November 2011

2-to-1 Learning to Live with Wolves

During the final public hearing in Spokane, you did it again, turning out 2 to 1 in support of a state plan for Washington's wolves. The state wildlife commission has heard convincingly from thousands of you this year: Washington's wolves deserve a fair and balanced wolf plan. The Commission votes on final passage of the plan on Dec 3; we'll keep you posted on the outcome.

A recent poll showed some 75% of the public support wolf recovery in Washington. The proposed wolf plan is a pragmatic and broadly supported blueprint for recovering wolves, minimizing livestock conflicts, and maintaining healthy ungulate populations and hunting opportunities. Thank you for taking action these past months!

[Overheard for wolves] ~ [What we (and you) do for wolves] ~ [Wear your support!]

From Black Friday to Green Giving

Want to avoid the mall and give gifts with real meaning this year? Join us in turning "Cyber Monday" into Green Gift Monday. Our online store has great gear and gift membership packages, perfect for your favorite wildlife and wildlands fan. Visit our Green Gift blog by Monday for a special coupon!

New! Click here to go to our special REI.com portal, and 5% of your purchase will help keep the Northwest wild. From grizzly bears to lynx, North Cascades to the Columbia Highlands, your gifts connect and protect the region's ecologically vital habitats. Thank you!

[Be part of the monitoring dream team] ~ [Get holiday ideas from Lindsey] ~ [Love us? Renew yourself] ~ [Puzzled? Don't be, with a fun wolf puzzle]

High Time for North Cascades Grizzly Bears

From recent front-page coverage of the first bear photographed in 15 years to a new in-depth feature in High Country News, North Cascades grizzly bears are finally getting noticed. Reporter Nathan Rice's excellent piece illustrates why now is the time to push for full recovery of these bears before they "blink out" of existence.

"The Cascades grizzly bear has always been the red-headed stepchild of the grizzly bear recovery program," says Joe Scott of Conservation Northwest, the leading local advocacy group for grizzly recovery. "It generally gets the hand-me-downs, leftovers, and pocket change."

Scott and Conservation Northwest have led the charge for Cascades grizzly bear recovery for more than 20 years. With your help, we'll do even more for bears. [Momentous news] ~ [Take action!] ~ ["A joy to see these bears"]

 

Alternative Energy? Living Forests

Climate change demands we stop using coal and invest in alternate energy. We believe energy alternatives can be designed to protect, not endanger, rare wildlife and habitat, and you have helped stop two bad projects.

This month, the plug was pulled on two misguided energy projects, which would have irreparably harmed wildlife and habitat. Marbled murrelets breathe easier in the state's best old-forest habitat for them near Willapa Bay. And bighorn sheep, upland birds, and other wildlife continue to savor un-dammed valley lands along the Similkameen River near the town of Loomis. Thank you for taking action for wildlife-friendly energy!

It's not just about engineering more clean energy. Forest restoration initiatives and old-growth forest protections suck and store carbon out of the air and combat climate change. The recent victory for roadless forests is a huge help with protecting natural carbon storage across the US.

[Last blow to Radar Ridge coastal wind project] ~ [Shanker's Bend dam proposal pulled] ~ [Studies point to forest sinks]