Stephen Sharnoff and Andy Kerr are starting a campaign to create a National Monument dedicated to the iconic Douglas-fir tree in the central Oregon Cascades. Similar in concept to Redwood National Park, this monument would honor the Douglas fir and the ecosystem associated with it. The area for this monument is federal land in the Cascades from Opal Creek in the north to south of the Menagerie Wilderness in the south. The campaign now has a website:  http://www.douglasfirnationalmonument.org/

Steve will be in Portland Jan 10-12 to meet with people/groups, and in Eugene for a talk on Mar. 1 and then to attend the PIELC Mar. 3-6. He then will be in Corvallis for several talks, including one on Apr. 21, another on Apr. 26. If you are interested I encourage you to meet up with Steve (lichen@idiom.com) at any of these times to learn more.