Two unprecedented conservation victories in southern Oregon
On Thursday January 12, 2017 we celebrated two major victories in southwest Oregon that have paid off in over 100,000 acres protected for climate change resilience, biodiversity, and clean water!!
South Kalmiopsis climate refuge protected for 20 years
The federal government removed over 100,000 acres from the threat of industrial-nickel mining! This region is one of the most important landscapes in the American West in terms of its extraordinary biodiversity, is considered the Pacific Coastal Outback for its large complex of roadless wild lands, has exceptionally high concentrations of rare plants, and pristine, remote rivers. Geos Institute was a key player supporting grass-roots partners and presenting the science on the importance of the area to the administration in DC and regionally. The region has been identified by our science team as an important regional climate refuge and through these efforts there is now a 20-year time out on mining to give congress and a future environmentally friendly administration time to permanently protect the area. We are especially thankful to Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Jared Huffman (CA).
Additional Information
- Read the official press release here
- Agencies withdraw land to protect it from new mining (Medford Mail Tribune) (PDF version)
- Feds Block Mining In 100K Acres of Southwest Oregon (JPR)
- Mining ban secured for 20 years (Del Norte Triplicate)
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument expanded
Led by the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, the Obama administration just expanded the 66,000 acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, the nation’s only monument to biodiversity, by adding another 48,000 acres! In 2011, Geos Institute was part of a team of scientists that examined whether the monument was large enough to protect its outstanding features and species especially in a changing climate. The science that came from that effort was used to support outreach by the Soda Mountain Wilderness Council and partners that made a compelling case for expansion at local hearings attended by hundreds of monument supporters who stand in solidarity for its protection. Chief among the reasons for expanding the monument, was the need to protect its remarkable features and species in a changing climate! We give a special thank you to Senators Jeff Merkely and Ron Wyden for their work in making this happen.
Additional Information
- Official Press Release
- Connecting the Dots: Obama’s expansion of Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is a small nod to the value of biodiversity and landscape connectivity. (mentions Geos Institute’s work)
- Obama Announces Cascade-Siskiyou Monument Expansion (OPB)
- Obama expands Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument by 48,000 acres (Oregon Live)
Our biggest and most heartfelt thanks to the work and support of KS Wild, Oregon Wild, American Rivers, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Native Fish Society, Friends of the Kalmiopsis, Soda Mountain Wilderness Council, Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Conservation Lands Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, Weeden Foundation, Charlotte Martin Foundation, and everyone who supported these efforts.
Samantha Medlock is President of Climate Risk Advisors, helping communities and organizations advance equity, sustainability, and resilience. Her career began chasing floods as a local official in Texas Flash Flood Alley—a hands-on experience that still shapes her approach to climate and disaster risk management.
Arsum is the Senior Adaptation and Coastal Resilience Specialist for the National Wildlife Federation’s Southcentral Region. In this role, she advances climate adaptation efforts, with a focus on nature-based approaches to address the impacts of climate change and extreme events across the Gulf region. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications on climate impact assessments and adaptation solutions. Additionally, she regularly participates in state-based coastal resilience and hazard mitigation planning across the Gulf, collaborating with regional and local stakeholders.
Frank is the former President of the Reinsurance Association of America. Frank currently serves on the Advisory Board of the OECD’s International Network for the Financial Management of Large-Scale Disasters, the RAND Center on Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation, and the University of Cincinnati’s Carl H. Lindner III Center for Insurance and Risk Management Advisory Board.
Jim is a multilingual world traveler. Based in Bavaria during the 1970s, Jim spent most of this period in India, Afghanistan and Nepal, where he founded and operated a charitable medical clinic serving Tibetan Refugees. He settled in Oregon in 1983 on a forested ranch in the Umpqua National Forest.
Dr. Micah Hahn is an Associate Professor of Environmental Health in the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. She received her joint PhD in Epidemiology / Environment and Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MPH in Global Environmental Health from Emory University. Subsequently, she was a postdoctoral fellow for the CDC Climate and Health Program, and in this position worked collaboratively with the CDC Division of Vector-borne Diseases and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Her research focuses on understanding the health impacts of climate change and working with communities to develop locally-relevant adaptation and resilience-building strategies. Dr. Hahn is also on the Management Team of the Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Center.
Michael is a former Founding Principal of Resilient Cities Catalyst, a global non-profit helping cities and their partners tackle their toughest challenges. He is currently the Executive Director of Climate Resilience Academy at the University of Miami.
Dr. Quintus Jett is a consultant, educator, and strategist for public causes. He has a doctorate in Organizations & Management from Stanford University, and a two-decade faculty career which spans schools, departments, and programs of business, engineering, liberal studies, divinity, and public and nonprofit management. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Dr. Jett launched a volunteer project in New Orleans, which enlisted residents, students from over a dozen colleges and universities, and hundreds of others to field map the city’s Gentilly district, Lower Ninth Ward, and New Orleans East. Dr. Jett is an innovator in higher education, bridging the divide between academic research and the other priorities of the modern university, including student access and diversity, community engagement, and providing foundations for life-long learning in today’s rapidly changing world.
Scott is Monfort Professor of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. He has written about 100 publications in the peer-reviewed climate literature, is a former editor of the Journal of Climate, and served for five years as founding Science Chair of the North American Carbon Program.
Linda has many years of experience in disaster preparedness and resilience. She has been an elected official on the Linn County Iowa Board of Supervisors, Chair of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, the East Central Iowa Council of Governments, the statewide Mental Health Developmental Disability and the Linn County Board of Health. Langston is a former president of the National Association of Counties (2013-2014).
Ken works with families and organizations as a mediator, organizational consultant, trainer and facilitator. Along with his passion for helping people prepare for and reduce climate change, Ken also volunteers as a mediator through Mediation Works and is passionate about supporting youth through mentoring with Boys to Men of Southern Oregon.
Matthew is a retired high school teacher who was once honored as Oregon High School Social Studies Teacher of the Year. Before his teaching career he was in the restaurant business in Portland. He is also a lawyer who has been a member of the Oregon State Bar Association since 1980.
Andrea is the Resilience Policy Advisor for the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency. She works across state agencies and with local governments to increase the state’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.