From the open publishing newswire: Klamath Riverkeeper and the Karuk Tribe reached hundreds of citizens on the Oregon coast last week with a series of film nights aimed at connecting fishermen and Pacificorp ratepayers to the campaign to un-dam the Klamath River. The film nights were preceded by mailings to all of PacifiCorp's customers on the Oregon Coast. The mailer stated, "There's Something Fishy About Your Power Bill" and featured a tear-off postcard telling the Oregon Public Utilities Commission to reject increased power rates for keeping the Klamath dams.

The film nights, held in Astoria, Newport, Coos Bay, and Brookings, showed how PacifiCorp's dams are hurting salmon on the Klamath River, as well as how the Klamath's declining Chinook salmon runs impact commercial fishing communities from southern California to northern Oregon. Filmgoers also learned about how PacifiCorp is planning to pay for upgrading and re-licensing its aging dams by increasing power rates to its customers.

Both the California Energy Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have shown that overhauling the dams to meet current federal fish passage standards may cost hundreds of millions of dollars more than simply removing the Klamath dams and buying replacement power. PacifiCorp can use "cost recovery" to pass these increased costs on to its customers, a practice which must first be approved by the Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

 http://www.klamathriver.org

From the open publishing newswire: In the past several years there have been studies showing plants flowering as much as a month early, butterflies migrating weeks later than usual, changes in the timing and location of bird migrations, tropical frog extinctions, bears in Spain no longer hibernating because there is enough food to eat all winter, tree lines moving up mountainsides and up in latitude, the line of permafrost moving north, and others. But none of these are close enough or important enough to us, personally, to make us (Americans) concerned. These are all out on the fringe of our world and simply do not affect us.

But here is an example of how we actually are being affected and will continue to be affected by the changing climate. In 1949 the southeast had a rare weather event. An out-of-season tornado developed in early February, much earlier than normal. Well, this year southern Wisconsin had a rare weather event. An F-3 tornado developed January 7th for the first time - that early in the year - in the record books that go back over 120 years.

From the open publishing newswire: ...BPA seemed like a good place to start the campaign to save the sea lions. The Bonneville Power Administration is, after all, responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of salmon each year. The dams are the single largest killer of salmon on the Columbia river. But rather than going after BPA and forcing the removal of the dams (or at the very least, forcing the redesign of the fish passage through the dams), officials have been seeking permission to kill sea lions. Although there is no scientific reason for targeting sea lions, there are plenty of political reasons: Sea lions do not bend the ears of Northwest legislators, while large power corporations do.

It was good to see so many people there today, in a world where humans seem to have such difficulty living in harmony with those around us. Of all the hundreds and hundreds of people who passed by as demonstrators lined the sidewalk, virtually all of them seemed to be very supportive. In spite of all the propaganda spewing forth from the BPA and the fishing industry, there is a lot of support out there for the sea lions. [ Other articles about the Sea Lions ]

From the open publishing newswire: Hult Road out in Colton is still closed and the hope for it ever opening again is dim. As reported here last December, this area was destroyed by the careless logging of a steep hillside by Ronald and Vina Mitchell. Permits were given to the Mitchells for this logging by the Oregon Department of Forestry. Today we hiked up the road to check on the damage caused when the clear cut area was washed out by winter rains of 2006.

Its closure has been very inconvenient to people living in the rural area and has forced service vehicles to drive out of their way to provide bus service for school children and mail service for homes. But as I walked up there this morning, I noticed a California Jay flying by with nesting materials. I heard quail calling in the low brush. I would imagine that quite a few fellow creatures are more than happy that we are not driving our vehicles back and forth on this road. What this comes down to, though, is the vast stretch of erosion which was 'permitted' and paid for by citizens of this state. [ Read More | Clear cut causes road closure ]

From the open publishing newswire: As part of Fossil Fool's Day, Stumptown Earth First! in protest of the LNG Oregon Pipelines, performed a four-story banner hang off of the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland, OR.

The banner reads No New Pipelines with a no LNG logo directly in the middle. The Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Pipeline is a proposed project that involves three LNG processing terminals and over 600 miles of new pipeline throughout Oregon.

fossilfoolsday.org

From the open publishing newswire: Often, people get caught up in causes far away ... this is something right here, tangible, in our own region that we can really do something about... Aside from being extremely ethically problematic, killing sea lions to help recovering fish populations does not have a science-based foundation, and also has a very unpredictable outcome... There is simply no reason to have Sea lions be killed in vain.

"Under provisions of the State Environmental Policy Act, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is soliciting public comments on the sea lion removal proposal. Comments may be submitted from March 21 through April 4 via email ( SEPAdesk2@dfw.wa.gov) or by mail to Teresa Eturaspe, SEPA coordinator, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA." Lets get the powers that be to reconsider this irresponsible course of action and focus on a more logical and effective management strategy in order to promote endangered fish populations--stricter fishing regulations. [ READ MORE | Sea Lion Slaughter Protest Sign Making Party! Sat 2:30 PM @ Food Fight! SE 12th & Stark | Email Comments | A sea lion slaughter won't save salmon | Other Sea Lion articles | HSUS and Wild Fish Conservancy File Suit To Stop Sea Lion Killing At Bonneville Dam ]

From the open publishing newswire: Federal and state government agencies, along with private interests, are waging an all out war on wildlife. In Oregon, for example, each year wildlife officials snare and shoot entire families of bears simply because the animals peel the bark off trees on corporate timberland. The state also plans to kill up to 2,000 cougars across Oregon and are gearing up to slaughter sea lions along the Columbia. But you can help stop this madness.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Big Wildlife, a non-profit wildlife protection organization formed in 2006, is leading the charge to save mid and top-level carnivores such as wolves, cougars, wolverine, and coyotes. We are dedicated to halting these inhumane and horrific lethal "control" programs and invite Indymedia readers to join us in our efforts. To learn more about what you can do, be sure to attend our "War on Carnivores" lecture at Lewis and Clark Law School [noon - Room 5, 10015 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland, OR] on April 2.

See details about the Lewis and Clark event below:

 http://www.bigwildlife.org

From the open publishing newswire: In a matter of days, officials plan to begin killing sea lions on the Columbia unless we stop them. They plan to close the area to witnesses during the killing, to prevent anyone from seeing what suffering and murder look like. (Anything that is so wrong that it cannot be witnessed by the public should be a warning sign to all concerned.) The time is now. We must all do something, and we must do it now.

I would like to be more helpful in coming up with ways that you can make a difference, but for the moment, all I can do is to beg you to PLEASE contact the people below, and PLEASE do what you can to educate the people around you about this issue. Tell them the truth about the sea lions. Let them know that it is simply not true that sea lions are "overpopulated." They are not new to the area, they are native to the region and to the river. Give people the facts. Sea lions have ALWAYS been on the Columbia river. They are not to blame for the salmon crisis. Humans are preying on far more fish than sea lions are. Killing sea lions is not a solution to this problem.

Video of Columbia River Sealions

From the open publishing newswire: There are a lot of hands being thrown up into the air by public officials this month, moaning that they have "tried everything" and that there is "simply nothing left to do" about the salmon crisis, other than to kill sea lions. However, as these pictures (taken this morning) reveal, the roots of the salmon crisis are much more shallow than these officials might think. Indeed, this crisis could easily have been addressed without bloodshed, if only those who pretend to care for salmon were actually willing to make the necessary (though bloodless) sacrifices that this crisis is really going to take. As long as nets like these are prowling the waters, the fish will continue to disappear from Cascadian rivers.

Those of us who care about the salmon, and the bio-region in which we live, need to be very, very concerned about these nets. They are the dangerous predators of Cascadia, wiping out all the salmon. And they are the ones that need to be removed from the river and the ocean. If we think we can manage this system by removing the natural predators and leaving the exotic, invasive, human predators with free reign, we are egregiously mistaken.

Comment: Fishing alone has not driven Salmon to extinction.
just a few more causes: Dams, Logging, Roads, cities, pharmaceuticals, GE food, farming chemicals, lobbyists, etc...Everyone should spend 10 seconds to start reading this report by a few high school students.

From the open publishing newswire: This Spring, two womyn from the Portland Animal Defense League, Rising Tide North America and Stumptown Earth First! will be on tour in your area with an interactive and engaging presentation. They will be offering a two hour presentation on radical eco-feminism and environmental ethics. Eco-feminism is the social movement that regards the oppression of women and nature as interconnected. It is one of the few movements and analysis that actually connects two movements. Consequently it is now better understood as a movement working against the interconnected oppressions of gender, ethnicity, class and nature.

This is a two part workshop which dives into recognizing the need for radical analysis over reformist thinking- working to drastically change the system rather than working within it. Using the method of popular education called a mind-map, the presentation draws direct links and parallels between radical-feminism and environmentalism exploring eco-activisms' need for radical feminism. And finally, it displays the reasons it is so important to include animal liberation into the radical-feminist-environmental analysis. It is interactive and provides plenty of time for discussion.

You may have seen part of this workshop at the EF! Rendezvous in Indiana or on the Rising Tide North America Climate Justice Action Tour last summer.

Northwest stops include:

• March 22- Portland- PSU
• March 23- Olympia- Evergreen
• March 24- Portland- Reed College

Interviews available by email.
Contact: stephanie@risingtidenorthamerica.org www.risingtidenorthamerica.org

From the open publishing newswire: Taking Place at the U of O Law School in Eugene, the four-day Conference includes over 125 panels, workshops, and multi-media presentations addressing a broad spectrum of environmental law and advocacy. Topics include: forest protection and ecological restoration, grazing and mining reform, labor and human rights, air and water pollution, Native American treaty rights, globalization and "free" trade, environmental justice, corporate responsibility, marine wilderness, international environmental law, water rights and dam removal, oil and gas litigation, genetic engineering, and urban growth.

EARLY AFTERNOON PANELS FRIDAY • 2:15 - 3:30 P.M.
Indigenous Sacred Estates: Protecting the Climate at Home
Land Use, Energy Depletion, and Climate Change: Opportunities for Action.
Solving the Energy Crisis: Are We Making the Right Policy Decisions?
Pacific Northwest Old Growth Protection and Forest Restoration Legislation
Bends in the River: New Developments in Clean Water Act Policy and Litigation

From the open publishing newswire: Radical Botany: Arising from or going to a root or source; Arising from the root or its Crown: radical leaves. Favoring or effecting fundamental or revolutionary changes in the current practices.

GRASSES,REEDS, RUSHES and SEDGES- The plants of utility

For Thousands of years First Nation people's created everything they needed in their lives from plants, rocks, earth, water and fire. They used fire and rock to forge the tools they needed for harvesting the raw materials. Plants gave them the bulk of the materials they needed to create clothes, shoes, blankets, hats, protection from the elements, home furnishings, storage containers and cookware. These people lived simple lives, uncluttered with "stuff" that would poisoned their world. Everything they created decomposed back to the earth, so there was no need for collecting and discarding garbage into unsafe environments. There was no collection of vast islands of plastic and metal collecting in landfills, oceans and streams. People kept these utilitarian objects for years, patching them and only creating new when absolutely necessary. Elders passed on favorite tools or baskets to youth. The young felt blessed by such a gift. Along with the gift of the tool or basket came wisdom and valued knowledge about the natural or spirit world. How were plants used?

From the open publishing newswire: Tre Arrow will be given a warm "welcome back" to Portland by his many friends, family and supporters. Tre is a grassroots activist, known foremost for his environmental protection work in the forests of Northern Oregon. Following several years of peaceful activism by Tre, the U.S. Government labeled him an "eco-terrorist" and charged him with multiple counts of arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and possession of destructive devices (i.e. incendiaries). Tre has been a prisoner for four years in Canada fighting extradition to the U.S., fearing that he would not be given a fair trial in light of the "eco-terrorist" label. Tre is awaiting trial in Portland, Oregon, vigorously fighting his criminal charges. Tre states, "As winter holds the land in its grasp, the bare hardwoods stand strong and beckon the spirit of Spring. Likewise, as my life enters a new season, my strength and life force are flowing through my veins and invigorating my body, mind, and spirit for the upcoming challenges. The time has come to prepare for trial in Portland. I am returning from Canada ready to assist my lawyers in this process."

Tre has consistently denied any guilt and always asserted that he is innocent of all charges. Tre states, "I have maintained my innocence from the onset of this ordeal. My legal team presented my plea for asylum in Canada based on the political persecution I am facing. But, it is abundantly clear that the Canadian Government is complicit in the atrocities and injustices perpetrated by the US government. My faith in the Canadian authorities to act with a conscience in a fair and objective manner has not been realized. The time has come to prove my innocence once and for all."

Tre Arrows Latest Callout