Welcoming Wolves Home to Washington

In a sign of the good health of Northwest ecosystems, wolves are starting to return to Washington and are expected to reestablish in the state as wolf numbers increase in neighboring states and Canada.

To prepare for the return of wolves, a citizen working group–including Conservation Northwest's Derrick Knowles and representatives of livestock, timber, other conservation, sportsmen, local government, and recreation interests–has been meeting since early this year to advise the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in drafting a wolf conservation plan. The agency is hosting a series of open houses to receive initial input on the development of a recovery plan for wolves in Washington. Your participation is important.

No Longer the "Forgotten Corner"

The new book from Conservation Northwest and The Mountaineers Books, Columbia Highlands: Exploring Washington's Last Frontier, was reviewed in this month's issue of the North Columbia Monthly, a publication distributed broadly in the Tri-County area and around Spokane. An excerpt:

"At last, a book that features the natural wonders of Northeastern Washington! As anyone knows who as tried to purchase a coffee table book featuring gorgeous photographs of Washington State, they're easy to find. ... But thumb through the lot, and you quickly find that they all treat the topic about the same way, presenting the state as though it starts at the Pacific Ocean and ends at the Cascade Range. Eastern Washington, they seem to say, where's that?"...

Summer Outreach with Conservation Northwest

Not only do we sponsor hikes into wildlands all summer long, Conservation Northwest volunteers stay busy tabling at events to spread the word for everything from protecting grizzly bears in the North Cascades, to setting wildlife cameras along remote trails. Our campaigns to protect old growth and wild areas from the Coast to the Rockies covers a lot of ground, including dicey issues such as how to protect wildlife habitat in burned forests or keep roadless areas roadless while finding agreement around new multi-user trails.

As a volunteer, you can help in so many ways in keeping your Northwest wild. Join us! In Seattle, contact Gwen; in greater western Washingon, Hudson; in Bellingham, Rose; in Spokane, Crystal or Derrick. We couldn't do it without you.

Doing the Right Thing for Lynx

Washington State is home to one of the last and largest Canada lynx populations left in the United States, ranging from the North Cascades and Loomis Forest east to the Columbia Highlands and Selkirk Mountains. We have a responsibility to ensure that this magnificent animal continues to thrive and recover across the Pacific Northwest.

US Fish and Wildlife Service biologists originally identified large areas of the West as critical to survival of lynx, including in Washington. Because of political meddling, the agency then slashed the area proposed as potential critical habitat by 90 percent, including all of the northern Cascades, the Kettle River Range, the Selkirks, and an area north of Colville, known as "The Wedge." Conservation Northwest is planning to bring legal action against the agency if it fails to promptly throw out its illegal plan and develop a scientifically credible habitat designation that ensures lynx recovery.