Street Roots • April 7-13, 2017
News
Page 7
Protecting
M t Hood
National Forest
IF YOU GO
The People’s Forest Forum for the
Future of Mt. Hood National Forest
Saturday, April 15
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunnyside Community House
3520 SE Yamhill St.
Portland, OR 97214
This event is free and open to the public,
with childcare and snacks provided.
Learn how to shape the
forest’s fu tu re a t a free,
public event fo r Portlanders
made to the plan in the meantime to
account for climate change, and make it
more appropriate for current ecological
conditions and social priorities in the
region.
Keynote speakers at the April 15 event
will include:
• Dr. John Talberth, Founder and
President at Center for Sustainable
Economy, on climate change impacts on
forest and potential benefits forests can lend
to fighting climate change
• Maya Jarrad, Community Organizer at
350PDX, on regional climate change, its
impacts on water and fossil fuel
infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest
• Adam Baylor, Stewardship and
Advocacy Manager at Mazamas, on what the
recreation community can do to develop its
political strength in protecting the Mt. Hood
National Forest
BY EM ILY GREEN
S T A F F W R IT E R
f you live in Portland, chances are you’ve
taken a short road trip east to enjoy the
splendor of Mt. Hood National Forest.
This federally managed chunk of
Northwest Oregon is where Portlanders get
their main source of drinking water. It’s also
where they hit the slopes in the winter, and
where they go for wine tasting, hiking,
swimming, fishing, camping and other
outdoor activities.
But how much do most Portlanders know
about how these lands are managed?
At a time when a presidential
administration with little regard for the
environment threatens the health of our
nation’s federal forests, an environmental
watchdog group that keeps its eye earnestly
focused on Mt. Hood National Forest wants
the public to get involved.
That group is Bark, a Portland-based
nonprofit dedicated exclusively to the
protection of Mt. Hood National Forest
since 1993.
On Saturday, April 15, it’s hosting a free
public event, “The People’s Forest Forum,”
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sunnyside
Community House in Southeast Portland.
The forum will consist of presentations,
keynote speakers and break-out sessions
that organizers hope participants will help
to generate.
Bark hopes Portlanders will leave the
forum with a better understanding of how
Mt. Hood National Forest is managed, how
climate change is affecting the ecosystem,
and how they can play a role in shaping the
I
B reak -o u t
IL L U S T R A T IO N B Y P H O E B E O A K S
future of this popular outdoor recreation
area.
“Bark believes the most important
management priorities should be for clean
water and recreation,” said Bark Community
Organizer Courtney Rae. “As the climate
changes, those things are going to become
more and more challenging to manage for.”
The forest plan guiding how the U.S.
Forest Service manages Mt. Hood National
Forest was written in 1990. Back then, Rae
said, clean water and recreation “weren’t
the priorities at all.”
Bark is often a vocal opponent when
logging and restoration projects in the Mt.
Hood forest don’t meet its environmental
standards, in some cases taking the U.S.
Forest Service to court.
At the forum, Bark is hoping to learn
what aspects of forest management matter
to Portlanders, and relate that message in
the form of recommendations to the U.S.
Forest Service, said Rae.
Rewriting the forest plan won’t likely
happen under the federal hiring freeze, but
Bark is hoping some amendments will be
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believe good health is
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Good health starts in your
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regular check-ups.
Share your healthy habits
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Better health
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s e s s io n s w ill in clu d e: b o w
plants and animals are adapting to climate
change in the Mt. Hood National Forest, the
forest’s carbon storing cycle, clean water,
fire prevention, conservation and social
justice, the recreation economy and more.
PDX Toy Library will provide onsite
childcare, and snacks including cheese,
crackers and veggie platters, along with
beverages will be provided by Bark.
Participants are asked to bring their own
lunch. To RSVP, go to eventbrite.com.
Registration is not required to attend, but
requested. For more information, visit: bark-
out.org.
emily@streetroots. org