Wild Victories
Public Lands, Wildlife, and Native Fish
Klamath National Forest Drops Illegal Old-Growth Timber Sale
Facing litigation that Crag filed on behalf of three conservation groups, the Forest Service withdrew its controversial and illegal approval of a timber sale threatening old-growth forests and cold water tributaries of the Klamath River in Klamath National Forest.
Oregon Legislature Passes Groundbreaking Forestry Reform Bill
On June 26, 2020, Crag played an influential role in the Oregon Legislature passing a bipartisan forestry reform bill called the Forest Aerial Spray Bill (SB 1602), which provides greater protections against aerial pesticide spray.
Victory for the Beautiful Ochoco National Forest
In January 2019, the Oregon Federal District Court ruled that a proposal to build a 137-mile Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) trail system in the Ochoco National Forest would harm habitat for elk, wolves, and native fish, and that the Forest Service failed to satisfy its legal obligation to study the potential environmental impacts.
Crag Saves Old-Growth and Wildlife in the Tongass Rainforest
On November 28, 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Forest Service’s plan to log in the Tongass rainforest once and for all. Crag’s clients Greenpeace and Cascadia Wildlands finally won this decade-long case to preserve the unique old-growth and native wildlife of the spectacular rainforest.
Tongass Logging Project Suspended on Revilla Island
In March of 2016, Crag successfully halted a commercial logging project that would have clear-cut 2,500 acres of the Tongass rainforest on Revillagigedo Island. Crag prepared a formal objection against the U.S. Forest Service due their failure to protect the already vulnerable old-growth forest.
Forest Service Cancels Controversial Tongass Old-Growth Timber Sale
In October 2015, on behalf of five environmental organizations, Crag won a case against the U.S. Forest Service’s authorization of a timber sale on Mitkof Island in Tongass National Forest, which would have destroyed the habitat of the native Alexander Archipelago Wolves.
Development Along the White Salmon River Blocked
In 2013 Crag celebrated a victory with our clients, Friends of the White Salmon River and Friends of the Columbia Gorge, in blocking an ordinance that attempted to rezone 1,000 acres of riverside land along the White Salmon River.
Four Logging Projects Cancelled in the Tongass National Forest
In September 2014, Crag’s clients won a legal challenge at the US District Court in Anchorage, effectively canceling four logging projects in the Tongass National Forest. After six years of litigation, the Court issued a decision stating that the Forest Service relied upon faulty scientific models to complete their environmental review.
Victory for Butterfly Protection in PNW
In July of 2014, Crag won an injunction on behalf of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Oregon Wild, which compels the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to take action on listing the Leona’s little blue butterfly under the Endangered Species Act after years of delay.
Crag Protects Marbled Murrelet Habitat: 28 Timber Sales Halted
In February 2014, Crag won a significant victory for the marbled murrelet when the State of Oregon canceled 28 timber sales that would have logged coastal old growth forests that the threatened seabirds need as habitat to nest.
Crag Protects Rivers from Logging Road Runoff in Groundbreaking Case
In August 2010, Crag secured a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that rainwater channeled by logging roads into rivers is pollution and can be regulated under the Clean Water Act. Now, the Oregon Department of Forestry can no longer channel polluted stormwater into rivers and streams.
200,000 Acres of Wilderness and Water Source Area Protected on Mt. Hood
In 2009, Crag Law Center helped usher the Mt. Hood Wilderness legislation through Congress and to President Obama’s desk. The legislation adopted a hard-fought settlement that was intended to permanently protect the North side of Mt. Hood at Cooper Spur.