Please Comment on BLM's Ill-Conceived WOPR

I live in rural, southern Oregon. The federal government, specifically the BLM, is getting ready to implement a massive giveaway of public, old-growth forest to a few timber companies. They call the program WOPR, Western Oregon Plan Revision. Some revision. Clear-cutting is planned in old-growth stands and along salmon streams. Real bright, that. The BLM is also taking the opportunity to open-up pristine land to an army of motorized, off-road vehicles when there are thousands of acres in the Cascade range already devoted to that purpose. It's disgraceful, take my word for it. My home is next to some of the areas under discussion and this is a very close and important issue for me and my family. Check out the top-ten reasons why this plan is a bad idea here. And then read this synopsys. Thing is, you've only got until Friday at midnight to post a comment. The good news is that you can do it by email.

Fall Colors & Chanterelles

Though no match for a forest full of sugar pines (see my post on Cape Breton Island), southern Oregon has some beautiful fall colors of its own. Our forests have a number of hardwoods, including Acer-family maples which are small but very graceful. Even the vineyards, and we've got a lot of very fine ones, turn a wonderful shade this time of year.

My partner & I spend a lot of time in the Autumn wildcrafting mushrooms in the woods. It's a great way to get out and reward the taste buds at the same time. We've got the really big, white Chanterelle mushrooms that chefs just drool over. And we generally bring back several pounds from each trip to the woods. Yum. So much better than the storied Matsusaki shrooms.

Chanterelles come in yellow and white, and we've got them both. Though our personal site is a secret (don't even ask), these gourmet culinary shrooms can generally be found in old growth forest under fir trees. They smell a little like apricots and are full of moisture - so they are best sauteed dry. We eat them in eggs, with meat, and in a wild mushroom cream soup we make.