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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 25, 2005 Annual forest conference goes international By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Pete Frost was 7 years old when he attended a demonstration in Cannon Beach protesting a fence that would have restricted beach access along the Oregon Coast. Eventually, the idea behind that demonstration manifested into a law that prevents private ownership of sandy ocean beaches in the state. "I've seen many good things occur over the past few decades and I've also seen some of our losses," said Frost, who now works at the Western Environmental Law Center in Eugene. He will reflect on those experiences when he delivers a portion of the State of the Environment plenary session on Friday morning at Ashland Springs Hotel during the 14th annual Forest Conference. Between 250 and 300 activists are expected for the three-day event sponsored by Headwaters that will focus on protecting public, private and industrial forests throughout the Americas. The two keynote speakers, Miguel Fredes from Chile and Diego Andres Garcia from British Columbia, underline the widening view of the forest movement. "It's primarily folks coming from the Pacific Northwest, but this year we're broadening out the topics as we've learned more about the interconnectedness of ecosystems," Headwaters Executive Director Tonya Graham said. "That's why we've specifically looked for Canadians and folks coming up from the south. It's really about getting folks who are active on these issues together." Activists and conference participants designed the sessions and workshops offered at the conference. Headwaters put out a call for topic ideas in the fall and built the schedule of presenters around those suggestions. "We start with a brand new slate every year," Graham said. "We design it that way so it will be responsive to the forest protection community." The future of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Measures 34 and 37, watershed restoration in the post-fire landscape and working with the Oregon Legislature to return private tree farms to forest lands are all issues that will be covered by conference sessions and workshops. "A critical issue in 2005 and 2006 is to continue to fight the Bush administration's attempts to roll back progressive environmental laws and to ensure the gains we've made before George Bush took office remain in place," said Frost, who started attending the conference in 1989. "My specific hope for this year's conference is that those people who are fighting passionately for places they care about will be energized by coming together and will leave the conference better equipped to do the things they want to do." The conference concludes with a unity walk from the hotel to Lithia Park on Saturday afternoon and several excursions to local forests on Sunday. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's Slippers men's slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Memory Foam Mattress college loans alternative student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation trillion cut diamonds Currancy Exchange Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams