Oregon Wild, Sierra Club withdraw from Ochoco Forest Restoration Collaborative

Divisive ideas around preserving Ochoco forest; collaborative's chair says groups' departure 'completely unexpected'

(Update: Adding video, comments from Oregon Wild, Juniper Group Sierra Club, Ochoco Forest Restoration Collaborative)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Expressing frustration with its practices, two Bend-based environmental groups, Oregon Wild and the Juniper Group of the Sierra Club, announced Tuesday they have withdrawn from the Ochoco Forest Restoration Collaborative.

The two groups said in a news release Tuesday they have been long-time members of the collaborative and were "the last remaining environmental advocacy organizations" to participate in it.

The public land campaigner for Oregon Wild, Jamie Dawson, feels the collaborative is falling away from protecting the forest.

"We treat them like, you know, an economic source, which in our opinion should not always be the top priority for our public lands,” Dawson said.

Oregon Wild was a founding member of OCFRC, which came together in 2012.

One reason for Oregon Wild’s withdrawal is the growing interest in controversial logging projects.

"We started to struggle with our involvement, once the collaborative decided to take an active role in advocating for reduced protections for large and old trees," Dawson said.

She said her group was unwilling to compromise for less eco-friendly practices.

"How can we cut trees in creekside and riverside areas, where there might be deer and elk?" Dawson said. "How can we log deep slopes with new fancy tractors?"

Both of those practices, Dawson said, are in conflict with Oregon Wild’s mission to protect and restore Oregon’s woodlands, wildlife and waters.

Mathieu Federspiel, a member of the Juniper Group Sierra Club's Executive Committee, shared a comment with NewsChannel21, detailing it's reason for resigning.

"We have participated since 2017 on this collaborative, and have been frustrated by the overwhelming influence of extractive industries and old-school beliefs about forest management. Recent changes to how the organization operates and rushed votes on issues have brought our concerns to a head. This organization is not providing an arena for collaboration and we have decided we can no longer participate."

In a formal resignation letter, the Sierra Club also highlighted a list of concerns, including that "information presented to the group has been biased toward the extractive industries, mostly timber.”

Also, they claimed, "Expert opinions about forest management that diverge from historic forest service practices or from those of the timber industry have not been presented to the membership.”

Janet Hutchison, chair of the OFRC, sent the following statement to NewsChannel21:

"The Ochoco Forest Restoration Collaborative (OFRC) regrets the fact that these two valuable collaborative members have submitted their withdrawal from OFRC. Their announcements are completely unexpected, as neither one of these groups have approached me or anyone else on the Executive Committee about their concerns. We would appreciate discussing the issues they have stated in a private meeting with them, in an attempt to resolve their issues. It is especially surprising to me that Oregon Wild has chosen this time to submit their withdrawal, when the last time they attended a meeting was in November of 2020.

The next full group meeting for OFRC is April 19, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. We welcome any and all individuals and groups that are interested in participating to attend our meetings. If you are interested in attending, you may contact me at jhutchison@cityofprineville.com or call me at 541-447-5627.