by Barry Buchanan, Mazama Conservation Program

The Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest in Oregon, covering nearly 24,000 square miles extending into Washington and Idaho.  It encompasses seven mountain ranges (Ochoco, Elkhorn, Strawberry, Wallowa, Greenhorn, Aldrich, Maury), the deepest canyon in the United States (Hells Canyon), the second longest undammed river in the lower 48 states (John Day) and has four national forests.   

Three of those national forests, the Umatilla, Malheur, and Wallowa-Whitman, covering over 7,650 square miles, are included in the Blue Mountains Forest Plan which is currently undergoing an overdue revision and update by the U.S. Forest Service.  

Background

There is concern among conservation groups and Tribes that the plan revision preferred by the Forest Service is weakening environmental protections and shifting the balance too far towards resource extraction and short-term economic output at a time when wildlife is struggling with habitat degradation and there is greater need to conserve mature forests as existing carbon reserves.

The Blue Mountains region provides essential east-west corridors for wildlife across the interior Northwest. This allows species to move between the Columbia Plateau, Great Basin, the Cascades, Wallowa and Rocky Mountains. According to The Nature Conservancy, the region represents one of the most important movement pathways for American wildlife including black bears, mountain lions, bighorn sheep, elk, deer, lynx, wolves, and wolverines. It is important to preserve pathways for species whose habitat is changing because of the warming climate.

The Trump administration is promoting huge increases in logging and roadbuilding as the best way to prevent and limit the impacts of wildfires, although research does not support this simplistic approach. Healthy, diverse, mature forests are more resilient to fire. Well over 80 percent of wildfires are caused by humans. The Blue Mountains Forest Plan revision is the first to be developed after the administration announced they would rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule.

Proposed Alternatives

The Forest Service proposes three alternatives for the Blue Mountains Forest Plan and prefers one:

• Alternative 1 – No revisions to the current plan (developed in 1990).
• Alternative 2 – Preferred by the Forest Service as a “balanced” option. Triples timber harvest goals (which many say is unrealistic). Removes enforceable limits of many existing protections. Expands commercial logging and fuels reduction. Increases grazing in riparian and forested areas. Removes limits to road-density. Weakens enforceable fish habitat protections, specifically Pacific Anadromous Fish Strategy (PACFISH) and Inland Native Fish Strategy (INFISH) with less-prescriptive guidelines. Allows more “active” management of mature forests including removal of large trees.
• Alternative 3 – “Conservation Forward” alternative. Has stronger protections for older forests and large trees. Includes more restrictive road‑density limits like the 2001 Roadless Rule. Has stronger riparian protection (closer to PACFISH/INFISH). Has lower timber harvest levels than Alternative 2. Includes more attention to wildlife and watershed health. Recommends 35,000 acres for wilderness designation.

Conservation groups opposing specifics of Alternative 2 include Greater Hells Canyon Council, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, Oregon Wild, Oregon Hunters Association, Trout Unlimited, Native Fish Society, Defenders of Wildlife, The Wilderness Society, and the Sierra Club of Oregon. Each of these groups represents stakeholders which prioritize opposition to specific plan components.

Tribes are also opposed to elements of Alternative 2 because it threatens salmon recovery, does not include enough tribal consultation, promotes a logging-heavy approach to wildfire fuels reduction, and diverges from federal treaty obligations.

The American Forest Resource Council represents the view of the logging industry and has supported “active” management components like those included in Alternative 2.

The Forest Service is accepting comments on the Blue Mountains Forest Plan until September 30, 2026.   Please use your voice to protect these public lands. 

Advocate!

Please urge the Forest Service to adopt an improved conservation alternative: 

• Develop management plans scientifically prioritizing ecosystem sustainability and protection, recognizing the complex interactions between component ecosystems and supported wildlife. 
• Manage the Blue Mountains forests as part of a critical wildlife connectivity corridor for the continent. The plan should reinstate science-based, quantitative, open road-density standards for elk movement rather than shifting reliance to nutrition-based standards. 
• Greatly reduce the huge increase in timber production compared to other values for management.  Alternative 2 more than triples timber production targets for the area.  
• Restore enforceable protections for large trees. Remove Alternative 2’s maximum flexibility and instead include mandatory standards to protect all trees over 21 inches DBH (diameter at breast height). These large‑diameter, high‑value trees represent only 3% of trees covered under the Blue Mountains Forest Plan (USFS) but hold approximately 42% of the aboveground carbon. They provide critical habitat for at-risk species like the American Marten. Alternative 2 recognizes that old growth forests are not suitable for timber production, but by allowing older, larger trees to be taken from younger forests, it ultimately thwarts the growth of more habitat which is wildfire resistant and ecologically beneficial. 
• Establish a management area like 2A – Roadless Area (in Alternative 3) that will provide permanent safeguards for 722,000 acres of roadless lands. This alternative retains components of the 2001 Roadless Rule ensuring these untouched landscapes are protected from logging and roadbuilding.  
• Retain PACFISH/INFISH riparian habitat protection. Implemented in 1995. PACFISH and INFISH are important protocols for monitoring salmon and trout habitat protection.  These scientifically developed protocols should remain in place and not be replaced with vague language. Reducing reliance on scientific habitat monitoring could increase stream sedimentation and water temperatures, exacerbate road and grazing impacts, reduce riparian vegetation and woody debris, thus degrading spawning habitats and negatively impacting endangered fish.  
• Remove unmanageable and unproven “targeted” grazing components. 

Below are links where you can uncover more information about the plans and submit comments (deadline September 30, 2026):

USDA Blue Mointains Forest Plan (includes comment instructions)

Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision Action Alert! – Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project

Oregon WIld Take Action (includes comment form)

Oregon Wild Analysis of the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revisions

Stakeholders weigh in on Blue Mountains Forest Plan revision – OPB

The fire that never starts | US Forest Service

People Cause Most U.S. Wildfires – NASA Science

Thank you for speaking up to protect our public lands and the future of the Blue Mountains.

Dear Mazama members and friends,

After two years of service, Rebekah Phillips has announced her decision to step down as Executive Director, effective July 31, 2025.
We are deeply grateful for the impact she’s made. Under her leadership, the organization has grown stronger—strengthening relationships with volunteers and stakeholders, improving operations, expanding our professional staff, and helping shape our strategic direction. Her work has positioned us well for the road ahead.
While change can be challenging, this transition offers an opportunity to reflect on our evolving needs and identify a new leader to guide the Mazamas into its next chapter. On behalf of the entire board, I thank Rebekah for her many contributions and wish her continued success.
The board has formed a transition team to manage interim planning, and we will keep the membership informed as more details become available.

With gratitude,
Debbie Dwelle, Board President

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Dear friends,

Recently I made the difficult decision to step down as your Executive Director, with my final day set for July 31, 2025.
Over the past few years, we’ve made real strides together, and I’m deeply grateful to the members, supporters, and staff who have made this work possible. As the Mazamas continues to evolve, I hope this transition will serve as an invitation—an opportunity for you, the community, to help shape what comes next.
As for me, I’m taking a rare pause to reflect and recharge. But I’m not going far—I began this journey a member, and I’ll continue to remain one.
Thank you all for your support, passion, and belief in this community. It’s been an honor to serve and walk alongside each of you.

With gratitude,
Rebekah Phillips

Congress recently removed the provision to sell 500,000 acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada from the House budget bill. This represents a win for public lands advocates who mobilized against the proposal, demonstrating broad bipartisan opposition to privatizing these areas.

However, the current bill remains deeply problematic for environmental protection.

Beyond its widely reported cuts to healthcare programs and tax provisions that would add nearly $4 trillion to the national debt, the legislation contains several measures that would significantly weaken forest management and environmental oversight.

Key environmental concerns include:

• Expedited Logging Authorization: Allows companies to bypass standard environmental review processes under the National Environmental Policy Act by paying fees, potentially eliminating public input and legal oversight for timber operations.
• Mandatory Logging Increases: Requires the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to boost logging activities by 25 percent, without adequate consideration of climate change effects, water quality protection, or wildfire prevention strategies.
• Roadless Area Vulnerabilities: Creates exceptions that could permit logging in currently protected roadless areas, potentially affecting regions like the Columbia River Gorge, Hardesty Mountain, the Metolius River watershed, and the Wallowa Mountains.
• Extended Logging Commitments: Mandates 20-year timber contracts across national forests, locking in long-term extraction commitments that may not account for changing environmental conditions or ecosystem needs.

These forest management changes represent a significant shift in federal land policy. Senate consideration of these provisions will be crucial in determining their ultimate fate.

Attendees of the Greater Hells Canyon Council’s Base Camp presentation on the Blue Mountain Trail on April 25 saw an informative presentation. The presenter has provided additional information about the Blue Mountains Trail.

• The Blue Mountains Trail webpage can be found at: www.hellscanyon.org/blue-mountains-trail
• For those interested in shorter trips on the BMT, options are available at: www.hellscanyon.org/blue-mountains-trail/trips
• The summer outings and events calendar, including staff-led hikes and surveys, is available at: www.hellscanyon.org/event-and-outings
• For specific questions, individuals may contact Jared at jared@hellscanyon.org or Pip Redding, the Blue Mountains Trail Coordinator, at pip@hellscanyon.org.
• To stay informed about the latest news from the BMT and GHCC, people are encouraged to sign up for newsletters at: www.hellscanyon.org/newsletters

In response to a question about how western Oregon residents can support conservation in eastern Oregon, the GHCC staff recommends contacting Oregon Senators and local Representatives to express interest in conservation issues in northeastern Oregon and request more involvement on eastside issues. The organization plans to provide more direct guidance in the weeks ahead.

The importance of northeastern Oregon conservation extends beyond regional boundaries. The GHCC mission area encompasses approximately 10,000 square miles with about 100,000 inhabitants in a rural, economically disadvantaged region. Despite this, it remains a popular destination, with over 100,000 visitors from the Portland region annually.

Support from western Oregon residents enables GHCC’s conservation work, which impacts the entire state through watershed protection, endangered species habitat preservation, and trail maintenance. The organization protects major watersheds including the Grande Ronde and John Day rivers, which serve as critical cold water refugia for wild salmon and steelhead. Their efforts ensure endangered species like wolves have suitable habitat, and through the Blue Mountains Trail initiative, they maintain hundreds of miles of hiking trails across the region’s three National Forests.