Fish and wildlife habitat

The doom: Oregon is facing tough challenges

As we all know, Oregon is in the middle of a budget crisis.

In May, the Office of Economic Analysis issued a revenue forecast for the state General Fund that showed a sharp drop in the money available to fund state programs that support our natural resources, as well as critical services like healthcare and schools. State officials predict a deficit of $577 million for the current 2009-11 biennium, which ends next June.

You no doubt know by now that this nation is facing one of the worst environmental disaters in our history.

An oil platform in the the Gulf of Mexico exploded and then sank, creating a disaterous oil leak. If not for an election in a few weeks here in Oregon, I would probably be writing about it daily. Instead, I have been doing my best to track the story and now have a moment to reflect on what it means for the Gulf Coast and Oregon.

One of the Oregon Conservation Network's Priorities for a Healthy Oregon passed out of committee this morning and will soon be up for a vote on the House Floor.

As amended, House Bill 3613 would implement a ten-year moratorium on offshore drilling in Oregon's territorial sea. If the bill becomes law, it would help to provide certainty and stability in coastal communities who depend on our state's robust fishing and tourism industries.

Many of you were quite taken with the video of the wolf pack in the Wallowas that was released in November.

Earlier this week, an Associated Press story further tracks the apparent progression of the wolf population in the Cascades.