COMMENTARY | Recent victories highlight the critical role Native American rights have played in protecting the natural resources of the Pacific Northwest After a nine-year battle with locals, Nestlé Waters North America has officially pulled up stakes and ...
8 Dec 2017 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | A proposed ballot measure would fund local and equitable investments in renewable energy and efficiency by imposing a tax on large corporations In the coming weeks, a diverse coalition of grassroots organizations will put forward a unique bal ...
27 Oct 2017 - Stephen Quirke
Yakama Nation argues EPA plan violates an 1855 treaty After 16 years of study funded by polluting industries, the public comment period for the Willamette River cleanup is scheduled to end Sept. 6, 2016, with some officials hoping for a finalized plan by ...
2 Aug 2016 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | EPA extends comment period on the Superfund cleanup plan for the Willamette River, which drew protests for doing too little Early this month the EPA released its draft plan to remove toxic contamination from the bottom of the Willamette River ...
30 Jun 2016 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | Hunger-plagued Oregon still has an abundance of food, but much of it is being exported Portland is widely regarded as a city for foodies and a hot-bed of farmers markets and food co-ops. Last year, The Washington Post even ranked us the best ...
23 Jun 2016 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | Relearning our own history will be the key to unlearning our mistakes The Willamette waterfront is many things to many people – a place to sleep, a food source, a wildlife habitat, a place to swim and for others, a place to dump industrial wa ...
9 Jun 2016 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | The plant is not just the bearer of bad news, but an important neighbor They drink the water from your gutters. They creep into your garden. They whisper tales to the kale. For some, mosses are just a guest we never invited – an opportunity ...
24 Mar 2016 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | He spent a lifetime fighting for Native Americans and their home “I don’t believe in magic. I believe in the sun and the stars, the water, the tides, the floods, the owls, the hawks flying, the river running, the wind talking. They’re measure ...
31 Dec 2015 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | Successful protests show indigenous nations can use education about Columbus to win new respect and support “In fourteen-hundred and ninety-three, Columbus stole all he could see.” – Christopher Loewen, “Lies My Teacher Told Me” On Oct. 7, Po ...
19 Nov 2015 - Stephen Quirke
COMMENTARY | State and tribal officials throw a wrench in the corporation’s water-bottling plan Gov. Kate Brown just made a game-changing intervention in Nestlé’s ongoing effort to bottle public water in Oregon. Soon after receiving three letters of oppos ...
12 Nov 2015 - Stephen Quirke