Miller, Joseph L., 1910-

Joseph L. Miller (1910- ), a Portland, Or., physician who retired to a vacation home at Marmot at the edge of the Bull Run Watershed that provided water to the city, started a crusade to preserve the watershed from logging and recreation damage after learning in the early 1970s that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) had been logging the area since 1958. He believed that the USFS and City of Portland Water Bureau, which managed the watershed, had been secretive in their activities to prevent the public from learning about what was happening to and planned for the watershed, in violation of the 1904 Trespass Act. Miller organized the Bull Run Interest Group (BRIG), initiated a class action lawsuit and other legal proceedings against the Forest Service for its management practices, and established the BRIG Open File at the Multnomah County Central Library (Portland, Or.) to inform the public.

From the description of Joseph L. Miller Papers, 1909-1995 (bulk 1971-1995). (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 56476385

Joseph L. Miller (1910- ), a Portland, Or., physician who retired to a vacation home at Marmot at the edge of the Bull Run Watershed that provided water to the city, started a crusade to preserve the watershed from logging and recreation damage after learning in the early 1970s that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) had been logging the area since 1958. He believed that the USFS and City of Portland Water Bureau, which managed the watershed, had been secretive in their activities to prevent the public from learning about what was happening to and planned for the watershed, violating the 1904 Trespass Act. Miller organized the Bull Run Interest Group (BRIG), initiated class action lawsuits and other legal proceedings against the Forest Service for its management practices, and established the BRIG Open File at the Multnomah County Central Library (Portland, Or.) to inform the public.

From the description of Joseph L. Miller Photographs Collection [graphic], 1909-1995 (bulk 1971-1995). (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 56476696

Joseph L. Miller (1910- ), a native of Chicago, trained as a medical doctor. He moved to Oregon in 1940 with his wife, Amy, and he opened a medical practice in Portland, Or. In 1948, the family bought 94 acres near the Bull Run Reserve, in the vicinity of Marmot, Clackamas County, Oregon. There they built a small cabin, mostly for summer camping, and in 1975 established a permanent home on three acres. They donated the remaining 91 acres to the Portland Audubon Society in 1977.

In 1971, Miller discovered that the United States Forest Service (USFS) had, since 1958, allowed commercial logging in the watershed in spite of a 1904 Trespass Act and planned to open a 30,000-acre area for recreational purposes. Such strong opposition was expressed at a public meeting, which Miller attended, that the USFS and the Portland Water Bureau withdrew the plan. Miller then began a systematic effort to collect and disseminate information on the Bull Run Reserve to focus public attention on the need for watershed protection. In 1974, he organized the Bull Run Citizens' Advisory Committee, which evolved into the Bull Run Interest Group (BRIG) by 1975. BRIG was active at varying levels until about 1993. Miller was most concerned about the secrecy and lack of public information and input that he believed characterized the activities of the USFS and Portland Water Bureau, which managed the Bull Run Watershed.

In 1975, Miller and two co-plaintiffs initiated a class-action lawsuit against the USFS for allowing public access and logging in violation of the Trespass Act and won their case. However, in 1977 Congress nullified the act, and new legislation, introduced by Rep. Robert Duncan and Sen. Mark Hatfield of Oregon, specified that the Bull Run Reserve could be managed by the Forest Service according to prevailing multiple-use principles. Use of the watershed need not be confined to water production, though that use should be primary.

Miller's crusade to restore the protections of the Trespass Act continued after 1977, and, with the public scrutiny that he inspired, serious degradation of the watershed diminished. His efforts included further litigation and stays to stop what he considered to be dubious timber sales after “blowdowns.”

From the guide to the Joseph L. Miller photographs collection, 1909-1995, 1971-1995, (Oregon Historical Society Research Library)