Bark is hiring and one million acres of forest threatened

Dear Barker,

Do you know someone who wants to work for the most tenacious defenders of Mt. Hood National Forest? Bark is hiring and Friday’s application deadline is fast approaching. See details below in "Bark Bites" and help us spread the word by liking our Facebook page and re-posting today.

Also make sure to check out our new feature, “Bark Burns.” In the wake of the media’s catastrophic response to last year’s Dollar Lake Fire, we decided it was time to clear up some misconceptions about fire and Mt. Hood. Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Alex P Brown, Executive Director

PS – A big thank you to Lori Ann Burd for her two and a half years as Bark’s Restore Mt. Hood Campaign manager and staff attorney. We wish her all the best in her new endeavors!


Bark-Out: Oregon’s Congressmen try to open one million acres of public land to logging – tell them no!
Bark-About: A hike through the beautiful wet forests in the Oak Grove Timber Sale
Giving Tree: Help us upgrade our office this week by donating 1-2 hours
Bark Tales: Bark is hiring!
Bark Bites: Find Bark at the largest public-interest environmental law conference in the world
Bark Burns: NEW FEATURE! Learn unique facts about fire and Mt. Hood and provide feedback to Bark for our fire policy


Bark-Out
Contact Oregon’s Congressmen today to oppose a new bill that would allow massive clear-cuts on public lands!

Oregon Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader are co-sponsoring a bill coined the “Western Oregon Clearcut Bill” that would once again make rural communities dependent on the boom-and-bust timber market. The proposed bill would replace the recently expired county payments program created in 2000 whereby rural Oregon counties receive a subsidy from the federal government based on historic (albeit unsustainable) logging levels.

This ‘fix’ would open more than one million acres of public forests to massive clear-cuts and perpetuate the problem of counties relying on an unstable industry that has decimated our watersheds and nearly destroyed old-growth dependent animals like the northern spotted owl.

We need you to tell your elected officials that it is foolish to think that we will keep basic services online for rural Oregon counties by opening our forests to more aggressive logging – relying on the industry that caused the problems to begin with.

Please take action today!

To read more about the history of county payments and possible alternatives to this controversial bill, check out this Oregonian story.


Bark-About
Hike to the Oak Grove Timber Sale
Sunday, February 12th, 9am-5pm

This month, volunteer hike leader Jos Vaught, will help us explore the newly proposed Oak Grove Timber Sale to demonstrate how wilderness skills relate to monitoring threats to Mt. Hood. We will explore the lakes, marshes, recreation trails and wet forests threatened by the sale while learning forest features to orient ourselves and finding trail-side snacks along the way.

Come prepared to walk up to three miles off trail on this month's hike. Please bring lunch, water, and sturdy boots. The weather is very unpredictable this time of year, so please be prepared for various weather conditions.

Bark-Abouts are led on the second Sunday of every month and are free to the public. Click here for more information about this month’s hike.


Giving Tree
Bark’s getting wired and we need your help this Friday or Monday

A local company has offered us a great deal on wiring our computer network (bye bye wireless!) but it has to happen this weekend to work with their schedule.

We need help to move furniture away from the walls of our office and are looking for volunteers who can help us. We will be re-arranging the office Friday the 10th at 4pm and Monday the 13th at 9am. Can you help? Contact [email protected] to volunteer!


Bark Tales
Could you be Bark’s next Grassroots Organizer or Development Assistant? Applications due this Friday

We are excited to announce that Bark is currently accepting applications for a new Grassroots Organizer! Do you have a love for Mt. Hood, a passion for public engagement in public lands management, and experience in community organizing? Check out the job description for details and information on how to apply.

We are also looking for a Development Assistant with strong writing skills and experience in fundraising. Can you help us secure funding to protect Mt. Hood? Click here for more details.


Bark Bites
Bark tackles big issues at the upcoming Public Interest Environmental Law Conference

The Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (also known as ELAW or PIELC) will take place in Eugene March 1-4 and Bark will be there in force. You can find us tabling in the halls throughout the weekend and presenting at three of the conference issue panels. Check out our events calendar for PIELC information and details on the topics we’ll cover, from new LNG proposals in Oregon to the practice of logging forests as ‘restoration’ and the controversial issue of Collaborative Groups in public lands management. See you at the conference!



Bark Burns
Fiery tidbits and your chance to weigh in

Did you know? The Forest Service’s fire plan for Mt. Hood National Forest calls for full suppression of all fires ignited outside of designated Wilderness. This means that regardless of the differences in natural fire regimes across the forest, Mt. Hood’s policy treats every acre of forest outside of designated Wilderness the same.
 
What do you think? Should managers of Mt. Hood National Forest suppress all fires outside of Wilderness areas regardless of their difference in natural fire regime? Click here to answer.