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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 19, 2006 Chip Dennerlein Environmental group leader loves to hunt, fish By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune GRANTS PASS — Chip Dennerlein is looking forward to deer hunting season later this year. "I have my .308 already sighted in — I’m hoping to eat some fresh venison steak this fall," he said. "I’m a hunter and fisher," he added. "I love it." To some, those words might seem odd coming from the director of the Siskiyou Regional Education Project, a 23-year-old environmental group based in the Illinois Valley that recently opened an office in Grants Pass. Dennerlein, 55, who took the job last fall, acknowledges environmental activism is often associated with vegans who aren’t too keen on hunting or fishing. Advertisement But he is quick to observe that people tend to stereotype environmental activists, forgetting they represent a broad spectrum of society. "We need to engage everyone, including the hunter and fisher — no question about that," he said. Dennerlein knows plenty about both, having spent more than 25 years in Alaska where he was an avid hunter and fisherman. He also served as a guide when he wasn’t working in jobs that included directing the 3.2 million-acre Alaska state parks system, working for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and serving as regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. Above Dennerlein’s desk in Grants Pass is a picture of him holding a 27-pound king salmon he caught while in Alaska. The energetic natural resource specialist figures everyone wants a healthy environment. "The reason we are in Grants Pass is to engage with the entire community," he said. "This is the gateway to the whole Siskiyou area," he added. "You drive out of Grants Pass and in 20 minutes you’ve crossed the Rogue, the Applegate and are in the Illinois River drainage." Although Dennerlein doesn’t claim to be an expert on the region, he notes he has a background on the Northwest salmon fishery. "I don’t think people realize that south of the Frazier River in Canada, there is no refugia for wild coho and chinook except right here between the north fork of the Smith River and up to the Pistol and Sixes rivers," he said. "There are still original stocks here. "There is a role here in the Pacific Rim to save salmon," he added. "This is a very important area." The region includes the rivers and streams within the Siskiyou portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. "We’re talking about a national conservation area," he said. "The word conservation means to preserve and protect the values. We’re not just looking for some executive fiat. We’re not looking to surround everybody and not let them do anything on the land. "The perspective I bring, having worked in Alaska for as long as I have, I’m used to dealing with large-scale protected landscapes with people in them," he said. "Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the world and right smack in the middle of it is the town of McCarthy." The point, he stressed, is that both the environment and communities can thrive. He sees the region as a gold mine with nuggets in the form of fish, wildlife, recreation and tourism. "We need to work with the town of Grants Pass as it changes, and with the economy as it changes going into the 21st century," he said. "I’m not opposed to taking wood out of the forest," he continued, although noting logging should not result in harvesting the biggest and best trees. "I think there is a lot to be done for fire safety and forest restoration," he said of thinning young trees in overgrown forests. "There are smaller dimensional creative uses of wood. This area grows trees. We know that." But he knows that looming over the debate will be the 2002 Biscuit fire, the nation’s largest fire that year. The fire’s footprint covered half a million acres, although there were large islands of unburned or lightly burned areas within its interior. "The Siskiyou Project was defined by the Biscuit fire," he said. "This is also where the Bush administration chose as the point of its spear." In fact, President Bush made a side trip to fly over the Biscuit fire during a visit to southwestern Oregon in August 2002. Dennerlein is opposed to two salvage logging sales in the roadless portion of the Biscuit fire. The sales are expected to be logged early this summer. "These would be the first inventoried roadless areas that would be logged," he said. "They are adjacent to the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. They are part of that system." He observed that the economy in Josephine County as well as the region is changing. "How are we stabilizing 21st century economy with early 20th century logging practices?" he asked. But he admits that environmentalists haven’t made much headway in protecting burned trees. "We’re gun shy — we don’t know how to talk about it well," he said. "People think of salvage as a salvation, as making use of something. But this is not a dead forest." He observes that natural reforestation is already well established in the burned area. "If I could take everybody for a walk up the Babyfoot Lake trailhead — you will notice it is exploding with growth," he said of the lake just inside the eastern boundary of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. "The seedlings are coming up sheltered by this growth." He likens the fire-blackened trees to a Venetian blind turned on end, providing shade for the seedlings. He believes there is mounting scientific evidence that salvage logging isn’t healthy for a burned forest. "I’m a big fan of trying to talk to people," he concluded. "We’re learning enough about natural regeneration after a fire that we have a lot to talk about." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at Environmental group leader loves to hunt, fish ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Absinthe Supply Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Debt Consolidation California Casinos Generic Viagra Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Hammocks Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada King of Spirits Advertisement s Advertisement