Yep, there will be a little more delay in the previously withdrawn Loafer Timber Sale while the Umpqua National Forest prepares more supportive paperwork.

The Western Environmental Law Center declared this sale delay a "victory" on their web site. Seems a little early to call "victory". What will the end result be? A token reduction of sale acreage or road reconstruction?

The lamented Umpqua Hot Springs has become an overused and often lawless ecological disaster. Remove the bridge over the river and close the access road to return it to the less used more pristine condition it enjoyed when I first hiked in 45 years ago. That would be a small but real "victory"!

How much have enviro lawyers made from Loafer litigation so far? How much more will additional Forest Service paperwork cost taxpayers? 

What's up ahead? Will a timber industry friendly congress use this litigation and the many other timber sale law suits to justify privatizing public land or diminishing protective laws?