Like Nowhere Lise on Earth
The Oregon Coast Range is known for
its spectacular coastal scenery Every
year more people frequent the Oregon
Coast to be inspired by the solitude of its
unique natural environment Dramatic
coastal headlands, ro llin g dunes, white
sand beaches and the alluring Pacific
Ocean are the focal points of the Oregon
Coast The more discreet areas of the
region behold lush temperate rainforests,
grassy mountain meadows, diverse
wetlands, teeming estuaries, and an array
of f ish and w ild life A ll of these
contribute to the coast s high quality of
life Yet, a closer look at this coastal
paradise reveals trve consequences of a
demanding western society
As is the case elsewhere in the Pacific
Northwest, the v ia b ility of the forest and
aquatic ecosystems in the Oregon Coast
Range are threatened One of the most
productive tim ber-growing regions in the
world the Coast Range has endured more
than a century of intensive logging,
p a rtic u la rly over the last few decades
Monoculture tree plantations have replaced
most of the regions oldgrowth, resulting
in the federal listing of threatened
spec ies The spotted owl, for example,
ranges east into the Cascade Mountains,
but the m urrelets occur only w ithin 50
m iles of the coast and mostly w ith in ?0
m iles Many coastal stream salmomd
stocks are either extinct or declining and
proposed for lis tin g I irnber harvest and
associated road-building are some of the
biggest threats to the biodiversity of the
region Increasing tourism and
immigration to the area, both of which
promote development, pose additional
dangers, unless carefully planned
The costs of our past and present uses
are becoming evident in the loss of
b io lo g ic a l d iv e rs ity , idle f ishing f le e ti and
rising social tensions Many people feel
the price paid for intruding upon the
natural world is surpassing the benefits
gained
Conditions such as these in the Coast
Range are what led to the need and
formation of the Coast Range Association
two years ago The sc lent if ic and public
acceptance of the need for conservation
in the Coast Range was increasing Yet
proposals from the Bush Administration
made the Coast Range a sacrifice zone
Even some national environmental groups
and congressmen seemed w illin g to
essentially give the Coast Range to the
tim ber industry P o litica lly, it was easier
to w rite off the Coast Range because it
had such productive forests, litt le old-
growth le ft, and relative ly small
populations of the spotted owls and other
sensitive species which are isolated and
w ill be d iff icult to restore
The Coast Range is not a pristine
wilderness, but neither is it ruined We
know that it takes great periods of time
for natural systems to establish and
evolve The founding organizers of the
Coast Ranqe Association saw the need for
our natural resources in the Coast Range to
be judged from the perspective of the
overall ecosystem health and maintenance
of native biodiversity for future decades
and centuries to come The time Is now'“,
as it has been said so well Restoring and
sustaining diverse, resilient forests and
fish runs, indicative of the Coast Range
ecology, w ill require protection of the
remaining reserves of biodiversity and a
new approach to natural resource
management Now
before it is too late
The Coast Range Association is a
5O I-C -3 tax exempt nonprofit
organization The Association is made up
of grassroot chapters known as Area
Organizations which are governed by the
Board of Directors The Board of Directors
performs oversight, sets broad
conservation policies and insures that the
1 urrtn un twt t m to
Association keeps on track of its goals it
is committed to empowering Area
Organizations w ith the responsibility to
determine the local conservation
p rio ritie s and agenda, as w ell as specific
organizational and fiscal responsibilities
The Association has one fu ll tim e sta ff
person working w ith the Area
Organizations out of the Associations
Newport office The Associations purpose
is concerned w ith forest and associated
aguatic ecosystems of the Coast Range
There are var tous issues related to our
purpose The timber industry s current
trend is monoculture -- mono-aged tree
plantations and clear cutting Tree
plantations are a fire hazard and provide
only lim ited w ild life use The current rate
at which the industry harvests and plants
w ill inevitably impoverish the forest
soils a transition in the timber industry
is essential to rely on less volume and
engage in operations that w ill be
condusive to the overall health of forest
and aquatic ecosystems The Association
sees the need to restore and maintain
adeguate, healthy native forests while
practicing sustainable forestry This
would entail protecting the remaining late
successional forests in the Coast Range
and restor mg a balartce in the distr ibut ion
of successional stages Protecting all
native species of plants and animals is a
key aspect to restoring our native forests
and aguatic systems The Association sees
the need for a conservation emphasis put
upon watersheds to protect the dwindling
native Salmon stocks which are a warning
to the overall health of forest and aguatic
ecosystems in the Coast Range
We must also address and explore the
relationship between our natural resources
and societal needs due to the explosive
growth expected on the Oreqon Coast in the
decades to com** How w ill we protect our
natural resources7
The Association and its Area
Organizations are funded by members
through the volunteer e ffo rts of its local
chapters The Association acts as
supporter and catalyst for the
conservation work don* by the Area
Organizations it assists by creating tools
and resources that focus and improve the
a b ility of individuals and groups to
advocate on behalf of the Coast Range
ecosystems The feeling of having little
impact on forest policy is a major
obstacle to involvement The Coast Range
Association believes the unity experienced
through its regional association w ill help
overcome the isolation often fe lt by local
conservation activists
Environmentalists as a group tend to be
of a c ritic a l bent Rightly so given the
behavior of our institutions and the
condition of our natural world Yet this
c ritic a l eye can work against us Time and
again progressive effo rts w ith er due to a
lack of emotional strength w ith in the
group process It is far more important to
recognize and he supportive of an
individual s e ffo rt than to focus on their
shortcomings For the most part we are
amateur volunteers up against powerful
professionals This is part of the
organizational culture we d like to see
flourish in the Association
The Coast Range Association and its
member grassroot chapters have become
an effective voice for protecting our
coastal forests and aquatic systems
Through innovative proqrams of forestry
reform, watershed restoration,
ecotourism, and our nationally recognized
conservation plan, we are helping to lead
the way in Coast Range conservation The
success of our work may determine the
fate of one of the Earth s greatest
rainforest regions
Please take a moment to consider how
you can help Become a Coast Range
Association member Our voice is listened
to because it represents people like
yourself Become involved, the work of the
Association and its grassroot chapters
depends on volunteers
If you would like to learn how to
become more involved in your area or if
you wish to become a pledging member,
please f i l l out the follow ing information
J
'I
----------* —
i u luwnsa non w m 1 i ' l l i
I
$10
>
I would like to volunteer for mv araa
i
orgarizahon
$?5
$50
1
■ ■ ■
I
i
I
I
$100
a
i
j Name
i
!
i
f
I
I Aggress
? Tel •
f
»11
are t»>
Iibl»)
I
» uiast kamj-A a «.. at ion
<
Mewpor I OK 97365
• . a to fi or
• •• <
*"**
«W
**rf
Tor pledging members, a quarterly
newsletter w ill be mailed to keep you
informed of issues affectm q your area
and the Coast Range ecosystem, as w ell as
notifying you of upcoming Association or
a ffilia te d events
Tor those non-pledging members. The
Upper Left Edge w ill be providing up-to-
date information in upcoming issues This
issue is the firs t in a series to introduce
the concerns and agenda of the Coast Range
Association Next month, you can read
about specific projects and work presently
being conducted by Clatsop chapters
i
I
1
Thank you for your support'
We look forward to hearing from you
The Coast Range Association
M uddy
'H m
m i «
W a te rs
foul m m a m «b«(
• v ’j»
tUaarrt'
C x q u is i t c C © f f C C $
and
Teas
T h ird a n d Ivv S5lrp«te T illa m n n k f lr iw n n
A litt le math If trees are a renewable
resource, how long does the resource take
to be renewed7 If loggers are an
endangered species how do we keep them
alive7 It takes X number of trees to keep a
logger busy X number of days As the
number of trees decrease, the price of
lumber qoes up, and the number of loggers
goes down (Is this too d iff ic u lt 7) It
takes at least 50 years to grow a
harvestable tree It only takes 18 years to
grow a logger So. our problem seems to
not be too few trees, but too many logger s
Any questions7 (Next time. How many
trees does it take to make a fo re s t7 (hint,
it s a trick question ))
I