|
Dear Barker,
For three years “The Volvo” has helped Bark organize communities from Hillsboro to Hood River (thanks for the donation Brenda!). Unfortunately The Volvo has made its last stand and we need a vehicle. Check out our Facebook page for the full tale. Why donate your car? So Bark can use your financial support for things like our recent appeal of the Forest Service’s decision to privatize Bagby Hot Springs and 27 other Mt. Hood sites. Oh, and vehicle donations to Bark lead to larger tax-deductions than other programs. Learn why below.
Sincerely,
Alex P Brown, Executive Director
PS- Congratulations to Bark’s Program Director Olivia and her partner Eli on the birth of their baby girl!
Bark-Out: Calling all moms to stop Nestlé
Bark-About: Hike to celebrate Bark’s recent victory for salmon
Giving Tree: We need your car
Bark Bites: Stephen Colbert and Bark
Bark Tales: Are you featured in our new video?
Bark Burns: Where Smokey and your mother agree…
Bark-Out
Join mothers across the state to demand action against Nestlé
 You may have heard that Governor Kitzhaber recently announced that he intends to stand on the sidelines while his agency gives public water to Nestlé. He is turning his back on thousands of Oregonians who have asked him to protect our water, so we are planning two fun Mother’s Day opportunities to give him a piece of our mind and let him know standing aside is standing with Nestlé. First, picnic with us on Mt. Tabor on Saturday, May 12th, from noon to 2pm, where we will create Mother’s Day-themed cards and other crafts for Kitzhaber, and film personal testimonials against Nestlé.
Then on Monday, May 14th we will deliver our lovely artwork to the Governor’s office in Salem and tell him “We demand water for future generations, not transnational corporations.” Everyone is welcome to join, but we especially need mothers and children to advocate for the future. We will meet at 10:30am at 1821 SE Ankeny St (Sierra Club office) to carpool to Salem and back in Portland no later than 2:30 pm.
Learn more about the event here, and RSVP to [email protected] or call 503-331-0374 by Friday May 11th.
Bark-About
Celebrate Bark’s victory that created no-logging buffers for salmon
Sunday, May 13th, 9am-5pm
 Join us this Mother’s Day to see the results of a recent Bark victory that expanded no-cut stream buffers to improve salmon habitat. Bark’s staff attorney Brenna Bell and long-time Barker Amy Harwood will discuss fish, the Forest Service’s proposed illegal logging, and the work that brought forth these vital protections. Although children are invited, this hike will be off trail, so it is most appropriate for families with an adventurous spirit and sturdy legs.
As we are inviting children, we ask that you leave your dog at home. 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
Donating your vehicle to protect Mt. Hood leads to big tax-deductions
Did you know that most charities with vehicle donation programs resell the vehicle and that this significantly decreases your tax-deduction? Take a look at the IRS brochure on vehicle donation and then consider giving your vehicle to Bark.
Since Bark will actually use your vehicle you can deduct “fair market value.” Here is what we need: a reliable vehicle that meets legal safety requirements (seat belts, working signals, etc). Here is what we want: a minivan or other vehicle that seats 6+.
Please contact Matthew at (503) 331-0374 or [email protected].
Bark Bites
Bark behind the scenes, with Stephen Colbert
In addition to all of our work to protect and defend Mt. Hood National Forest, Bark occasionally signs on to causes that don’t fall within the forest boundaries but significantly influence our work.
This past month, Bark signed onto two initiatives. The first was a Move to Amend petition to establish that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. Second, we supported the American Bird Conservancy’s request to require wind energy producers to take protective measures to reduce bird and bat mortality from wind turbines.
Finally, you may remember last year Bark signed onto the American Bigfoot Environmental Pledge, which aims to resist the greening of racism led by groups like Californians for Population Stability (CAPS). Well, apparently Stephen Colbert just got the message. Check out this clip from the Colbert Report that calls out a recent CAPS television ad disguising xenophobia as environmentalism.
Bark Tales
Volunteer initiative makes it happen!
At last month’s Bark-About, new volunteers Brynden McNew and Weston Conat showed up with a camera, ready to film and produce a video short on Nestlé’s plans to bottle water in the Columbia River Gorge. View the video here, bonus points if you find yourself in it! Then on April 20th local musician Dustin Hamman organized a Bark benefit show featuring his band, Run On Sentence, and other talented local musicians. Action oriented volunteers like Brynden, Dustin, and Weston are invaluable to the work we do! And the best part is you can be one too!
Join Bark this Thursday, May 3rd (tomorrow!) for the first meeting of the new Nestlé Action Group, or NAG, and learn how you can help stop Nestlé. We will meet from 7-8:30 pm at St Francis Church, 311 SE 12 St, (between SE Oak and Pine on 12th) Portland. The entrance can be tricky to locate. Be sure to look for signs or a Bark volunteer to point you in the right direction.
Bark Burns
Fiery tidbits and your chance to weigh in
Did your mother teach you not to play with matches, and to put out your campfire before you leave? Let’s hope so! But some people didn’t listen to ma’s good advice, because the vast majority of human-caused fires in Mt. Hood National Forest are ignited by campfires (smoking is a distant second). It is the policy of the Forest Service to suppress all fires caused by humans – even in the wilderness where naturally-ignited fires are allowed to burn.
What do you think? Should the Forest Service’s fire suppression response should be different if a fire was caused naturally or by human action?
|
Forest Service Helps Restore Fish to Oregon Stream 
On the afternoon of Friday, February 8th nearly 200 Oregonians put on their finest red clothing and joined Bark and the Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Coalition in Lower Macleay Park to take a stand against Nestlé’s grab at public water resources in the Columbia River Gorge. 