Ancient Forest Updates - Winter '97
by Michael Donnelly

Bits & Pieces

The days shortened, the leaves turned, the frost arrived along with an early appearance of the yearly rains. Fall was cooler and wetter than usual (the handiwork of that mischievous young fellow, El Nino) leading to a magnificent bloom of mushrooms. October had twice the usual rainfall and by late in the month the springs, creeks and rivers were running high.

New Logging
The resumed (and maybe last ever) logging of the summer wound down, but not before over 9000 loaded log trucks made their way down Breitenbush River Road. The five fresh clearcuts of the Roaring Pot Timber Sale in the South Breitenbush drainage are the first cuts upstream in over a decade, made possible by the "salvage" Rider signed by Clinton last year. Already, fresh gravel washed down from the cuts smothers the moss-covered boulders of Roaring Creek, just above the Breitenbush Gorge.

George Heidgerken continues to log and excavate his adjacent sixty-seven acres of private land, awakening staff and guests with the sounds of heavy machinery and crashing trees. His hope is to build an up-scale resort, but eighteen years after his arrival, stumps, roadbeds and an open pit gravel operation constitute the only changes to the land.

Trails
The trails around Breitenbush saw the usual 10,000 visitors this summer and are showing signs of wear. Much of the flood and wind damage of the past two years has been repaired - thanks to all who helped out.

The Emerald Forest Trail foot-bridge on the South Breitenbush River has been declared un-safe by the Forest Service and closed. The lay of the log stringer makes it impossible to repair, so in a joint project, the Forest Service, Friends of the Breitenbush Cascades, Breitenbush Hot Springs and the SEABEES will build a new foot-bridge just downstream from the current one. The popular trail will remain closed for winter and spring, with a target date of May for the completion of the new bridge. Meanwhile, the Spotted Owl and Gorge trails will remain open for hiking and skiing

Wildlife
A number of hikers were graced by the presence of diving, squawking Goshawks nesting near the Emerald Forest bridge. This old growth dependent raptor is making a comeback throughout its Western range, as are the Osprey who soar up and down the river in search of trout.

Again this year, there have been Mountain Lion sightings. These elusive predators are always around, but seldom seen. The many Black-tailed Deer and Elk living nearby constitute the Cougars' prey, as well as an occasional snowshoe hare and raccoon. A pair of River Otters were sighted for the first time since 1987, though we know they've been around. These slick, agile swimmers prey on fish and the bank Beavers who have been building dams and repairing some of the flood damage of recent years.

The End of Commercial Logging?
On Halloween, Reps. Cynthia McKinney D-GA and Jim Leach R-IA introduced the long-awaited National Forest Protection and Restoration Act (NFPRA) which would end the Timber Sale Program on National Forests nationwide. The bill would put some of the $800 million lost on the program last year into research on alternative fibers, retraining for workers, removal of collapsing road systems and watershed restoration projects. It will be a great day when the forest awakens to a chainsaw-free spring. Ho!