The State of Oregon land (ODF), which is slightly to the East of our main meadow (almost up to Theresa and Halston), is being offered for logging. Living in an economically struggling area where logging is a primary economic force, this sort of thing is to be expected.

In years past NOMENUS members carefully watched the status of the lands bordering our own, and walked the boundaries regularly to remain connected with our place here. Local ecology experts have offered to walk the land with interested Faes now and teach us about the birds and plants and soil. This is an opportunity for interested Faes to connect with and care for the land. A chance to reacquaint ourselves with land boundaries, as well as the myriad ways in which boundaryless water magic and biological corridor magic flow through our land, connecting us in a frayed but unbroken ribbon of wild land from King Mountain, all the way to the Rogue River. Wolf Creek is an important part of this watershed. Water flows and seeps from the ODF and BLM parcels uphill from us, across our land and into the creek.

Human hands have radically altered this area over the past 100 years. The hillsides have been previously logged and contain few old growth trees, the fragile soil has eroded dramatically and streams have been diverted from their course across the meadow, which has been plowed, overgrazed, and trampled.

Despite these traumas, the land remains a biologically exuberant place where rare orchids may grow, red tree voles nest, and spotted owls forage. Each tiny valley differs from the next, each ridge features different smells and sounds waiting for us to know them, acknowledge them, find out which ways to best ask for their protection.

This magical landscape will change dramatically when the logging happens (probably winter 2007/2008), but if we choose to educate ourselves and get involved we have the opportunity to impact the ways in which this landscape will change, how much it will change, which areas will be protected, and which areas may be changed for the better (due to past clearcuts, trees have grown too close together in many areas, starved through competition for water and light, cutting down some of them would actually prove beneficial)

Although the comment period is over, the final biological assessment of the parcel has yet to take place, so we still have the opportunity to help shape what sort of restrictions and considerations will be worded into the sale before it is offered for auction. The area representative for the Oregon Department of Forestry is very willing to respond to our concerns about specific ecological impacts, and at the request of involved faeries has already walked the land with us and buffered out a large Riparian zone around our Spring Line which will not be touched.

The more understanding we have of the local ecology, the better requests we can make, and the more seriously we will be taken. As folks who come to connect with nature spirits, and enjoy the beauty of this land, the best thing that we can do to help protect the future healing potential of this land is to learn it by heart. If we find evidence of endangered species, such as Spotted Owl nesting (though it is more likely that they simply come here to forage, and nest elsewhere, where there are more old growth trees) the logging will be stopped. If we learn the forest tree by tree and collect enough information to understand which areas would be worst off being logged, and which would be best off being logged, we could at least require protection for the largest trees and most sensitive areas, ensuring that if logging does take place the forest will grow back stronger than before, instead of weaker.

Faes coming to the land between now and November 5th 2006 can email fritzflohr@gmail.com for more details, and to set up an information-gathering walk with a local ecology expert. In the meantime, here are various resources that you can look at and/or download, to give you a better idea of the situation. If you want to help out, please contact the Land at: nomenus@budget.net (541) 866-2678.