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What makes an Okanogan rancher?
Earlier this month, the Seattle Times ran an article about wolves, ranchers, and one dead cow in Okanogan County, and I wondered how folks out in Seattle and the "west side" see ranchers in places like my home in the Okanogan valley. I've worked with farmers and ranchers in the Okanogan off and on for over 20 years and finally moved here 3 years ago. And even with that, I continue to learn more about what the "ranching community" means here.
A bill held hostage?
Like most of the conservation community, we rallied our members to call in to their representatives in support on the most significant environmental bill in history, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (that's #ACES on the twitter circuit), and so many of you answered the call for this huge leap forward. Thank you! Be sure to let your reps know that you appreciate their votes and ask them to keep the bill strong as it comes back from the Senate! Unfortunately, though, one of Washington's Representatives decided use this groundbreaking legislation to grant favors to the timber industry. An open letter from ED Mitch Friedman asks some important questions.
Ghosts of Forest Service past
Imagine a Forest Service reinvented, an agency committed to restoring ecologically healthy national forests and doing all it can to help lands, water, and wildlife adapt to climate change. A "Restoration Marshall Plan" for forests, built on common ground between science, timber, and conservation interests, could restore forests and biodiversity damaged by decades of excessive logging and road building.
A wild night...or a night for the wilds!
When I first arrived in the wide open …and very empty… space of the Ackerly Gallery at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, I thought, “how the heck will we be ready for almost 300 guests, several hundred auction items, and 30 fun-loving kids in a few short hours?...No way,” and tried my best to sneak away for a relaxing ramble in the Butterfly House...
Protecting the North Cascades and beyond
The Seattle Times ran a story recently on a campaign to enlarge North Cascades National Park. Our dedicated members have asked me why Conservation Northwest is not more involved in this or other new initiatives to increase protection in the heart of my favorite area, the North Cascades Ecosystem. My answer is that we're all about protecting the North Cascades and other transboundary ecosystems: we are focusing on different needs and creating a broader vision for the region....
Whatcom values favor wild places
Last week, I presented to Bellingham's Columbia Neighborhood Association the results of a growth and land use survey. he telephone survey--designed to capture residents' long term vision for Whatcom County--shows a mindset in the right direction here in Conservation Northwest's original hometown.
Happy Endangered Species Day
Our friends over at the Endangered Species Coalition have been busy getting ready for Endangered Species Day, so we thought we would help spread the word! There are lots of groups and folks doing the same. Share some species love with your facebook friends, tweet your favorite twits (um... iI don't think that's right?), and enjoy a weekend of events to celebrate the amazing wild heritage this nation is so lucky to have. We must act now to ensure our children future that includes all the wild places and wildlife we hold dear.
And, yeah, I have to ask. Please donate now to ensure that Conservation Northwest's many successes for endangered species continue.
Enjoy this visual inspiration from our friends at the Endangered Species Coalition, while you are at it!
What endangered species can you not imagine being without?
All hands on deck!
From orcas and salmon to grizzly bears, wolverines, and pikas; from murrelets to moose; from mountains to sea–all the wildlife and habitats we have fought to protect over the decades are threatened by climate change.Rally for Climate, Clean Energy, and Public Health on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at 12 pm noon in downtown Seattle, one of only two EPA public hearings on climate change in the entire country....
Go, bears
It's been a roller coaster ride for bears this month, with polar bears losing a chance to have their ice cap homes protected from global warming by the Endangered Species Act, and the North Cascades grizzly gaining and then losing vital funding that would have finally pushed forward real recovery efforts. We humans aren't scoring big for bears this week, but maybe next week will help us make up for it.
What does it mean for WA?
I was a babe in the womb when the Endangered Species Act was enacted, and I probably couldn't even say "woofie" when the gray wolf--having been hunted and harassed to near extinction in most of the contiguous US--was listed for protection under the ESA. For the past 35 years, conservation efforts have focused on increasing not only the numbers but the genetic diversity of wolf populations in the US. Today, the feds claimed a victory for the ESA when wolves in the Great Lakes and parts of the northern Rockies were delisted, removed from federal protections. Not everyone agrees that this move is scientifically appropriate or that wolves will be safe under state plans, but, honestly, arguments aside, I just want to know what delisting means for those adorable pups from the Lookout Pack!
