forests, especially those with high carbon stores and other forests with the capacity to rapidly sequester carbon (pro-forestation), while increasing reforestation and afforestation (converting non-forested land to forest) where appropriate at enormous scales.”  Oregon is better equipped than most parts of the planet to do this; and her forests provide many of the places where we most enjoy our outdoor activities.

Although Oregon’s forests are her best hope for mitigating the damage of climate change, the Oregon Forest Practices Act does not adequately protect our forests and waters in the face of climate change.  A voter initiative to reform the FPA has been held up by Secretary of State Bev Clarno, lawsuit pending.

What can you do?

First, take the threat of the climate emergency seriously.  Second, consider getting involved with one of our good local environmental organizations.     Some of these we have written up in the Blazer.  Some of them have very specific areas of focus.  Some of them, bless them, bring lawsuits.  As a Christmas present to yourself, and to the generations to come, it is worth finding one or two which are fighting the fights you find most relevant.  See the list below of some of these non-profits. Most of these organizations have volunteer opportunities for all ages and skill sets. Oregon Wild has “Wild Ones” training sessions for effective letter writing and lobbying.   (Consider a New Year’s resolution to make one call or send one letter or email once a month, or one for every three hikes.)  And soon,  hopefully, we can sign petitions to get the voter initiative for reforming the Forest Practices Act on the ballot, and then vote for it! Even Oregon’s children are fighting the battle against climate change, taking their battle to court.

If we want to continue to enjoy this beautiful state, this beautiful country, this beautiful planet, we need to take care of it, and stop the ongoing damage.  All of the below organizations are working in some way toward that goal. (Note: This is only a partial list.)

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For the love of our forests, streams, rivers and wetlands,

And for the love of this entire beautiful earth,

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season—- with a good snowpack.

Your Conservation Committee