On Tuesday, May 14, Mary Scurlock of the Oregon Stream Protection Coalition will discuss the science, policy and political reasons why current state and private forest policies are failing to protect the public’s interest in clean water and wildlife.

Scurlock’s presentation is another in the series, “Speaking Truth to Power” presented by the North Coast Citizens for Watershed Protection, formerly known as Rockaway Beach Citizens for Watershed Protection. The events, always free and open to the public, take place the second Tuesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. at NCRD 36155 9th St. in Nehalem.

Scurlock’s presentation will review harmful logging and road impacts on water quality and aquatic habitat in Oregon, compare Oregon’s water protection requirements with those in other states, and describe barriers to and opportunities for change through citizen action.

Scurlock is the coordinator of the Oregon Stream Protection Coalition, a 28-member ad hoc group of conservation and fishing industry organizations formed in 2012 to advocate for stronger baseline regulations under the Oregon Forest Practices Act.
Scurlock has extensive experience on forest-water issues in the West, much of it gained during her 25 years as an advocate at Pacific Rivers Council. Her work has included the development of expert science reviews of numerous state and federal forest policies and multi-species aquatic conservation habitat conservation plans as well as coordination of Endangered Species Act litigation against the Oregon Board of Forestry.

Other projects included co-authorship of “Entering the Watershed” (Island Press, 1993), watershed protection rule language for the national forests planning rule, federal watershed restoration

funding proposals and appropriations, and evaluation of federal forest salvage and riparian thinning practices. Scurlock also spent over five years representing the Forests and Fish Conservation Caucus in stakeholder processes under Washington State’s unique forest practices program.

Born in Washington DC but an Oregon resident since 1989, Scurlock was educated at Duke University (BA, 1985) and Boston University School of Law (JD, 1989).