The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop oil and other toxic chemical discharges into the Columbia River in Washington and Oregon.

Recent spills have the issue at the forefront once again. The group Columbia Riverkeeper sued the Corps last year, and said the pollutants harm fish and other wildlife in the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

Miles Johnson, senior attorney for Columbia Riverkeeper, said the permits address four dams along the river known to be pollution sources, and the problem is bigger than petroleum and chemical pollution.

"In addition, the dams create big reservoirs that soak up the sun's energy and make the river too hot for salmon and Steelhead," Johnson pointed out. "The permits that EPA issued to the Army Corps are a directive to deal with some of those problems."

In operating the dams, the Corps will be required to use environmentally friendly lubricants, pay closer attention to water temperatures in those reservoirs and remove water from some if they get too hot for the fish to survive.

The issue was highlighted again recently when between 300 and 600 gallons of oil leaked into the Snake River from a turbine at Little Goose dam in Eastern Washington. Johnson noted this type of pollution has become a pattern with the Corps and has to be monitored and addressed constantly.

"Sometimes it's one gallon, sometimes it's five gallons, sometimes it's hundreds of gallons or even thousands of gallons," Johnson outlined. "And sometimes that oil contains toxic chemicals, like PCBs. And after watching it happen over and over again, Columbia Riverkeeper took action, which is what we do when someone illegally discharges pollution into the river."

The EPA took the action under the Clean Water Act. Columbia Riverkeeper has sued federal and state agencies multiple times and continues to monitor Northwest waterways and the wildlife depending on them.

Deforestation remains a concern in the U.S. but success stories are emerging and Minnesota advocates said new achievements bode well for all residents.

The Conservation Fund, which works to preserve natural resources across the country, recently announced it has protected more than 1 million acres of working forest lands across the country, including Minnesota.

Kim Berns-Melhus, Minnesota state director for the fund, said regional examples include the purchase of 72,000 acres in Minnesota from a timber company. She explained they will hold onto the land for the next decade as permanent solutions evolve under public stewardship.

"When land is held in smaller parcels, privately held instead of large tracts, either by the county, the state or in tribal hands, that really limits the ability for the public to use those forests and to enjoy those forests," Berns-Melhus pointed out.

And if sustainable management practices are not used under private ownership, she cautioned the lands become more vulnerable to climate change, with far-reaching environmental fallout, including habitat loss, increased carbon emissions and flooding. Efforts like these come as forests rapidly disappear, with the U.S. losing more than 4 million acres in 2021 alone.

Berns-Melhus acknowledged not all private ownership of forest lands has negative consequences but emphasized they have to be nimble and keep pace with smaller purchase opportunities as they surface so they do not snowball into a loss which is hard to overcome.

She argued forests are part of Minnesota's identity and they do not want it to change.

"Our forests mean a lot to the state of Minnesota and the people of Minnesota in so many different ways," Berns-Melhus stressed. "Conserving these forests is something that Minnesotans see as a priority."

Minnesota is among the Midwest leaders with nearly 35% of its land covered by forests. The Conservation Fund has a specialized program to facilitate land purchases. Commercial development is seen as one of the biggest threats to sections of wilderness and there are predictions as many as 13 million acres in the U.S. will be lost in the coming decades.

Conservation advocates say a new Bureau of Land Management final Environmental Impact Statement takes positive steps toward developing a management plan to conserve public lands in Northwest California.

The Northwest California Integrated Resource Management Plan will manage more than 380,000 acres in Butte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties for at least the next two decades.

John Haschak, vice chair of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, said the plan will help protect both endangered habitat and at-risk communities from the impacts of climate change, including wildfire.

"It provides some of the protections for some of these areas that are very sensitive, like Eden Valley, which is very environmentally fragile areas, and then also the Eel River. It's a wild and scenic river, so just making sure that these are managed properly is very important," he explained.

The lands covered by the plan stretch from the North Coast to the Central Valley and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They include isolated redwood groves, oak woodlands, rivers and streams, and are home to elk, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, salmon and steelhead. BLM officials say the plan is a collaborative effort of communities, Tribes, local governments and other partners.

The BLM's final plan establishes management areas to protect recreational uses, including miles of trails for hikers, hunters, anglers, mountain bikers and equestrians, as well as some of the best non-expert canoeing and kayaking in California.

Steve O'Bryan, owner of Pullins Cyclery in Chico, said he has several decades of experience in the region, and he hopes the management plan will keep it in pristine condition.

"I'm pleased to have been a part, maybe, or have some effect on this decision to preserve the land because I've gotten to utilize it most of my life," he said. "And we need to make concerted efforts to conserve some wild spots for the future generations that are headed our way."

A BLM spokesman said the plan will address changing use patterns, provide a broad array of recreation uses, plans for wilderness management, and will protect wild and scenic rivers and areas of critical environmental concern.


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Recent bouts of heavy rain are not just leading to flooded basements in Minnesota, they are reducing access to state parks just as summer demand picks up.

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources are offering guidance and safety warnings, as quite a few parks have trail closures due to recent flooding and in some cases, park roadways have been washed out. There are also campground closures in some state forest areas.

Sara Berhow, parks and trails public relations supervisor for the agency, acknowledged the timing could not be worse for safety alerts to go out.

"School has just let out in the last two weeks and a lot of families are wanting to get out and do their summer camping trip," Berhow pointed out.

The DNR said it has to put the safety of visitors first. Berhow urged the public to check a park's website before leaving to see the latest updates. When getting to a site, visitors are asked to obey closure signs for affected areas. In some cases, staff may have not been able to inspect all locations. If a flooded area has not yet been closed off, visitors are asked not to go through it.

Berhow noted it has been a while since early-season rains have impacted a larger collection of state park trails. While some areas might already be in the clear from dangerous conditions, she emphasized they will be in wait-and-see mode for certain spots.

"Once the flooding has receded, we'll need to give park staff time to assess those areas, do any cleanup that's necessary and make sure they're safe to reopen," Berhow outlined.

She added they will move as quickly as possible to get outdoor attractions ready for visitors again. As for campers with reservations, they can make changes through the DNR website, if needed, including looking for another campground if the original site they booked is off limits right now.


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