“According to the Forest Service, sediment contribution from roads to streams is greater than all other forest management activities combined. That means there’s a direct tradeoff between road volume and water quality.”

Client: Bark is a Portland 501(c)(3) working to protect Mt. Hood National Forest.

Project Description: Write a short piece for Bark’s website and e-newsletter introducing Bark’s supporter base to the new road reduction campaign, as well as the Forest Service’s “Travel Analysis Process” (a program intended to reduce roads in public forests nationwide).

A Quote

“According to the Forest Service, sediment contribution from roads to streams is greater than all other forest management activities combined. That means there’s a direct tradeoff between road volume and water quality. “

The Inside Scoop

This assignment fell to me while working as Bark’s Interim Grassroots Organizer, and was essentially a primer for the shift in focus at Bark toward road reduction.

The idea was to leverage Bark’s supporter base to mount additional public pressure—and thus force accountability—on the Forest Service during the “Travel Analysis Process,” or T.A.P. (a nationwide project aimed at reducing roads in National Forests across the U.S.).

As the quote above points out, roads add more sediment to forest waterways than all other sources combined—so the opportunity afforded by T.A.P. to maximize road reduction in National Forests nationwide understandably became one of Bark’s highest priorities as an environmental NPO.

My Favorite Part

Raising awareness about a largely unsung environmental issue.

See the results:
Road Rage: Why All the Fuss About Roads?