Oregon Landscapes To Get Vote
People who rely on public lands are urging members of Congress to protect iconic Oregon landscapes at the start of their session in 2019. With the 115th Congress occupied by a spending bill, time ran out for the Oregon Wildlands Act and the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Special Management Area Designation Act. But congressional members have promised to vote in January on a lands package that would protect more than one-point-eight million acres in four states. Zach Collier, owner of the Northwest Rafting Company, says even though he’s disappointed the Oregon bills didn’t pass this year, he believes their approval is inevitable.
“We want these bills to pass, but these are no-brainers. I mean, these are all slam dunks. They’re going to happen – hopefully in January. But they’ll happen eventually.”
Collier says he’s appreciative of Oregon Senator Ron Wyden’s work on this. The Oregon Wildlands Act would provide wilderness protections to 100’s of thousands of acres and hundreds of miles of wild and scenic rivers across the state.
Waters on 126
Heavy rains and high tides made for difficult travel over the past couple of days. Waters rose above street levels at highway 126 in Cushman making for delays for folks hoping to travel to Eugene or come to Florence. The delays were not lengthy, but an inconvenience. Yesterday’s dry spell helped but water is still expected to rise above street levels with more rain today and high tide at 3:04 today.
Whale Watching Week
The official whale watching week for the Oregon coast begins tomorrow and runs through the 31st of December. Volunteers will be staffed at 24 sites along the Oregon coast this week including the Cape Perpetua area and Sea Lion Caves. The annual grey whale migration southward will reward watchers with approximately 30 grey whales per hour according to Oregon Parks and Recreation.
