Cassandra Thompson

Ohio University graduate student Cassandra Thompson’s research highlights the need to understand the tradeoffs of using pesticides on invasive species and the effects on vulnerable species such as amphibians. Her article “Carryover effects of pesticide exposure and pond drying on performance, behavior, and sex ratios in a pool breeding amphibian,” shows several adverse effects from the use of a neonicotinoid (or neonic) pesticide, called Imidacloprid, on hemlock trees to kill an invasive aphid called a hemlock wooly adelgid. But Thompson has some advice for those who want to protect the beautiful eastern hemlocks native to Appalachia from the destructive insects: inject the pesticide into the tree instead of spraying it. “While Imidacloprid can be very helpful in controlling the spread of hemlock wooly adelgid, it can negatively impact local amphibian populations at the aquatic and terrestrial stage causing declines and negative impacts at multiple life stages,” Thompson said.

OREGON — The fate of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument’s expansion may hinge on the president’s authority over 2.4 million acres of federal “O&C Lands” in Western Oregon. A federal appeals court must decide whether Congress has eliminated the president’s ability to ban logging on O&C Lands within the monument’s expanded footprint. Because commercial timber harvest is prohibited within the national monument, critics claim President Barack Obama lacked the power to double its size during his final days in office in 2017. Roughly 40,000 acres added to the monument are governed by the Oregon & California Lands Act, which established logging as the primary purpose on federal forestlands retaken from railroad companies 85 years ago. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is now considering whether Obama had the power to override that requirement.

…They’re a key part of Pacific Northwest ecosystems, though they rarely dominate the forest, often living alongside firs, hemlocks, alders and maples. These trees are the Pacific Northwest’s iconic western redcedars (Thuja plicata). …They’ve been recorded to live for over 1,500 years. But these trees are now dying. For at least a decade, struggling and dead western redcedars have been reported throughout the Pacific Northwest. But the cause and extent of the dieback (a condition in which a tree or plant begins to die from the tip of its leaves or roots inward) have long remained unknown. Now we have the answers. The dieback is widespread, and the cause appears to be climate change. What’s more, we now know that the dieback could be the beginning of the end for the species in many parts of the Pacific Northwest. …The major climate event impacting the trees, say the researchers, has been the drought. 

SACRAMENTO, California — A coalition of Mendocino County activists and allies rallied in the state capital on Tuesday, where six were arrested after blocking the doors to the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) headquarters. This was the culmination of a week of actions to “Save Jackson Forest,” which kicked off when Cal Fire announced that it would resume logging with some modifications to those plans, including a pause on cutting larger trees. The announcement came shortly after CNRA debuted a vision for tribal co-management of Mendocino County’s Jackson Demonstration State Forest. Michael Hunter, chair of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, said last week that the tribe was not consulted or notified ahead of time about the resumption of logging. Over 50 people rallied in Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon to call for recognition of Pomo tribal sovereignty and for a pause on logging to return.