Wild Victories
Public Lands, Wildlife, and Native Fish
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.
Sand Lake Estuary Preserved For Generations To Come
After years of effort, Crag secured the integration of Sand Lake Estuary into Oregon’s State Park system, where it will remain protected for years to come.
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.
Crook River Destination Resort Rejected by LUBA
Crag saved a wild stretch of Oregon’s coast near the Pistol River from being developed into a large destination resort and golf course.
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.
Win! ‘RV’ Development Stopped on the Coquille River
In 2008, Crag defeated a proposed subdivision along the banks of the Coquille River near Bandon, Oregon, protecting dozens of acres of rural land and preserving the river’s water quality and native wildlife.
Crag Helps Iñupiat Communities Stop Offshore Drilling
In 2008, Crag won a landmark victory for the indigenous Iñupiat communities of the North Slope and the Arctic environment. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Royal Dutch Shell’s offshore exploration plan in the Beaufort Sea because of potential impacts to Iñupiat subsistence traditions.
Old Growth in Blue Mountains Protected
After the School fire burned in the Washington portion of the Blue Mountains in 2005, the Forest Service proposed to log live growth trees. Crag acted quickly to protect them.