 Ordinary people are hitting the streets across our country to express outrage at the damage being caused by the new administration’s bullies and billionaires. Right now is the time for us to join together across all affiliations and identities to take back our government from these thieving oligarchs. It’s show time! Turn out like never before for local events & support social and climate justice organizers with your time and resources. New groups are forming and old groups are rebooting (e.g., Find the local chapter for National Indivisible.) All politics are local, so we’re focusing on policies that we can control and influence at the state and local levels. Let’s exercise our PEOPLE POWER! Read on to see how. Take ActionWHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE FOREST?  It’s a good thing federal agencies are required to have public comment periods prior to finalizing their plans. (It’s still a democracy, right? Right.) The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has an open comment period through March 17th on their proposed changes to the 30-year-old Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). But the proposed changes are very problematic. The good: expands Tribal inclusion and beneficial fire use. The bad: redefines mature and old-growth, which will drastically increase logging. In short, the proposed alternatives, A - no change (wasn’t good enough then, still isn’t), and the other three, B, C & D, have tribal inclusion but drastically increase logging. What to do? TELL THE THEM EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK - MAKE A COMMENT TO THE US FOREST SERVICE! Come to our Comment-writing Workshop, co-sponsored with Oregon Wild! We’ll walk you through the process and help you submit high-impact comments. When: Tuesday, March 4th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Where: Drop Bear Brewery at 2690 Willamette St., Eugene What: Short presentation by experts then hands-on comment-submissions! (Bring your mobile device.) This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save some of the last mature and old-growth trees in our region. Together with our forest-climate allies across the region, we are pulling out the stops to submit MASSIVE numbers of comments so that the new plan will:
Come hang out with your climate-forest protector friends, learn about the landmark NWFP, enjoy delicious no-host food & beverages and get those comments in! We will help you do this! Come to the workshop! Stay for all or part. See ya there! If you prefer to do the research and write your comments privately, the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance has prepared this kickass guide with this direct portal to the USFS comment page. Get your comments in by March 17th. And in case you missed it, here’s the link to the incisive (1 hour) PNW Forest Climate Alliance webinar on the NWFP Draft Environmental Impact Statement, with presenters, Ryan Reed, Grace Brahler, and Tim Ingalsbee. Great overview and insight into Tribal Sovereignty and more. Sending Our Message by Showing Up The rally and USFS public meeting held this month at their office was inspiring and informative on many levels. It was a packed house, so we got their attention. Thanks to everyone who made signs, rallied in the cold and sat still for their “Open House.” Here are more superb photos taken by Robert Scherle. Spring is Great for Forest-themed Street Messaging! When: Thur., Feb. 27th, 2:00-3:30 pm Where: Along West 18th Ave, east of the Bi-Mart parking lot next to Westmoreland Park We’ll animate the beautiful tree signs and other banners & props we painted with forest climate messages and engage passersby. Meet up on the south side of 18th at the corner of the Bi-Mart parking lot just before 2 pm. Bring a lawn chair if you like to sit down. Everything is provided. Fresh air & friendly conversation. We hope you can join us! Pizza with your Forest-loving comrades at Hey Neighbor! following. STATE POLICY - Oregon Legislature is in Full Swing There are many climate-related bills this session. Democrats have super majorities in both chambers, so we need to really push our representatives to pass what we need now… because THEY CAN DO IT. 350 Eugene supports and is monitoring these particular bills: OCERA - SJR28 - with Oregon Coalition for an Environmental Rights Amendment, The Pause Act - SB681 - with Divest Oregon (a five-year moratorium on private (aka risky) investments), and Stand Up to Factory Farms - SB80. We also work with allied orgs to support their legislative priorities, linked here: 350PDX, Sustainable Northwest, Oregon Just Transition Alliance, and the Oregon League of Conservation Voters and Oregon Conservation Network. Most climate bills receive hearings in one of the following committees: Senate Energy and Environment (e-Subscribe) House Climate, Energy, and Environment (e-Subscribe) Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire (e-Subscribe) House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water (e-Subscribe) You can subscribe to these committees to receive updates on a bill’s progress using the above links. To learn more about testifying during specific Senate and House hearings, go to the Oregon State Legislature webpage. Written testimony may be submitted up to 48 hours after the committee meeting is scheduled to begin. Public testimony registration closes 30 minutes before the meetin’s start time. LET’S LOBBY! The Oregon League of Conservation Voters and the Oregon Conservation Network are holding their “Lean, Green Lobby Machine” day in Salem on Thursday, March 20th. This is a great opportunity to learn about current bills and gain the skills of effective climate policy advocacy. To get more information and sign up to attend, click here. Perfect for folks new to lobbying. CITY POLICY - It’s time to get on with climate action! Now that the Eugene City Council has passed the Fire Services Fee, the organizations within Fossil Free Eugene are sending a joint letter to the council to urge them to hold a work session prior to April 30th to consider increasing the gas supplier tax that Northwest Natural pays the city to access its rights of way from 5% to 10%. These funds will be ear-marked to help low to moderate income households transition to clean electric appliances. We’ll keep you posted on when next we plan to strategically give public comment at City Council meetings. Thanks for standing for strong climate action! ALERT! Meanwhile, speaking of passage of the Fire Services Fee… We hear the Chamber of Commerce is heading up a plan to gather 5,000 signatures within 30 days to challenge the new, progressive fee with a referendum on June’s ballot. Wait. What?! Our library, Greenhill and other key community service budgets… cut because big industries don’t want to pay their fare share to support safety and health? Shame on them. Might be a great time to submit a letter to the editor of the Eugene Weekly. ( No more than 250 words. Send to [email protected].) THE PUBLIC INTEREST ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CONFERENCE  You’ve never seen anything like it! For 43 years, Eugene has hosted the oldest and largest public interest environmental law conference in the world, attracting activists, advocates, attorneys, scientists, government officials, and concerned citizens to share information and strategies that will more effectively advance the goals of environmental and social justice. We’ll be at the Fossil Free Eugene table and taking in many of the amazing panels and presentations. Come see us and peruse the offerings in the busy schedule here. SOLIDARITY WITH IMMIGRANT & LGBTQ+ COMMUNITIES  Tue., Feb. 25th at 9:00 am - Lane County Board of Commissioners Meeting - Harris Hall, 125 E 8th, Eugene Let’s show up in solidarity with our immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities during the Public Comment Session to ensure the Commissioners understand the importance of protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. Please wear a black or dark top and pin a paper heart to it to signify your support. See ya there! More Action SAVE THE DATE On March 25th in Roseburg, join community members and advocates across the region for a rally in protest of the Bureau of Land Management’s auction of the critically important old-growth forest threatened by the Blue and Gold project. A rally will take place around 9:00 am during the auction and will be followed by a short hike into some of the threatened old-growth forest. RSVP and/or volunteer by filling out Cascadia Wildlands’ FORM. It’s time to SAY NO TO BLUE AND GOLD! Email Deb at [email protected] if you’re planning to go. ACTION: Meanwhile, you can send an email to your federal elected officials urging them to stop logging in the Blue and Gold project today! Thank you!  We know in our bones that we must band together to face this moment and resist the forces that would negate over a century of struggle and social progress. We will not look away.It matters what actions each of us takes. Why? Because others will see us do them, and it will make it easier for them to take their own action by our sides.For some practical ideas and inspiration, check out this piece from The White Pages website, Feb. 12, 2025 (by Garrett Bucks): Thirty lonely but beautiful actions you can take right now which probably won't magically catalyze a mass movement against Trump but that are still wildly important.
Stronger together. Let’s be fierce.
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