(It’s been 10 years since the removal of Savage Rapids Dam. Today, this stretch of the Rogue River near Grants Pass moves freely. Photo courtesy of John DeVoe.) This October marks the ten-year anniversary of the Rogue River moving freely for the first time in nearly a century on a stretch of river near Grants Pass, Oregon, when work crews …
New Faces at WaterWatch
In the Summer 2019 Instream, we announced that longtime development director Molly Whitney departed for the Cascade Forest Conservancy to become its executive director. In this fall issue, we would like to formally introduce WaterWatch’s new development director, Neil Brandt. Many of you have already encountered Neil in person, on the phone, or by email. He’s been at WaterWatch for …
WaterWatch in the Community
That’s WaterWatch’s communications manager, David Row, tabling at Patagonia’s downtown Portland store. Expect to see our staff increasingly at these events where they’ll be spreading the good word about WaterWatch to new and familiar supporters! With the arrival of three new staffers (Neil Brandt, Robyn Gottlieb and David Row) in the past few months, WaterWatch has a rare luxury: A …
House Bill 2437: The Oregon Legislature and Gov. Kate Brown miss the forest for the trees with climate resiliency goals
Wetlands, like this autumn scene of the Tualatin Wildlife Refuge, are more than beautiful stretches of nature. They provide clean water and habitat, sequester carbon and reduce flooding. With the passage of House Bill 2437, however, wetlands in Oregon are increasingly in peril. In the 2019 Oregon legislative session, legislators and Oregon Governor Kate Brown focused much of their attention …
2019 Oregon Legislature Recap: Myopia reigns, river protection and smart water management bills few and far between.
Don’t be fooled. Despite the Capitol’s stately appearance, the 2019 legislative session was filled with broken promises, acrimonious debate and plenty of regressive proposals about water and rivers. Against the high drama of the 2019 session, including two Republican walkouts, many broken promises and sweeping polarizing behavior within the halls of Salem, water did not fare well. This, despite a …
The Nehalem River becomes Oregon’s latest State Scenic Waterway!
Thanks to you, a 17.5 mile stretch of the Nehalem River is now a state scenic waterway, thus helping to protect instream flows, prevent new dams, and protect native fish. In our previous newsletter, we urged supporters to contact Oregon Governor Kate Brown to designate the Nehalem River on the Northern Oregon Coast as a state scenic waterway. Congratulations! Your …