By Sadie Gustavson
From its humble beginnings as a backyard fundraiser 15 years ago, Bigstock has evolved into one of Oregon’s biggest nonprofit concerts with performances from world-class musicians. This year the Eugene-based conservation organization and longtime forest and wildlife advocate Cascadia Wildlands is a beneficiary of the event.
Bigstock has attracted a loyal following that returns year after year to celebrate the music and causes against a backdrop of Cascade mountain ranges and raging rivers in the greater Willamette National Forest. Brett Gingold, one of Bigstock’s founders, says it was natural to have Cascadia Wildlands be a part of Bigstock because of the location at Hoodoo Ski Resort in the Willamette National Forest and what the organization promotes in terms of environmental protection and restoration.
Gingold encourages attendees to go at their own pace, come and go as they please, and spend the day hiking or biking around the site. “It’s a bit more of a different feel than when you go to a conventional concert,” he says. “We don’t wanna be a big festival, we like keeping it intimate and allowing people to get up close to the artists and to the music. It’s not really meant to be commercial.”
Cascadia Wildlands has spent the past quarter century fighting to protect old growth forests and recover endangered species in the Northwest. Its work includes grassroots organizing to educate individuals on threatened species such as the gray wolf that were systematically exterminated for centuries in the Northwest. “We’re working to tell a different story about gray wolves and the important role they play on the landscape in helping achieve ecosystem balance and having them achieve their rightful place back in the landscape,” says Josh Laughlin, executive director of Cascadia Wildlands.
According to the Oregon Wolf Conservation and Management report released by Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife in 2023, there are 178 gray wolves in the state.
Cascadia Wildlands also has a legal team that works to hold government entities and private timber companies accountable in court under laws that protect Oregon’s endangered species and mature forests.
There are two policy efforts taking place right now — the amending of the Northwest Forest Plan and the Biden Administration’s proposed National Old-Growth Amendment — that could result in the permanent protection of remaining mature and old growth forests by 2025, and Cascadia Wildlands is working to influence these policies.
“We’re kind of the ears and eyes on the ground of what state and federal agencies are proposing with our public lands, and we can inform that outcome,” Laughlin says. “There’s countless reasons to protect our legacy forests. They offer so much to all beings and we have a duty to do that.”
These amendments could either expand or limit restrictions on logging on public lands. The Northwest Forest Plan currently covers over 24 million acres of forested land between Oregon, Washington and California and 16 percent of these lands are reserved for timber harvest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
In June, Cascadia Wildlands halted Scott Timber Co.’s effort to clearcut a 355-acre parcel of mature land in Elliot State Forest occupied by the endangered marbled murrelet.
Bigstock’s proceeds will be split between longtime Bigstock partner Oregon Adaptive Sports and Cascadia Wildlands. Oregon Adaptive Sports is an adaptive sports foundation that offers a range of services and equipment to create outdoor recreation opportunities to individuals with disabilities.
Over the last 15 years, Bigstock has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their beneficiaries. This year, organizers are hoping to raise up to $50,000 and attendance is estimated to be at least 2,000. In 2022, Bigstock donated over $60,000 to Oregon Adaptive Sports, according to Leann Schoales, one of the promoters of Bigstock, who has been helping plan the event for over 10 years.
Unlike previous years, Bigstock attendees next weekend will experience a two-day event with camping opportunities and a series of after-hours shows in Hoodoo Ski Lodge with yet-to-be-announced performers. Eugene sponsors The Wheel Apizza, Tacovore and Ninkasi Brewing can be found at the food and alcohol vendors.
Performers this year include Dead & Company’s Oteil Burbridge, five-piece bluegrass jam band Greensky Bluegrass and Grammy-nominated country singer Margo Price.