The way we work on Public Lands Protections

Across the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the three national forests in the Greater Hells Canyon Region, we review every plan and project that involves logging, grazing and mining, and sometimes recreation and other matters. These public lands are administered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), an agency that is part of the larger U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Actions taken by federal land managers are governed by environmental and administrative laws, and are done in accordance with forest plans.

GHCC's Public Land Protections program is critical in defending intact natural systems, large and old trees, roadless areas, and watershed health across this spectacular region. Our protections work goes back over 50 years and includes a legacy of successes protecting the Snake River through Hells Canyon, passing wilderness designations and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area to permanently protect large portions of public lands in the region, scrutinizing and stopping aspects of large timber sales that pose risks to the ecological function of the region's forests, and protecting streams and rivers from degradation caused by logging, road building, and livestock grazing.

A diverse mix of forests make up a significant part of the public lands in the Greater Hells Canyon Region. Our work primarily focuses on the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla, and Malheur National Forests, where we work to ensure timber sales and other management actions comply with federal laws including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These bedrock laws are meant to ensure logging projects don't detrimentally impact the long term ecological function of an area and that threatened and endangered species habitat remains protected. In the Greater Hells Canyon Region, and across the West, these laws are often circumvented, or attempts are made to water them down. We work to make sure federal agencies comply with these laws, and we work with our elected officials to keep these laws intact.

After a century of unsustainable logging, large trees make up only 3% of the forests in the Greater Hells Canyon Region but store over 42% of the forest’s carbon. Ancient forests and big trees are naturally resilient to wildfire and provide key habitat for wildlife, including martens, fishers, owls, woodpeckers, and many others.

Ecological connectivity in the Greater Hells Canyon Region requires a mix of collaboration on actively managed landscapes and lasting protections on lands that contain mature forests and functioning, intact ecosystems. Water is the lifeblood of the Blue Mountains Ecoregion, and protecting watershed health is paramount for anadromous fish. Large trees are critical for cooling water for spawning fish and young smolts. In the larger river basins, salmon and steelhead require safe passages, but must navigate dams and the warm, still water trapped behind them.

Forest Planning

A major category of our protections work involves planning on the national forests in the Greater Hells Canyon Region. Planning refers to decisions that govern how management will occur across a national forest or other landscapes by informing how the U.S. Forest Service and other public agencies implement specific on-the-ground actions and activities. Certain planning processes, like the revision to the Blue Mountains Forest Plan (currently underway), Travel Management (currently on hold), and the attempt to make changes to the 21” rule limiting the logging of large trees across Eastern Oregon and Southwest Washington (GHCC recently was successful in litigation to maintain this important rule) have significant impact on the long-term health of the region's forested landscapes.

Projects

Direct on-the-ground actions, be it a timber sale, grazing reauthorization, or a mining permit, must comply with direction set forth in land management plans and bedrock environmental laws such as NEPA and the Endangered Species Act. At times, public agencies try to circumvent their duties under these policies and laws. We review all planned actions across the Greater Hells Canyon Region to ensure they are in compliance with these laws, as well as providing additional comments and guidance where we have concerns that a planned action will be detrimental to the health of the ecosystem.

Lasting Protections

Throughout our history, starting with our work to stop the effort to dam the Snake River through Hells Canyon and create the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, we've worked to secure lasting protections for the lands, waters, and wildlife in the Greater Hells Canyon Region. Lasting protections are a form of federal land designation such as Wilderness, or a rule such as the Roadless Rule, that substantially limit the extractive actions that are allowed in these areas. The last time new Wilderness was designated in the Greater Hells Canyon Region was in 1984.

How you can get involved

Visit our Public Land Protections webpage for more information about current projects and planning efforts underway across the Greater Hells Canyon Region. If you see an area you care about our want to learn more about, send us an email and/or sign up for our Newslettes and Action Alerts to stay in the loop when public comment periods or other timely actions can be taken that will have a positive impact on the ground.

Taking 5-10 minutes to submit a public comment or send an email to your elected officials with your thoughts on a project and why you care can make a huge impact. Even a small numbed of comments can make a big difference. You don't need to be a resident of the Greater Hells Canyon Region to get involved. Federal public lands are for everyone, residents and visitors alike.