Art and the Environment

ATTEND THE FIRST THURSDAY ART SHOW
AND SUPPORT THE OREGON SIERRA CLUB!

WHAT?  First Thursday Art Show (827 SW 2nd and open only on First Thursdays  from 5-9pm)

WHEN?  This Thursday, October 1 from 5pm – 9pm

WHY? Local Artist Sarah Goodnough will donate 100% of artwork sale to the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club

Can’t attend and still want to help the Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter?
Click here to donate easily and securely online!

Click here to learn more about the Sierra Club’s work in Oregon.

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Five local artists from Thursday Art Gallery have each donated a selected piece to be sold at the first Thursday of October show with all proceeds going toward their favorite charities. Renowned local artist, Sarah Goodnough, has selected Boat & Bridge, Blue Night, 24 x 36, Acrylic on Canvas, to go on sale with all money raised going to the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club.

“Donating our art is a fabulous way we can all pay back to our communities with work that we are so fortunate to be able to produce. It’s a win-win for everyone.” Goodnough chose the  Sierra Club because she feels deeply about the importance of preserving our wilderness and promoting sustainability and renewable energy.

Sarah Goodnough has shown extensively throughout the Northwest and is best known for her abstract expressionistic views of the natural world.  Her riverscapes and salmon paintings have been very popular in Astoria, where she is the featured artist and interior designer of the Cannery Pier Hotel, a luxery boutique hotel in Astoria.  Additional samples of her work can be viewed at www.sarahgoodnough.com.

Thursdays Art Gallery is a cooperative gallery at 827 SW 2nd and open only on First Thursdays  from 5-9pm. Jay Clemens, owner of the building and Turtledove Clemens Marketing Communications provides gallery space to the artists and donates all sales commissions to various arts organizations through the Regional Arts & Culture Council which he is a current Board member.

Other participating artists and samples of their work can be viewed at www.ThursdaysArt.com

Rally against Coal in Eugene – JOIN US!

We cannot let coal stand in the way of our clean energy future.

While the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC) is developing a plan that shows how the region can achieve a clean energy future, Portland General Electric plans to keep us locked into burning coal from Oregon’s dirty coal plant for another 30 years. We need to stand up and ask decision-makers to deliver our clean, coal-free future.

The NWPCC will hold a very important hearing regarding the energy future of the Northwest. Will you join us next Monday, September 28th and speak up at for a clean energy future at this critical hearing?

We will also have an exciting rally and teach-in beforehand where you can learn about Oregon’s Dirty Little Secret — Coal — and how you can get the NWPCC to lead us into a clean energy future. We’ll have special guest Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson and other speakers, pizza, a unique coal art piece, and an overview of what to expect at the hearing.

WHO: Coal free Northwest activists, Chair of the Lane County Commission Pete Sorenson

WHAT: Critical Public hearing and informational gathering for a coal free Northwest

WHEN: Monday, September 28th.

• 5:00pm Rally — across from the public library
• 5:30pm — Teach In and Pizza inside the Library
• 6:00pm — 8:00pm Testify! Public Hearing on the NW Power and Conservation Council’s draft energy plan

WHERE: Eugene Public Library, 100 West 10th Ave, Eugene, Oregon

RSVP or Questions: contact Cesia (pronounced saysha) at 503-238-0442 ext. 303  email cesia.kearns@sierraclub.org

Stay tuned for important details about the event!

The Northwest can lead the nation in standing up to Big Coal.  A strong regional plan by the NWPCC could get the Northwest off of coal by 2020 — but they need to hear your voice in Eugene to deliver!

Thanks for taking action to end our dependence on coal.  See you at the event and hearing!

Sincerely,

Cesia and Robin
Oregon Beyond Coal Organizers

Oregonian newspaper: Board of Forestry ‘dominated by timber interests’

The Oregonian newspaper gets it right this morning with its editorial ‘A fork in the forest road.’ After warning of the negative consequences of putting timber production above all other values, the editorial states:

“Marvin Brown, the state forester, keeps saying that there is no reason for concern and that board has no intention of moving away from its broad definition of forest values. But here is a state board dominated by timber interests and labor representatives, feeling pressure from coastal counties desperate for jobs and county revenue, preparing to set in motion not only more logging, but also a redefinition of the highest value of public forests.

That’s not where Oregon should go.”

The Oregonian newspaper is also blogging from today’s Board of Forestry meeting: Oregon forestry board moving forward with Tillamook logging plan.

On top of this, the Department of Forestry’s own ‘issue scan’ has found the Board of Forestry lacks credibility with the public. Ouch. Here’s the press release from conservation groups on today’s meeting:

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

PRESS ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oregon Board of Forestry to Adopt Contentious State Forest Logging Plan
Department Report: Board has Credibility Problems
Fishing and Conservation Groups Call for Reversal of June 3 Logging Decision

Silverton, OR: As the Oregon Board of Forestry readies itself for a contentious meeting in Silverton on Wednesday, September 9, fish protection and conservation groups are calling for the Board to reverse its decision to increase clearcut logging in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests near the Oregon coast.

The meeting is a follow up to the Board’s June 3 meeting, where, in a controversial split decision, the Board moved to prioritize timber production at the expense of environmental protection on 500,000 acres of state-owned forest between Portland and the Coast popular with recreationists and fishermen.

“The Board lost its balance last June when, despite warnings from their own scientists, they prioritized timber harvest over some of our last strong runs of salmon and steelhead in the Tillamook and Clatsop state forests,” said Bob Van Dyk with the Wild Salmon Center. “State forests can produce timber while also producing great habitat for fish and wildlife, but science needs to be the driver, not a casualty along the side of the road.”

“As stated in their own issue scan report, this timber-biased Board of Forestry lacks credibility. The failure to rely on good science was a trademark of the Bush/Cheney era, and it’s not how we should do things in Oregon,” said Donald Fontenot, Tillamook Coordinator for the Oregon Sierra Club. “These forests not only produce clean water and provide recreation, but can also play a key role in Oregon’s strategy to fight global warming. Knowing this, why is Governor Kulongoski failing to protect these public lands?”

The Board is also facing criticism over a Department of Forestry report which notes that the Board lacks credibility with the public due to its close connection to the timber industry as well as its failure to prioritize environmental protection.

“With major timber and mill owners as members, the Board of Forestry is obviously controlled by private interests and in no way represents the public interests of Oregonians,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species program director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s no surprise that the Board has put protecting watersheds and wildlife far behind timber.”