Take it Outside!
 

Naturally 

Delicious... 

Americans Come 

Together to 

Lend Nature 

a Hand 

Americans Come 

Together to

Lend Nature 

a Hand

National Public Lands Day! 

You Can Have it Your Wa

with the Western Oregon Plan Revision 

Jim Kenna’s 

Award-Winning 

PLUS! 

Chili Recipe!

America’s Multicultural Migration West Finding History’s Forgotten People 

A Shipwreck Rises from the Grave! 

Winter Winds Uncover a Mystery on the Oregon Coast 

VOLUNTEERS! HEAVY METAL!? I’M DREAMING OF FIGHTING FIRES IS 

LOOK INSIDE TO THE BLM MAKES A GREEN HOLIDAY THIRSTY WORK! 

SEE YOUR PHOTO ART WITH THE SEASON — WITH HOW DO OUR 

FROM THE 2008 TOUCH OF A A VISIT TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS 

IN-SERVICE DAY WELDER’S TORCH PUBLIC LANDS KEEP COOL? 

PAGE 6 PAGE 8 PAGE 20 PAGE 24 
 dePartmeNts

Op - “Ed” oP - “ed” 2

 coNtributors 4
 

Welcome back to Northwest 

Passage, the bimonthly Bureau of 

Land Management Magazine for 

Oregon and Washington. Greetings 

to new readers joining us for the first 

time. We’re very pleased to have 

you. 

Fall is always an exciting time in 

the Pacific Northwest. The weather 

gets a little crisper as rich forests 

along our rivers turn from green to 

gold to bronze. And after the hustle 

and bustle of the summer months, fall 

is known as a time when the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) leads and 

participates in a number of exciting 

volunteer opportunities. 

In September, the BLM served 

as an integral partner in the 2008 

National Public Lands Day. We 

joined seven other federal agencies 

to deliver the largest volunteer effort 

of its kind in the nation. Seeing our 

fellow Americans come together on 

public soil and roll up their sleeves 

alongside their neighbors was truly 

inspirational – especially during an 

election season. 

blmeetuP 5
 

Public laNds live 6

 oursPace 8

 backcouNtry 24
 

Then in October, the BLM held our 

Annual In-Service Volunteer Day. We 

worked with the US Forest Service and 

other partners on a three-year project 

along the Pacific Flyway where the 

Sandy and Columbia Rivers converge. 

Now families and visitors to the 

Sandy River Delta can stroll along 

our path to a special new bird blind. 

This viewing platform was created 

by Maya Lin, designer the Vietnam 

Veterans Memorial, as part of The 

Confluence Project commemorating 

the Lewis and Clark Expedition. 

In addition to reaching out to 

our constituents and communities, 

the Oregon and Washington BLM 

reaches inward to our own folks as 

well. Because this magazine is the 

first of its kind for us, we wanted 

employee feedback on Northwest 

Passage. And we knew it’d be equally 

important to all our constituents and 

stakeholders that our story include the 
Features 

2008 NatioNal Public laNds day 10 Contents 

by brianna Candelaria, bob Hall, Megan Harper,
 

Tara MarTinak, diane priebe, SCoTT SToffel, 

and blM STaff froM around THe diSTriCTS
 

a shiPwreck rises From the Grave 14 

by Megan Harper

 america’s multicultural miGratioN west 16 

by Jill Moran 

a historic Promise, a PlaN For the aGes 18 

by Jerry Hubbard
 

& MiCHael CaMpbell
 

a wiNter woNderlaNd oF...GreeN? 20 

by MaTT CHriSTenSon
 

wiTH doug HunTingTon
 

full palate of voices from our staff – photos from all of our ten districts 

from archaeologists and biologists to across the great states of Oregon and 

foresters and IT experts. Washington. 

We got some great feedback. Most I hope you’ll enjoy our second issue 

of our staff said they prefer to read of Northwest Passage. In addition to 

the paperless version of Northwest breathtaking photos from our volunteer 

Passage on the web to help preserve events, we’ve got some fascinating 

our natural resources. They also saw feature articles. A ghost ship rose 

our magazine as a way to improve from the sea. The Western Oregon 

communications. We heard loud and Plan Revision helps our communities. 

clear that the best way to share our And the BLM is uncovering the 

own story is by reporting and showing multicultural migration of the United 

States. We even have a hint where you 

can find a holiday tree this season! 

Let’s read. 

Edward W. Shepard 

State Director 

Oregon/Washington 

Bureau of Land Management 
Take it Outside! 

V o l u m e 1 , Issue 2 

W W W . B L M . G O V / O R 

Ed Shepard / publisher 

Jody Weil / editorial director 

Matt Christenson / editor & designer 

Teddi Duling / copy editor 

Shelly York / production designer 

Contributors 

u v w 

x y z 

contributors 

Michael Campbell, Brianna 

Candelaria, Matt Christenson, Teddi 

Duling, Maya Fuller, David Garcia, 

Bob Hall, Megan Harper, Doug 

Huntington, Tara Martinak, Diane 

Priebe, Steve Robertson, Scott Stoffel, 

Maria Thi Mai, Mark Wilkening 

photographers 

Scott Batchelar, Matt Christenson, 

David Garcia, Megan Harper, 

Tom Iraci, Mariah Leuschen, Steve 

Robertson 

contact 

Northwest Passage is a publication of 

Bureau of Land Management 

Oregon State Office 

333 SW 1st Ave 

6th Floor 

Portland, OR 97204 

503.808.6035 

or_northwest_passage@blm.gov 

mission 

The BLM’s mission is to sustain the 

health, diversity, and productivity of the 

public lands for the use and enjoyment 

of present and future generations. In 

Oregon and Washington, the BLM 

provides innovative leadership in 

managing natural resources of the 

Pacific Northwest. 

u Megan Harper is the Public 

Affairs Officer for the BLM’s Coos 

Bay District Office. You’ll notice in her 

photo above that she’s valiantly attempting 

to take a snapshot of Michael Campbell, her 

coauthor/nemesis from last issue’s piece on the 

New Carissa (Sep/Oct ‘08). Cooperative as ever, 

Michael provides his most flattering side. In 

our current issue, Megan covers the mysterious 

shipwreck which returned from a watery grave 

at the behest of harsh winter storms (Page 11). 

v Michael Campbell smiles for the 

camera. Yes, that’s his smile. Why do you 

ask? Did you have something you wanted to 

say? Oh. Okay. We’ll let him know. In this 

issue, Michael took a break from his usual 

Congressional and media inquiries about the 

Western Oregon Plan Revision to...write about 

the Western Oregon Plan Revision (Page 14). 

In addition to writing about forests, Michael, 

an avid outdoors fan, loves hiking in them. 

w Upon leaving his beloved 

hometown of Pommefrites, France, 

writer Jerry Hubbard (pronounced 

Zher-ahrd Hoo-bahrd) came to the 

United States via tramp steamer 

learning English from an old 

copy of The BLM’s Billion Dollar 

Checkerboard that he found under the 

ship’s fo’c’sle. What the heck’s a fo’c’sle? 

Oh, and Jerry kept Michael in line long enough 

to finish their co-authored article (Page 16). 

Clearly, Jerry is up to any and all challenges. 

x Associate District Manager 

Stephen Robertson hails from 

Prineville where he interviewed the 

BLM’s foremost metalworking artisan, 

Jack Frederiksen (Page 8). The two 

originally met each other when Steve’s old 

band ordered a metal replica of Stonehenge. 

Unfortunately, someone wrote the units of 

measurement wrong, and...well, let’s just hope 

Steve and Jack are fans of Spinal Tap... 

y Guest feature writer Jill Moran 

works in Public Affairs in the BLM’s 

Washington DC Office. She’s a very 

welcome addition, but we wonder if she’s a spy. 

Either way, we’re not making fun of her since 

we’d don’t want the IRS showing up at our door 

this year. (Last year was quite enough, thank 

you.) Jill wrote one of the best articles this year 

highlighting the role of African Americans 

settling the Wild West (Page 12). Enjoy her 

work now before she jumps ship for Vanity Fair. 

(Okay, Jill. Now can you call off the IRS?) 

z Maria Thi Mai beams for the 

camera knowing she’ll soon have that 

head of iceberg lettuce removed from 

her noggin’. And when she’s not hobnobbing 

with Oregon Public Broadcasting, Maria can be 

found speed racing her bicycle across the tundras 

on 100 mile treks – six times this year alone! 

A former aide to Portland’s Mayor-elect, Sam 

Adams, Maria brings her vast experience with 

the public to interview BLM volunteers at the 

2008 Annual In-Service Day (Page 5). 

4 
we asked voluNteers at our 2008 iN-service day: BLMeetup

“iF you could voluNteer with aNyoNe iN the world, 

who would you choose to volunteer with?” 

PHOTOS BY SCOTT BATCHELAR & MATT CHRISTENSON

INTERVIEWS BY MARIA THI MAI & MATT CHRISTENSON 

Editor’s Note: Ernesto, Roger’s co-worker, “was forced” to stay back

in the climate-controlled office “due to work constraints” while Roger

labored and sweat for three hours. Roger didn’t seem to mind. Honest! 

“My grandmother, Liza Bell, and Maya Angelou. Both are women 

of substance with a great deal of wisdom.” 

Karen Wilson 

Equal Employment Opportunity Manager 

“I wish I could have volunteered with ecologist and forester, Aldo Leopold. 

I’d love to talk to him about his book on conservation, A Sand County Almanac. 

I try to get everyone I know to read it.” 

Camille Duncan 

Chicago Botanic Garden Intern 

“My dog, Robbie. He’s an eight and 

one-half-year-old Westie, and he loves 

to go on hikes. We just did a nine-miler 

the other day.” 

John Keith 

Associate Deputy State Director 

“Martin Luther King or Langston Hughes. Both men inspired 

generations through non-violent protest and poem.” 

Kris 

Youth Volunteer from Rosemary Anderson High School 

“Ernesto... “ 

Roger Bost 

Administrative Assistant 

“My Dad. He passed away 10 

years ago. He was an orchardist, a 

carpenter, and a farmer. He raised 

berries and loved the outdoors. 

Larry Smith 

IT Specialist 

Turn the page for more 

‘08 In-Service photos! 

Nov/Dec

2008
 5 
6 

On October 8th, 

the BLM joined 

forces with the 

Forest Service at 

the Sandy River 

Delta to complete a 

three-year project 

building a path 

that runs to the 

brand new bird 

blind created by 

renowned artist, 

Public Lands Live! 2008 In-SErvICE 
PHOTOS BY SCOTT BATCHELAR, MATT CHRISTENSON & TOM IRACI

Public Lands Live! 

Maya Lin, designer 

of the Vietnam 

Veterans Memorial. 

Want to see all the 

photos from the 

2008 In-Service Day? 

Just visit the BLM 

Photo Library: 

photos.blm.gov 

and do a search for 

“2008 In-Service Day.” 

vOLuntEEr Day 

Nov/Dec

2008
 7 
8 

OurSpace 

Heavy metal tHunder 

blm staFFer Jack FrederikseN talks heavy metal art to 

PriNeville associate district maNaGer, stePheN robertsoN 

Art

“ I w e i g h 

man, not

t i t l e ; ‘ t i s n o t 

t h e k i n g ’ s 

s t a m p c a n 

make the 

metal better.” 

William 

W y c h e r l e y , 

1677

t h e 

 his As I read the first e

the Northwest Pass

month, I thought m

articles were interesting and

: Tivadar Bote

dition of 

age last 

ost of the 

 told the 

story of what was happening within 

OR/WA BLM. When asked what I 

thought about the magazine a few 

days later however, I could hardly 

recall any of the topics covered. 

After assessing my short and 

long-term memory abilities (both 

are admittedly weak), I began to 

think about similar magazines I’ve 

seen other agencies publish in the 

past and questioned what made them 

different from the rest. And the 

bottom line was that they were all 

pretty similar and did a good job of 

sharing information, current events, 

etc. But I couldn’t recall any of 

their articles either! 

So I asked myself, did any part 

of Northwest Passage make enough 

of an impression on me that I still 

remembered it over a week later? 

Yes. 

Believe it or not, it was the fact 

that Rhondalyn Darnell’s hobby was 

tea hosting. Tea hosting? So why in 

the heck did that stick in my mind?! 

(Rhondalyn was the subject of our 

very first OurSpace in the Sep/Oct 

‘08 issue of NorthwestPassage. – Ed.) 

Instead, why didn’t I remember that 

Ed Shepard’s favorite ice cream 

flavor is three letters long beginning 

with the letter “A” and ending in the 

letter ”L.” (hint: the second letter is 
OurSpace 

the same as the first or last letter – but t 

it’s not a vowel) I guess Rhondalyn’s 

hobby stuck with me because it was 

something I learned about a person’s 

life or interests outside of work. 

in Prineville who has a talent tha

I never would have guessed – metal 

sculpting! 

One of our employees here in 

Prineville has a talent I’d never 

have guessed – metal sculpting! 

J

ack Frederiksen is 

who has worked on t

District for the pa

Jack does a multitude 

an employee 

he Prineville 

st 10 years. 

of tasks for 

the District including maintenance 

on our wildlife guzzlers, building 

and repairing gates, and just about 

anything else that involves welding. 

The first time I met Jack, he struck 

me as a no-nonsense kind of guy who 

probably hunted, fished, and tinkered 

around in his shop during his off-time. 

Well, I was right about the first two 

activities – but “tinkering” isn’t how 

I would classify the latter. Jack takes 

his welding skills to another level by 

fabricating pieces of art out of scraps 

of metal. From beautiful candle 

holders made from old horseshoes to 

life-sized wildlife pieces, Jack has 

a major talent that few of us on the 

District even realized until recently. 

Jack’s early influence with 

metalworking came from his dad who 

was a blacksmith and boilermaker at 

the Shevlin Hixon Lumber Company 

in Bend, Oregon. And Jack first 

became interested in metal art on 

a family vacation to Jackson Hole, 

Wyoming, in the early 1980’s. After 

visiting several local shops and art 

galleries, Jack thought “Hey, I can do 

that.” Then Jack further honed his 

metal fabrication skills during four 

years as a ship fitter/welder in the 

Navy. 

After returning home, Jack’s 

first metal art project was a set of =

The artist stands with one his creations

=

Kachina doll candle holders cut from 

a quarter inch steel plate. From there 

Jack went on to fabricate western 

style tables, lamps, saddle stands, and 

fish & wildlife silhouettes. While 

these art projects were enjoyable, 

Jack wanted to “do something more 

challenging” so he decided to try his 

hand at three dimensional sculpting. 

As you can see in the photo, Jack has 

more than met the challenge he set for 

himself. 

Jack’s other hobbies and interests? 

“While I still have many things I’d 

like to do with metal, I’ve also done 

photography and oil paintings in the 

past and would like to go back to them 

someday.” 

Some people say they can’t 

even draw a straight line. You 

don’t need to – there are very 

few straight lines in nature.” 

When asked what advice he would 

give to an employee looking to start 

a new hobby in art Jack replied, “My 

recommendation would be that you 

don’t need to have a ‘gift’ for it. Art 

can be learned like anything else. All 

you need is the desire. Some people 

say they can’t even draw a straight 

line. You don’t need to there are 

very few straight lines in nature.” 

Well, that got me thinking about 

how we choose to use our time away 

from work. Did you know if you work 

an average of 8 hours a day, five days a 

week and exclude holidays and annual 

leave, you’re left with a whopping 

79 percent of your time that’s 

discretionary? So what do people do 

with all their free time? I suppose 

a portion is spent on our “required 

maintenance” like sleeping, eating, 

chores, etc. But that still leaves us 

with a fair amount of time to pursue 

other interests and things we like to 

do which brings us to my point. 

Folks who work for OR/WA 

BLM have a multitude of interests, 

talents, and hobbies that they have 

developed outside of work that are 

really worth sharing with others. 

Whether it’s building custom fly rods, 

dancing, quilting, painting, singing, 

volunteering, or, yes, tea hosting, 

there’s something unique to you 

which would probably surprise and 

even inspire a lot of folks you know. 

So how about sharing your talents 

with the rest of us? I know most of 

you’ve either watched or heard of the 

television program, America’s Got 

Talent. Well, how about “OR/WA 

BLM’s Got Talent, Too!” I’ll kick it 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF STEPHEN ROBERTSON 

off with one of our employees here 

Nov/Dec

2008 9 
10 

Welcome to 

News from 

Around the 

Districts! 

This issue, 

we bring 

you a report 

from the 

2008

National 

Public 

Lands Day 

DISTRICTS UP CLOSE: 

From Top Left: 

Vale America kicks off the 2008 

NPLD by sharing painting skills 

between generations; Burns 

removes old fence and garbage to 

repair the OHV area; Eugenites 

know paint makes their bird blind 

look brand new again; Lakeview 

shows off their muscle to haul 

logs; one of Medford’s many 

first-timers begins a tradition 

of volunteer stewardship on 

America’s public lands. 

district u 2008 national Pu 

The 15th annual National Public 

Lands Day (NPLD) was held 

on and around Saturday, 

September 27, 2008. Americans of 

all ages and from every walk of life 

came together in the largest hands-on 

volunteer event in the nation. 

To thank them for their hard work, 

participants received a free National 

Public Lands Day t-shirt as well as 

a “fee-free” coupon good throughout 

the next year for admission to a site 

managed by the National Park Service, 

U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, BLM, or the Army 

Corps of Engineers. 

We checked in with each of the 

Districts throughout Oregon and 

Washington to see how this event 

improved their communities. 

Burns, Or 

blm.gov/or/districts/burns 

• The Harney County High Desert 

Wheelers partnered with Burns BLM 

for the club’s first ever National Public 

the Radar Hill Off-Highway Vehicle 

(OHV) area was a total success! 

Seventeen volunteers from the club 

and community removed two full loads 

of scrap metal and several truckloads 

of garbage – for a combined total of 

nearly 3,000 pounds of debris. 

• Eight volunteers from the 

Oregon Natural Desert Association 

accumulated 240 hours removing 

two miles of unnecessary fence in the 

Steens Mountain Wilderness in just 

under five days! 

Lands Day project. Their clean-up of 
ublic lands day! round-up u

COOs Bay, Or LakEviEw, Or 

blm.gov/or/districts/coosbay 

• At the Christmas Valley Sand 

• Tires....gone! Beer bottles and 

pop cans....gone! Noxious weeds.... 

gone! Nearly 90 people gathered a 

dumpster-load worth of trash during 

the Coos Bay District’s NPLD beach 

clean-up on the North Spit. Trekking 

nearly two miles up and down the 

beach, participants picked up trash, 

pulled noxious weeds, and maintained 

a portion of an equestrian trail. Bagel 

sandwiches, cookies, and soda topped 

off a picture perfect and (thanks to the 

participants’ help) cleaner day on the 

Oregon Coast. 

EuGEnE, Or 

blm.gov/or/districts/eugene 

mEdfOrd, Or 

blm.gov/or/districts/medford 

• Medford hosted the CascadeSiskiyou National Monument Public 

Lands Day. Volunteers from the BLM 

and the community tackled everything 

from trail work and fencing to range 

projects and general maintenance. 

• The West Eugene Wetlands Watch 

reports that in Eugene, “nearly 80 

community members rolled up their 

sleeves to help clean-up and enhance 

the Stewart Pond Natural Area in the 

West Eugene Wetlands.” Check out 

their full report with more photos at 

wewwild.blogspot.com. 

blm.gov/or/districts/lakeview 

Dunes, the Lakeview Resource 

Area held its ‘08 National Public 

Lands Day on Saturday, September 

20. Fifteen volunteers from the 

BLM, the U.S. Forest Service, and 

the Christmas Valley and Lakeview 

communities repaired and extended a 

fence, installed a new kiosk, removed 

vandalized signs, and cleaned up! 

Nov/Dec 11

2008 

PHOTOS BY BLM STAFF 
rOsEBurG, Or 

• Prineville worked at the Biak 

Training Center and the Mayfield 

Pond Recreation Area. The BLM 

staff, our military, and volunteers alike 

came together to restore vegetation 

areas, repair road closures, fix fences, 

remove trash, and beautify public 

lands. Was it successful? Just look at 

the smiles on these faces! 

saLEm, Or 

• The First annual Cow Creek 

clean up is “in the bag” as Roseburg 

netted 46 large sacks of trash, a car 

battery, seven tires, one large sofa, a 

Now here’s 

the rest of 

the story... 

...from the 

2008

National 

Public 

Lands Day 

around the 

Districts! 

DISTRICTS UP CLOSE: 

From Top Left: 

Prineville BLM joins forces with 

our military; bring your burgers! 

Roseburg’s got shiny, new cookout 

spots; Salemites of all ages restore 

a creek bed at the Marmot Dam; 

Spokane is dumpin’ trash and plantin’ 

trees; the youth of (Vale) America are 

building new paths to their future. 

district u 2008 national Pu 

blm.gov/or/districts/roseburg 

prinEviLLE, Or 

blm.gov/or/districts/prineville 

flies). It’s not too early to mark your 

calendars for next year’s clean up – be 

there or be square! 

In other Roseburg news, 25 

volunteers provided over three hours 

of service each to install ten hardened 

surfaces around both fire rings and 

grills in five campsites at the Susan 

Creek Campground. A hardened 

surface around each feature makes it 

easier for people in wheelchairs to use 

the site. And slight ridges between the 

bricks will provide a non-visual cue 

for people with visual impairments 

that they are approaching something 

hot – and hopefully delicious! 

blm.gov/or/districts/salem 

• Volunteers from all around the 

Salem area traveled to the Marmot 

Dam to assist in the former dam’s 

rehabilitation on the Sandy River. 

The BLM staff and folks from the 

community came together to spread 

bench car seat, an electric cook stove, topsoil, restore a creek bed, and haul 

a lawn chair, and one dead calf (with away quite a few loads of trash! 

12 
u u blic lands day! r o u n d - u p 

spOkanE, wa 

blm.gov/or/districts/spokane 

• The Wenatchee BLM field office 

hosted volunteers at McLoughlin 

bench and trail maintenance. Even 

your oreGon & WasHinGton blm districts 

vaLE, Or after their full day of challenging 

Canyon. The BLM initially created a 

trailhead at this site, but later NPLD 

events have focused on fire restoration, 

spreading grass seed over the area 

affected by the 2007 Tunk Grade fire. 

This year, 14 volunteers also planted 

100 Ponderosa Pine seedlings and 100 

Douglas-fir seedlings. Seedlings were 

protected by biodegradable screens to 

enhance moisture and protect trees 

from browsing animals. The group 

also installed an informational bulletin 

board at the parking lot and picked up 

30 tires and other debris dumped at 

the site. What a productive day! 

blm.gov/or/districts/vale 

• In Vale, 27 Boy and Girl Scouts 

along with their pack leaders, family 

members, and local volunteers from 

the community worked for over five 

hours at the National Historic Oregon 

Trail Interpretive Center. Their work 

completed a whopping 142 yards of 

gravel laid down on the Ascent Trail, 

with another 2.5 miles of rehabilitated 

labor, Vale’s volunteers said they were 

already looking forward to coming 

back next year! 

Nov/Dec

2008 

PHOTOS BY MARIAH LEUSCHEN & BLM STAFF 

13 
Only the bold 

detective work 

by a team of 

archaeologists 

could solve 

this riddle 

from the sea... 

Everybody started asking, 

“Where’s the treasure?” 

a shipwrECk risEs frOm thE GravE 

As a particularly tempestuous 

New Year began to unfold, 

the dark wooden bow of an 

old shipwreck emerged from its sandy 

grave on the southern Oregon Coast. 

At first, only a couple feet of the 

ship’s hull and the top corners of 

a porthole were visible. But harsh 

winter storms unforgivingly pounded 

the seawall, eroding almost 30 feet of 

dune over a ten-week period. 

With the sand washing away, more 

and more of the shipwreck returned 

from the grave. Now almost 30 feet 

of the bow of the old lumber schooner 

is visible showing two anchor holes, 

three portholes on each side, a large 

mast, antique wiring, and beds – also 

known as “racks.” 

For months investigative minds 

began asking, “What was the name 

of this ship?” and “How did it end 

up buried in the sand on Coos Bay’s 

North Spit?” and of course, “Where’s 

the treasure?” 

Solving this nautical mystery 

would require serious detective 

work by an interagency team of 

stOry By mEGan harpEr 

Winter Winds Uncover a Mystery on the Oregon Coast 

Visitors rush to see the Ghost Ship before it 

returns back to its nautical burial ground

14 
The George L. Olson was built in 

San Francisco at the Stone Shipyard 

and was originally named the Ryder 

Hanify. At 223 feet long and nearly 

in 1960. 

Continued on page 22 

www.blm.gov/or/districts/ 

coosbay/newsroom 

A history detective looks for clues to identify the mysterious shipwreck. 

PHOTOS BY MEGAN HARPER 

Nov/Dec

2008 15 

archaeologists. Thus did a team of 

scientists from the Bureau of Land 

Management, the National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA), Oregon State Parks and 

Recreation Department, and the Coos 

County Maritime Museum come 

together to comb through historical 

photographs and newspaper articles to 

discover that the true identity of what 

was now being dubbed by locals “the 

Mystery Shipwreck” was, in fact, the 

George L. Olson, a lumber-carrying 

schooner built back in 1917. 

“Once we put a current picture 

of the shipwreck next to a historical 

photograph of the Olson, we were 

able to say ‘Yup, that’s it,’” said Steve 

Samuels, Archaeologist with the 

Coos Bay District. “The position of 

the portholes, the unique bolt pattern 

on the bow...they were all an exact 

match.” 

44 feet wide, the ship was one of the 

largest wooden ships built to date 

at this location. Then the George L. 

Olson worked as a lumber carrier 

in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 

years, hauling 1.4 million board feet 

of lumber at a time. 

The schooner’s fate was sealed on 

a seemingly benign day in June of 

1944 when it struck Coos Bay’s North 

Jetty and drifted aground on a nearby 

rock. There were no casualties when 

the ship wrecked, but it was declared 

a total loss. The lumber cargo was 

salvaged over the next several months, 

and then in December 1944, the hulk 

of the George L. Olson was towed to 

sea and cut adrift with the intention 

that she beach on the North Spit. 

Dune build-up over the next several 

years buried the wreck. Historical 

records indicate the ship was visible 

for a short time in 1946 and then again 

For additional 

photos, a map of 

the shipwreck, 

and much more, 

check out the 

BLM Coos Bay 

Newsroom at: 
16 

The stories of African 

Americans, both enslaved 

and free, provide a rich and 

necessary addition to the 

complete national narrative. 

The great early migration to 

America’s Western Frontier 

readily conjures up images 

of white American pioneers traveling 

by covered wagon into perilous and 

unknown territory, relying on rugged 

individualism, persistence, and sacrifice 

in search of a new life. 

Films, stories, and even history 

books perpetuate this image – often at 

the expense of the critical contributions 

made by the diverse groups who 

made settlement of the West possible. 

In particular, the role of African 

Americans has remained widely 

underreported. But thanks to efforts 

by the Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) and Coppin State University, 

this deficiency is being remedied. 

Dozens of individual accounts of 

African Americans settling the West 

have been uncovered in a recent 

publication produced by Coppin State 

University working in partnership 

with the BLM Division of Cultural 

and Paleontological Resources and 

Tribal Consultation. Entitled Finding 

History’s Forgotten People: The 

Presence of African Americans in the 

Settlement of Colorado, c. 1534 to 1954, 

the publication is the result of months 

of extensive research revealing vast 

amounts of little known, yet highly 

valuable information concerning 

the role of African Americans in the 

development of the American West. 

From grueling duties as participants 

in the earliest Westward expeditionary 

 amEriCa’s muLtiCuLturaL 

Finding History’s Forgotten People 

In 1902, medical pioneer Dr. Justina Warren Ford (1871-1952) 

became Denver’s first African American female physician. 

stOry By JiLL mOran
For more information 

on “Finding History’s 

Forgotten People,” contact 

BLM Historian Michael 

Thomas, (202) 452-5192. 

§ 

For more information 

on the BLM’s Diversity 

Executive Orders 

Program, contact 

Steve Shafran in the 

BLM’s Office of Civil 

Rights, (202) 254-3315. 

IMAGES PROVIDED BY THE DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY WESTERN HISTORY COLLECTION 

miGratiOn wEst 

Possibly the first African American 

woman to cross the plains into 

Colorado during the Gold Rush, 

freed slave Clara Brown (1800 -

1885) became known for both her 

entrepreneurial success and her 

remarkable acts of charity. 

parties in the 16th century to 

remarkable acts of ingenuity and 

entrepreneurship in the following 

centuries, the stories of African 

Americans, both enslaved and free, 

provide a rich and necessary addition 

to the complete national narrative. 

Many African Americans sought 

opportunity and equality in the 

budding communities of the West, 

often looking to farming and ranching 

as a means to prosperity. Frequently 

found in small numbers, these new 

Westerners organized rich cultural 

lives and created extensive social 

networks and church groups that 

helped develop their communities. 

Not limited to rural areas, many 

African Americans also recognized 

and capitalized on the labor demands 

of Western cities and towns. By 1870, 

Denver, Colorado, had attracted a 

sizable black middle class to include 

Escaping slavery via the Underground Railroad, Barney Ford 

(1822-1902) became one of the 

most successful businessmen in 

Colorado and was recognized 

nationally for his political and civil 

rights activism. 

a number of physicians and lawyers. 

In fact, Denver’s first black female 

physician, Dr. Justina Warren Ford, 

arrived as early as 1902. And Dr. 

Ford’s achievements were paralleled 

by equally enterprising black men and 

women whose vast contributions to 

the advancement of the West included 

prospecting, land management, and 

community development. 

American history has often 

overlooked the critical contributions 

of many groups in settling and 

cultivating the American West. But 

the Coppin State University research 

project hopes to rectify this hole in 

history by bringing to light the role 

of African Americans in areas such 

as homesteading, mining, cattleranching, and entrepreneurship. In 

this area, Coppin State has uncovered 

advancements made by early African 

Americans on the BLM’s western 

public lands. And this research has 

done much to help the BLM create 

a more inclusive Western settlement 

narrative that includes the role of 

African Americans in the shaping of 

this country. 

In its first phase, the Coppin State 

research team focused their attention 

on the State of Colorado. The team 

detailed the lives and struggles of 

individual African Americans who 

faced and overcame obstacles and, 

through successes as well as failures, 

contributed to early Colorado society. 

In addition to uncovering our 

American history, Finding History’s 

Forgotten People also outlines the 

commitment of the BLM’s Diversity 

Executive Orders Program to advance 

equal opportunity in higher education, 

to enhance access to Federal programs, 

Continued on page 22 

Nov/Dec

2008 17 
“...living up to 

our mandate 

– a sustained 

yield supporting 

sustainable 

communities 

and producing 

a sustainable 

habitat.” 

– Ed Shepard, 

State Director, 

OR/WA BLM 

ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID GARCIA 

stOry By JErry huBBard 

& miChaEL CampBELL 

Forestry is just one of those 

things that conjures up very 

definite opinions, thoughts, and 

memories. 

Everything from forestry’s history 

and traditions to its science to the pros 

and cons of different sustainable plans 

lends to a entire laundry list of topics 

for Oregonians to pick apart and put 

back together again. And should 

you combine forestry with land-use 

planning? Then you’ve got yourself 

a very powerful topic guaranteed to 

inspire some polite and not so polite 

discussions. 

The BLM’s own planning 

handbook helps us spark these 

discussions, reminding us that “the 

process is intended to help public 

officials make decisions that are based 

on understanding of environmental 

consequences, and take actions 

that protect, restore, and enhance 

the environment.” Sometimes the 

planning process goes ahead, well, 

“as planned.” And sometimes it just 

doesn’t. The recently released final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

western Oregon is truly an example 

where the process has worked – and 

worked well. 

Way back in 1866, Congress 

established a land grant to promote 

the completion of the Oregon 

and California Railroad between 

Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco, 

California. And since 2003, the BLM 

has been hard at work on the most 

comprehensive planning analysis ever 

completed on BLM-managed lands in 

western Oregon. The recently released 

planning analysis is supported by 

the latest biological studies, updated 

resource data, and new modeling 

A PLAN FOR THE AGES

A historic promise

Did You Know?

The plan would defer from 

harvest nearly all older and more 

structurally-complex forests for 

15 years, which would provide 

additional habitat for the 

northern spotted owl while a 

strategy to deal with invading 

barred owls is being developed.

18 
enforcement, public health services, 

and roads. 

tools that have been used to support 

Did You Know? 

In 1950, forests on O&C lands 

contained a standing volume 

of greater than 50 billion board 

feet. Fifty years later – after 

selling 45 billion board feet – the 

standing volume is now over 70 

billion board feet, in part because 

of sustained yield BLM forest 

management practices.

While the BLM’s relationships 

with western Oregon counties have 

withstood the test of time, other facets 

of our land management framework 

have not. The BLM’s current land 

management framework is rooted in the 

1994 Northwest Forest Plan. And an 

oft-forgotten fact is that the Northwest 

Forest Plan had dual purposes: 

both maintain the late-successional/ 

old growth ecosystem as well as to 

provide a predictable and sustainable 

supply of timber. 

Over the last 14 years, the BLM 

has done a great job maintaining 

the late-successional / old-growth 

ecosystem but has fallen far short in 

providing a predictable, sustainable 

supply of timber production to the local 

economies. Timber production under 

the Northwest Forest Plan has yielded 

less than 50 percent of the predicted 

harvest level. But with the release of 

the Western Oregon Plan Revision’s 

(WOPR) final Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS), the BLM can begin to 

the plan’s decision-making. 

The majority of the BLM lands in 

western Oregon fall under the direction 

of the Oregon & California (O&C) 

Lands Act of 1937. Established by 

Congress, this Act mandates that the 

BLM manage these western Oregon 

lands for permanent forest production 

in conformity with the principles of 

sustained yield. Specifically, these 

forests contribute to the economic 

stability of local communities and 

industries and provide other benefits 

such as recreation and management to 

watersheds and stream flows. 

to 

Western Oregon’s O&C Lands are often 

called the “Checkerboard” due to their 

odd/even sectional land divisions

this long-standing commitment to the 

counties. 

In the final WOPR EIS, the 

estimated allowable sale quantity 

(ASQ) from the timber management 

areas would be 502 million board feet 

per year. Sale receipts generated from 

the harvest of the ASQ and thinning 

in other land use allocations (86 

million board feet per year for the first 

decade of the plan) are estimated to 

Continued on page 23 

PHOTOS & MAP BY BLM STAFF 

It should come as no surprise 

that the O&C Lands Act of 1937 has 

been responsible for a truly unique 

relationship between the BLM and 

the 18 counties in western Oregon that 

rely on a sustainable flow of timber and 

the sharing of timber-related receipts 

to fund services such as libraries, law 

fulfill its historic promise and restore 

Did You Know? 

The BLM’s modeling tools 

indicate that harvest levels 

in the final WOPR EIS are 

sustainable for no less than 

400 years. 

Oregon & California here I come, right back where I started from... 

Nov/Dec

2008 19 
a wintEr wOndErLand Of...GrEEn? 

I

sing the immortal bard (Bing 

Crosby – not the other guy) who 

once crooned, “I’m Dreaming of 

a...Green Holiday.” Or something 

like that. Ah, sweet memories. 

My whole family together. Nestled 

around a roaring fire of patchouli 

incense wands. Passing ‘round 

presents of gently-used dog bandanas 

and sky-blue Parisian night suits. All 

the while soaking in the warm, warm 

glow of knowing that Phish finally got 

back together. Ah, Phish... 

Oh, hello. 

Didn’t you see there. I don’t know 

about you, but my family loves to 

celebrate being “Green” this time 

of year. “Green” as in helping the 

environment. And also “Green” as in 

greenbacks. Moolah. Dough-re-me? 

(Psst...money.) We’ve long known 

the BLM’s not-so-secret secret that 

makes both our public lands and our 

private pocketbooks very happy each 

holiday season. 

And can you believe we’re already 

deep into the holiday season? Who am 

I kidding? Of course you can. We’ve 

the blm can help you dream 

of a “Green” Holiday season! 

By matt ChristEnsOn 

with dOuG huntinGtOn 

20 
all been reminded it’s the holiday this price may rise to be even more 

season since, like, August. (When expensive this season due to gas prices 

did stores start selling us holiday and rising transportation costs. 

lights alongside back-to-school gear?) So what’s it cost to cut your own 

And if the big box oracles are to be on public lands? Five bucks, my 

believed, we’re hurtling (hurtling!) friend. That’s right. The BLM has 

towards Christmas, Hanukkah, historically charged $5 for a permit to 

Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, Yule, Winter cut your own beautiful tree. Cheap. 

Solstice, and all the many wonderful Plus it’s easy! You just drop by 

holiday celebrations! your local BLM office with an Abe 

So if you and your family find Lincoln in hand, and your friendly, 

yourselves looking at how you’ll neighborhood BLM rep will give you 

balance your budget, buy gifts, and all the necessary paperwork along with 

perhaps even decorate your home a local map where you can cut your 

with a festive tree, then we’ve got a tree. The BLM also provides helpful 

suggestion for you. hints to assist you with cutting and 

Did you know you can cut your preserving a great tree. Just keep in 

very own tree on public lands? “’Tis mind that weather and road conditions 

true, I have gone here and there,” to can change quickly so be prepared for 

quote the immortal bard (not Bing your outdoor adventure. 

Crosby – the other guy this time). Then you can head out on your 

The Pacific Northwest is famous for trip to bring home any tree that’s 12 

our naturally-grown, untrimmed trees feet high or under. Wait, 12 feet? 

that grow wild and healthy across the That’s taller than a one-story house! 

public lands. Yet you may ask, “if Remember that a tree which seems 

they’re so beautiful, why should I cut small in the forest may quickly become 

one down?” too large for your living room... 

Great question! Ecologically, one 

of the reasons why the BLM makes You can have an adventure 

permits available and affordable to doing something that’s good families in the Northwest is because for the environment – and our environment actually benefits 

from thinning targeted forest areas. your wallet. 

And your cutting down a tree can 

improve the health of our forests by How’s all that sound? You can have 

ensuring our groves don’t become a little adventure. And you’re doing 

overly thick and thus more susceptible something that’s both good for the 

to fire or disease. environment as well as your wallet. 

(But, um, wasn’t something Hey, maybe your family can even 

said about our pocketbooks also being make it a new tradition this holiday 

happy?) season. 

Indeed it was. And speaking of families, thanks 

Not to get overly “late night for dropping by, but I better get back 

infomercial” on you, but how much to my own. It’s time to stoke the fire. 

would you pay to choose your own I think our patchouli incense wands 

gorgeous, natural tree in the wild? are just about to go out. 

$25? $35? § 

Actually, the average price of For information on permits where 

buying a pre-cut tree from a parking you live, please visit blm.gov/or and 

lot will run you at least $40 – and select the BLM office nearest you. 

 District Info: 

The Coos Bay District Office 

sells holiday tree permits from 

the day after Thanksgiving until 

Christmas Eve. Please call their 

main line at (541) 756-0100 for 

more info. 

The Klamath Falls Resource 

Area begins selling permits on 

Nov 24. Their point of contact is 

Joan Cole at (541) 883-6916. 

The Roseburg District opens 

the season selling holiday tree 

permits on Monday, Nov 24 as 

well. Rebecca Garner is the point 

of contact at (541) 440-4930. 

If your local community BLM 

office isn’t listed here, check 

out blm.gov/or to get started! 

Contact your local BLM office, 

ask questions, and please have a 

safe holiday! 

Nov/Dec

08 21 

20
Before our 

mystery ship 

became the 

George L. Olson, 

it was harbored 

in France 

where it hauled 

lumber under 

its previous 

name: 

Le Gabriel 

a shipwrECk risEs frOm thE GravE! 

Continued from Page 15 

“Obviously, the pattern has been 

for the ship to appear, become buried, 

and then re-appear for a short time,” 

explained Samuels. 

Starting in December 2007, visitors 

from across the country flocked to the 

North Spit in record numbers to see 

the ship, peering through portholes 

and taking pictures. Over 10,000 

people have visited the shipwreck 

since it (re)appeared during this year’s 

winter storms. 

“There is a strong connection to the 

shipping and lumbering industry in 

this area,” explained Samuels. “This 

shipwreck is a historical representation 

of a significant portion of the area’s 

heritage and people are excited to see 

it,” continued Samuels. 

Winter winds uncover the 

mighty jaws of time 

Now the BLM, the Oregon Parks 

and Recreation Department, the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration, and the Coos County 

Maritime Museum will continue their 

joint effort to document the ship and its 

unique story – before it again becomes 

buried by the sands of time. 

Megan Harper wrote about the New 

Carissa in our last issue, making 

her one of BLM’s rare experts about 

our more “nautical” public lands. 

amEriCa’s muLtiCuLturaL miGratiOn wEst 

Continued from Page 17 

and to promote the development of 

new partnerships. Managed by the 

BLM Office of Civil Rights, this 

highly-lauded program encourages 

BLM managers and employees to 

identify products and services and to 

consider how their program may work 

with a Minority Serving Institution 

(MSI) such as Coppin State University 

to meet those needs. 

Under the program, BLM managers 

and employees may submit proposals 

to the Office of Civil Rights providing 

a description of their project and the 

proposed partnership. More and 

more offices within the BLM are 

taking advantage of this momentous 

opportunity. And selection of these 

partnerships is fast becoming a 

competitive process where the Office 

of Civil Rights matches the requesting 

BLM office with a qualified MSI. 

Finding History’s Forgotten 

People has demonstrated that this 

arrangement creates a true “win-win” 

situation. After a proposal is approved, 

centrally-funded seed money may be 

awarded to launch the program. 

Furthermore, this partnership 

supports professional development 

and curriculum at the MSIs while 

reaffirming the BLM’s dedication to 

America’s rich history of diversity. 

“Every great 

dream begins with 

a dreamer. Always 

remember, you 

have within you 

the strength, the 

patience, and the 

passion to reach 

for the stars to 

change the world.” 

Harriet Tubman 

22 
a histOriC prOmisE
 

services, education, transportation, 

and libraries. In addition to the 

receipts, the harvest of timber under 

the plan would also provide new 

jobs in the timber industry that 

would ripple throughout the western 

and, yes, timber. 

a pLan fOr thE aGEs 

Did You Know? 

The majority (70 percent) of 

the older & more structurally 

complex forests in BLM’s 

western Oregon lands are within 

areas not subject to harvest in 

the proposed plan.

Continued from Page 19 

provide $75 million per year to local 

counties. Under this plan, the BLM 

estimates that the annual receipts 

generated from these timber harvests 

will provide approximately 85 percent 

of the average BLM county payments 

for the next 20 years. 

These receipts can help fund 

many county activities to include 

public safety, health and community 

Oregon economy and bring the BLM 

a long way toward being a significant 

contributor to these important local 

county services. 

In the end, all revised plans will 

comply with all applicable Federal 

laws to include the O&C Lands Act of 

1937, the Endangered Species Act, the 

Clean Water Act, and the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act. And the 

ultimate plan includes habitat, water, 

Last issuE’s BaCk COvEr!
 

PHOTOS BY BLM STAFF 

u NEWSFLASH! u

Statute Of LimitatiOnS RunS Out On 

eaRLieSt PuRPORted e.L.f. attack 

Last issue, we ran 

a contest to write 

a caption for our 

BackCountry photo. 

The winning 

submission 

that made us 

both laugh and 

think came from 

resident IT Expert, 

Tracy Uemura.
 

Well done, Tracy!
 

Nov/Dec 23 

2008 
BackCountry 

“Say Cheese!” 

What do our 

h a r d - w o r k i n g 

firefighters do 

when they get a quick break in 

the action? 

Well, I can tell you it’s 

definitely thirsty work. And 

back in September of 1987 

at a wildfire near Yreka, 

California, I grabbed a shot of 

my fellow Interagency Strike 

Team members Jim “Jaime” 

Lecomte (Salem BLM) and 

Terry Vernon (Fremont 

National Forest) with a pretty 

lucky, right place at the right 

time, one-in-a-million photo 

of a helicopter bucket drop. 

That was a cool drink. 

It’s a good thing I got the 

photo as this was the last 

bucket drop of the day. Plus 

Jaime kept telling me to hurry. 

Seems a drop of motor oil had 

collected at the bottom of the 

funnel – and it was just about 

to drop into Jaime’s mouth... 

Michael Allen, Salem BLM, 

Tillamook Resource Area 

Nov/Dec

2008 24