Ground Truth Blog

By Ancil Nance When I turned 70 years old I wanted to commemorate the passing years with some small adventure. Now, two years plus on I finally completed the hike to Devil's Staircase waterfall. My interest was piqued when I viewed an OPB Oregon Field Guide program...

The Devil's Staircase Wilderness Coalition is pleased to report that on October 27th, it led Sen. Jeff Merkley, his staff and family down to the Staircase and back safely. Sen. Merkley, along with Rep. DeFazio and Sen. Wyden, are Congressional champions of the...

The Oregonian's outdoor and travel writer featured Devil's Staircase in yesterday's blog. He points out that Devil's Staircase is included in a recently-released Interior Department report on landscapes deserving special protection, noting "The wild forests of...

On Oct. 25, the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands held a public hearing on the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act, H.R. 1413. All testimony supported its passage. Today, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is marking-up and...

Here's the key text from a Eugene Register-Guard editorial endorsing the Devil's Staircase wilderness: Even with the addition of these public lands protections, Oregon's wilderness inventory would still lag behind those of its Northwest neighbors. It's time for...

On June 21, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Act, S. 1272. Senator Wyden and his staff deserve extra kudos for patiently and expertly moving this bill forward to the Senate floor. Full Senate consideration of...

We must continue to move the Devil's Staircase bill through the Senate. It had a hearing in October. It is time for mark-up. Help us protect this coastal gem forever. Personalize and send an auto letter to Sen. Wyden now.

In 2009, we made steady progress towards securing protection for Oregon's last Coast Range wilderness. With leadership from Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sen. Ron Wyden legislation to designate 26,000 acres of amazing forests and wild streams was introduced in Congress....

Last night, Oregon Public Broadcasting's Oregon Field Guide aired its epic trek into Devil's Staircase. Cascadia Wildlands led the expedition. Kudos to all for finding the Staircase and getting everyone back safely!

On October 28, the House Natural Resources Committee marked-up and passed the Devil's Staircase Wilderness Bill, H.R. 2888. The bill now goes to the House floor where it will be voted on next year. Three new House co-sponsors have signed on in support of Devil's...

One of the Devil's Staircase Coalition members, Umpqua Watersheds, is hosting a wilderness conference that includes Devil's Staircase information and a hike into the area the next day. Saturday, Nov 7, 9-3:30 in Roseburg, Oregon.

by Andy Stahl I admit that Washington, D.C., is not my favorite place to visit. But yesterday was special. The House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Peter's Devil's Staircase Wilderness bill (HR 2888) could not have gone any better. Bureau of Land Management...