Protect

Since 1902 Bird Alliance of Oregon has worked to protect Oregon’s wildlife and wild places. The impact of our efforts is written across Oregon’s landscape, and is fueled by grassroots engagement---a strong community of people working together to protect nature.

In our early years we successfully promoted the protection of the first wildlife refuges in the Western United States at Malheur, Klamath and Three Arch Rocks, advocated for the creation of many of Oregon’s National Forests, and campaigned for the passage of Oregon’s first bird protection laws. More recently we helped lead efforts to protect Marbled Murrelets and Northern Spotted Owls and the ancient forests on which they depend and have been a pioneer in the field of urban conservation.

Today, we continue this fight. Our conservation program has three primary goals:

  • Create the greenest metropolitan region in the United States
  • Protect birds and the habitats on which they depend across Oregon
  • Fight the causes of climate change and create resilient landscapes to mitigate the impacts

Our philosophy is to collaborate whenever possible but fight when necessary. We use a multidimensional approach to achieve our conservation goals including grassroots activism, outreach and engagement, public policy and advocacy, community science, and litigation. We play the long game—our initiatives focus on long-term, sustainable change to our landscape that we believe will matter not just today but 50-100 years from now.

We prioritize equity, recognizing that frontline communities are often the first impacted by environmental degradation and the last to benefit from environmental initiatives. Our grassroots base continues to inspire and fuel our conservation agenda. There is a place for everyone, from restoring backyards and neighborhoods to fighting to protect Oregon’s most remote wild landscapes.  

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