OSPIRG starts a new campaign to protect Oregon’s single national park from logging threats.
The student-led organization has started collecting signatures and have created a photo petition to urge Senator John Wyden to take action and increase the protected wilderness border around Crater Lake to preserve both its beauty and the habitat which many animals call home.
There is a new proposal from logging companies to create new clear cut areas along the park boundaries every year. This year, there is a proposal to start logging operations along the northwestern boundary of the park In order to protect these areas, the organization is proposing to increase the park’s boundaries that will include a 75-mile wilderness corridor. If the plan is implemented, the increased boundaries will protect an additional 500,000 acres, says Frian Mardhani, campaign coordinator.
“It’s one of the most beautiful places in Oregon and it’s our only national park. There is no reason why we shouldn’t protect it,” Mardhani said.
Along with the park’s beauty, preserving the habitat for the wildlife is an integral part of the campaign. The area surrounding Crater Lake is home to some of Oregon’s most iconic species such as the bald eagle and black bear, campus organizer Jacob Wyant said. However, only select areas outside of the park are protected, and clear cutting the unprotected habitat near these areas would have a damaging effect on the wildlife.
“An eagle and a bear don’t know the difference between a national park and what isn’t,” Wyant said. “For a place like Oregon where we think green, we need to put our money where our mouth is when it comes to protecting one of our national treasures.”
Wyant says that OSPIRG is not against using timber as a resource, but there are better alternatives for logging companies to go than around Crater Lake.
Since the beginning of the term, over 1,100 students and community members have signed the petition and over 300 have participated in the photo petition in support of the campaign. According to Chapter Chair Casey Scofield, protecting Crater Lake and the environment is a cause that everyone can support.
By the end of the year, the group plans to meet with Wyden to present him the petitions and to show that people care about Crater Lake. Scofield says that Wyden is expected to introduce a new bill within the next few months. In order to gain support and visibility for the campaign, the OSPIRG is organizing press conferences and meeting with other groups to form coalitions.
“That’s the beauty of a student-directed group. Whatever students want to do and consider the best way to get the word out is what we’ll do,” Scofield said.
However, if Wyden does not introduce a new bill, Scofield does not expect OSPIRG to stop the campaign to protect Crater Lake.
No matter what the final decision is concerning Crater Lake, Wyant says that student organizations like OSPIRG are important for students who want to become more involved in their community.
“As students, it is cool that we can have a significant voice at the federal level despite some people saying that student’s shouldn’t be activists,” Wyant said.