2025 Annual Report

Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project’s forest protection work is vital for protecting wildlife, clean water, and carbon storage in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who has supported our work. Thank you for joining us in defending forests in the Blue Mountains and eastern Oregon Cascades!

We need your help more than ever. Public lands and environmental protections are facing unprecedented attacks. The Trump administration has announced rollbacks of key portions of the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act, began the process to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and issued Executive Orders to increase logging on federal public lands by 25% and expand mining and drilling. They have also withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords, and fired the authors of the National Climate Assessment.

Simultaneously, the administration is dismantling regulatory agencies and gutting the federal workforce, including scientists and other staff at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Forest Service. In addition, the institutions and organizations that protect public lands, wildlife, and clean water are facing severe funding cuts. These cuts have affected non-governmental organizations as well as federal agencies.

Further, a bipartisan bill currently moving through Congress has the potential to severely diminish the accountability of federal land managers if passed, putting our public lands at risk. The Fix Our Forests Act (“FOFA”) threatens public lands by vastly expanding logging projects while weakening long-standing environmental safeguards and public oversight. This bill would allow federal agencies to fast-track large-scale logging operations without adequate review under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act—all under the guise of fire risk reduction. FOFA is nothing more than a giveaway to the timber industry that would worsen wildfire risks, undermine ecological health, and sharply limit democratic accountability on public lands. We’re calling on people to contact their elected representatives and ask them to oppose FOFA. You can find your representatives at: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

“Forests are broken because of the extent of logging that’s happened over the last five or six decades. You can’t fix a problem with forests with the same methods that have caused the degradation to begin with.”—Dr. Dominick DellaSala

Communities across the country are fighting back. Along with local communities and allies, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project has been working to protect forests against the avalanche of attacks on the public lands— but unfortunately many of us, including BMBP, are doing so with less funding and fewer resources.

We need your help to continue our work! Please donate, and sign up for Action Alerts on our website. Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project’s local, place-based work is crucial for protecting eastside forests. We focus on using the field survey information we collect in proposed timber sales to fight for mature and old forests, important wildlife habitat, and streams and water quality. Our staff and volunteers develop deep connections with the forests we survey, and many of our volunteers have gone on to be lifelong environmental advocates.

This year, we hosted 42 volunteers and surveyed thousands of acres in proposed timber sales. Our recent work to challenge logging has helped protect large trees, mature and old forests, and streamside corridors in multiple large timber sales. BMBP’s work has been crucial in mobilizing the public to speak out against the rollback of environmental protections, including in the draft Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process that will affect five million acres of National Forests in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. We’ve also continued our worked with coalitions and alliances to build stronger movements. These are just a few examples of our recent work.

We’ve got much more work to do! The coming year will be crucial for protecting National Forests. Get involved! Support our work, and speak up for National Forests in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

BMBP’s recent accomplishments:

The Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision: The Forest Service has begun the process of revising Forest Plans for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests in the Blue Mountains, encompassing approximately five million acres in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. Forest Plans are the basis for virtually all management actions on National Forests, dictating everything from timber volume outputs to protections (or lack thereof) for wildlife and stream habitats. These plans will guide forest management for decades, and have lasting implications for the climate, biodiversity, and clean water for generations to come.

Unfortunately, the draft plan that the Forest Service recently released eliminates or severely weakens existing protections for forests— including protections for mature and old forests, large trees, wildlife habitats, and streams and water quality. Should this plan be implemented, it would have disastrous effects on forest and stream ecosystems.

Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project has been deeply engaged in the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revisions. We teamed up with Earthrise Law Center, Western Watersheds Project, and the John Muir Project to write extensive and in-depth comments challenging the draft plan during the public comment period. We also worked closely with numerous groups in the Eastside Forest Coalition on joint comments from the coalition, with nine organizations signing on to those comments.

BMBP’s action alerts and public outreach about the Forest Plan revision reached thousands of people, and have been crucial for raising awareness and mobilizing public involvement. We are keeping up the pressure, and asking people to contact the Forest Service and elected representatives about the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision, even outside of formal comment periods. These decision-makers need to hear loud and clear that the public wants strong, enforceable standards that protect large trees, mature and old forests, wildlife, and water quality.

Visit BMBP’s website to get more information, as well as talking points, our vision, and a summary of our concerns. You can also check out our video The Blues: Eastern Oregon’s Forests at a Crossroads, which BMBP and Fire+Bird Films created over the past year. Also on our website, you can see a recording of the webinar that BMBP organized for the Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance about the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process. Webinar panelists were BMBP’s Staff Attorney and Co-Director, and Greater Hell’s Canyon Council’s Conservation Director.

An additional formal public comment period on the Blue Mountains Forest Plan revision is expected in the coming months. Stay tuned, and sign up for BMBP’s Action Alerts!

In the Field: Every summer, Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project’s staff and volunteers survey thousands of acres of proposed timber sales. Field surveying is the heart of our work, and provides on-the-ground evidence for our public comments and objection resolution negotiations on timber sales. BMBP’s field season runs from the beginning of June through September.

During the 2025 field season, we hosted 42 volunteers— 18 new volunteers and 24 returning. Volunteers spend a minimum of one week in the field with us, and numerous volunteers stay longer. We train all new volunteers on map and compass skills, plant and wildlife identification, determining slope, documenting mature and old forest conditions, basic forest ecology and more.

Special thanks to all of our volunteers this year, including our new volunteers Alexa, Andrea, Ariel, Aspen, Clayton, Clel, Cosme, Emma, Hadley, Gila, Guppy, Hank, Jo, Kendra, Mary, Mattie, Melinda, Momo, Monkey, Noon, Olive, Riley, Simone, Stefan, and Tina. Huge thanks also to returning volunteers Bone saw, Cai, Diane, Frances, Gambit, Hillary, Jack, Lemon, Matthias, Mike, Penny, Relic, Roby, Raines, Sebbi, Sky, and Yelizaveta. 

We were thrilled to welcome Liza, our Summer Intern Campaign Assistant, to BMBP during the 2025 field season. Liza provided invaluable help in the field and support for our forest protection campaigns through public outreach.

Timber sales surveyed: During the 2025 field season, BMBP staff and volunteers field surveyed the Mottet sale (Umatilla NF) and the Suffering Springs sales (Wallowa-Whitman NF), and did post-logging surveys in the Walton Lake sale (Ochoco NF) and the Junction sale (Deschutes NF).

The Mottet sale encompasses over 18,000 acres of commercial logging, including in moist mixed-conifer forests at higher elevations, never-logged forests, and forests that support high-quality wildlife habitat and connectivity. The Suffering Springs sale contains over 10,000 acres of proposed commercial logging, including in streamside riparian corridors and logging of large trees.

Acres saved: We use the field survey data we collect, and our on-the-ground familiarity with proposed projects, in our comments and negotiations with the Forest Service. Over the years, we have gotten tens of thousands of acres of proposed logging dropped or modified by using our survey data in discussions and negotiations with the agency.

This year, as a result of BMBP’s objection resolution negotiations for the Baker City Watershed sale (Wallowa-Whitman NF), the Forest Service agreed to modify approximately 300 acres of streamside logging. The agency dropped all logging within streamside buffers at high elevations, and changed commercial logging to non-commercial along streams at lower elevations. They also limited noncommercial logging within Inventoried Roadless Areas to small diameter thinning (≥10” in diameter at breast height) and only using handheld chainsaws with no heavy equipment use.

In the South Warner timber sale (Fremont-Winema NF), as a result of BMBP’s litigation on the Forest Service’s proposal to severely weaken protections for large trees in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington, the agency dropped all logging of large trees across 16,000 acres.

Public comments and objections: BMBP submitted comments and objections to sixteen timber sales and nine regional and national planning proposals affecting public lands. BMBP is currently tracking approximately 30 agency projects in our work area.

We submitted comments on the following 13 timber sales: the Upper Bear Lake Environmental Assessment (EA) and the Austin scoping package (Malheur NF); Summit Road Categorical Exclusion (CE); Lone Rock and Zulu post-fire rehabilitation CEs; and the Mottet scoping package (Umatilla NF); Jackson Watershed Fuelbreaks CE, Wiley Flat Roadside Hazard Tree Abatement CE, and  Three Fires Reforestation Initiative CE (Ochoco NF); Deschutes Fuels Maintenance Project EA and Boundary Road Fuels Reduction Project CE (Deschutes NF); and the Morgan Nesbit draft EA and the Summit Ridge Communications Site scoping (Wallowa-Whitman NF).

We submitted objections on the Upper Bear Lake sale (Malheur NF), the Tiger-Mill and Ellis sales (Umatilla NF), and the Morgan Nesbit and Baker City Watershed timber sales (Wallowa-Whitman NF). We attended numerous agency meetings for all submitted objections.

We challenged the rollback of environmental protections in our comments on planning and rule change proposals:

• Extensive comments on the draft Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision;
• Comments on the Forest Service’s Preliminary Need for Change and on the draft assessment for Species of Conservation Concern (which are also part of the Forest Plan Revision process);
• The Endangered Species Act (ESA) Harm rule changes by the Trump administration to weaken the ESA;
• Removal of the Council of Environmental Quality regulations on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA);
• The USDA’s proposed changes to NEPA;
• Scoping comments on the Northwest Forest Plan;
• Scoping comments on the Roadless Rule rescission;
• Written testimony on Oregon HB 3846, which proposed a transfer of public lands on the Ochoco NF to private interests.

We also sent out Action Alerts on the Fix Our Forest Act, the Trump administration’s proposed NEPA rollbacks, the Roadless Rule rescission, the Upper Bear Lake sale, and the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision.

Highlight on public engagement on Tiger-Mill: Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project has been working with residents in Walla Walla, Washington to support their work to organize local community members around their concerns about the Tiger-Mill timber sale. The sale includes planned logging within the municipal watershed for the city of Walla Walla’s drinking water. BMBP helped to alert local residents about the timber sale, and continues to provide support and information for local organizing efforts whenever possible. Walla Walla residents and individuals who live near the sale are working diligently to build public awareness about the potential effects of logging in the sale, such as an increased risk of downstream flooding.

Concerned residents organized a strong turn out to two recent City Council meetings, with 35 people showing up for the City Council’s town hall to discuss the timber sale in October. The town hall was held due to outcry about the sale from local activists. The meeting room ran out of chairs, with over 20 people crowded into the alcove outside during the meeting, and many people did not get an opportunity to speak. Approximately 18 people gave testimonies expressing their concerns about planned logging, and many people were unable to comment due to meeting time constraints. BMBP’s Director and Co-Director also attended and provided public testimony.

Residents have been pressuring the Walla Walla City Council to submit a formal request to the Forest Service, asking for an adequate analysis of the potential environmental effects from planned logging. Unfortunately, the City Council voted 4-3 against sending such a request to the Forest Service.

Walla Walla residents also organized a pre-town hall event, with 50 people attending. Local organizers shared information, talking points, and questions for the City Council with attendees, and BMBP’s Director and Co-Director participated and provided information about the sale. In addition to these events, over three dozen people submitted testimony across numerous City Council meetings over the summer. A local resident geologist also held a field trip to the Tiger-Mill sale in early October, which was attended by approximately 75 people, including BMBP’s Director.

One of the many concerning issues with the Tiger-Mill sale is that the Forest Service omitted the key public comment period— they did not have a comment period on the draft Environmental Analysis for the sale. This, combined with the fact that the Forest Service did little to notify local communities, has resulted in many residents feeling left out of the public process for a timber sale that will affect their drinking water, increase flood risk, and log thousands of acres of intact mature and old forests. In addition, much of the logging in this sale will take place on steep slopes, above creeks supporting imperiled fish.

BMBP has been honored to work with the dedicated residents of Walla Walla, and provide support through helping with coordination and meetings, connecting local residents, and providing information on the sale and related issues. We will continue to work with local residents to bring attention to and challenge planned logging in the Tiger-Mill sale.

Public outreach and media: Our media interviews have included an all-day field trip with a reporter from E&E Politico in the Malheur National Forest; a round table meeting with three Oregon Public Broadcasting reporters and other conservation groups in Joseph, Oregon; phone interviews with the Columbia Insight, Truthout news outlet, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Coast Range Radio, and three interviews on KBOO (a local radio station); and an in-person interview with the Our Public Lands podcast.

Paula Hood, BMBP’s Co-Director, spearheaded work with Fire+Bird Films to create a short video about the Blue Mountains and the current Forest Plan Revisions. The video features Karen Coulter (BMBP’s Director), as well as Dr. David Mildrexler (Eastern Oregon Legacy Lands), and Rob Klavins (Oregon Wild). BMBP planned and funded the video, which can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/xNvxX3uBJrM

We also participated in numerous webinars, panels, in-person workshops, and presentations. For example, Karen gave presentations about our work and/or about forest management, wildfire, and climate change at the following events, with between 20-35 people attending each event:

• Deep Roots Camp in northwestern Oregon. The event was organized by the PNW Forest Climate Alliance;
• The Harney County collaborative group on the Malheur National Forest. Attendees included representatives from the timber industry, livestock permitees, and Forest Service staff;
• A volunteer recruitment event at Green Anchors in Portland, organized by one of our long-time volunteers. It included music, food, and dancing;
• A volunteer recruitment event in Quilcene, Washington;
• Wolf Creek Forest Restoration Camp south of Eugene, Oregon.

Paula was a panelist on John Muir Project’s Stopping the Spin webinar series, and spoke about logging-related effects to stream and riparian ecosystems.

Additionally, the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) took place in Eugene in spring of 2025. Karen was a panelist on the Watchdogging 101: Digital Sleuthing and Ground Truthing for Environmental Advocacy panel, which included representatives from Cascadia Wildlands, Bark, and others. Paula was a panelist on the Forests, Fire, and Climate: Unpacking the Myths and False Solutions Endangering Communities, Forests, and Our Climate panel alongside co-panelists from the John Muir Project, PNW Forest Climate Alliance, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

Movement building: 

The Eastside Forest Coalition: BMBP continues to work closely with a coalition of several groups working to protect forests in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. The coalition includes Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project, Greater Hells Canyon Council, Oregon Wild, Central Oregon Landwatch, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, WildEarth Guardians, the Juniper Group of the Sierra Club, and the Native Plant Society of Oregon. BMBP is an active member of the steering team, and helps organize and co-lead the coalition. In addition to extensive joint work on the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process, another example of recent work includes producing the In Defense of Grand Fir factsheet.

The Pacific Northwest Forest Climate Alliance (PNWFCA), which BMBP helped found in 2019, includes over 90 grassroots forest and climate groups. The PNWFCA provides a structure for groups and individuals to strengthen activist networks and tackle forest and climate-related projects. Examples of BMBP’s work with the alliance this year:

• Work with several groups on a joint ‘State of the Forests’ report, highlighting the discrepancies between what the Forest Service is calling restoration vs. the reality of logging on the ground;
• Ongoing work on the Logging on Public Lands photo repository;
• Numerous presentations on our work to document on-the-ground conditions in recent timber sales, and on Forest Plan Revisions;
• BMBP’s ongoing work on the steering committee, including attendance at steering meetings and strategic planning retreats.

Fundraising: We are deeply grateful to everyone who has donated to support our ecological protection work, including generous individual donors. Many heartfelt thanks to the Amalgamated Foundation; the Anne K. Millis Fund of Oregon Community Foundation, the Astrov Fund, Autzen Foundation; Bob and Joyce Foster Charitable Giving; the Burning Foundation; the Charlotte Martin Foundation, the Clif Family Foundation; Fund for Wild Nature; the Jewish Community Foundation; Oregon Community Foundation; the Winelander Fund; and the Schwemm Family Foundation.

Many thanks also to Brian Frank for his help with accounting, to Japanese Auto Repair for ensuring the maintenance and safety of our vehicles, and to Minuteman Press at Lloyd Center for printing our work reports and promotional flyers.

BMBP’s Online Auction and Fundraising Drive: Thank you to everyone who donated to our fundraising drive and online auction. Our fall fundraising campaign raised over $6,000! We are deeply grateful to Scott Penzarella and Wanderlust Tours for their gifts of adventure and stays on the Eastside! Huge thanks to small local businesses such as Handmade Gardens, Hollywood Theatre, Mama and Hapa’s Zero Waste Store, and Portland Nursery. We were also honored to receive donations from talented local artists, including Camilo Velasco, David Tvedt, Gary Mac Smith, Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, Laura Allen, Mary Van Zandt, and Microcosm Publishing.

Please donate to help support BMBP’s forest defense work! 
With your help, we can continue our work to protect National Forests in the Blue Mountains and eastern Oregon Cascades. Please give what you can— donations both small and large help keep our work going!

$10,000-$20,000 helps pay for our three staff members 
$5,000 helps cover transportation costs, including gas, truck repairs, and insurance
$2,000 helps cover legal expenses for a lawsuit to stop a timber sale or toxic herbicide use
$1,000 helps cover telephone communications
$500 helps pay for photo printing or copying
$250 helps cover postage costs
$100 pays for field surveying equipment
$25-50 subsidizes food for volunteers

You can donate online at: https://bluemountainsbiodiversityproject.org/donate. Please consider becoming a monthly donor, including BMBP in your long-term giving plans, or leaving a bequest to BMBP.

Send checks to our Eugene office at:
Blue Mountains Biodiversity Project
Eugene Office
1560 Chambers St.
Eugene, Oregon 97402

To volunteer in the field, contact Karen at 541-385-9167.
To find out about computer-based volunteer opportunities, contact Paula at paula@bmbp.org

Thank you for supporting BMBP’s work to defend forests on public lands in Eastern Oregon!