Matters in My Own Hands

My recent experiences volunteering for Conservation Northwest's Cascades to Olympics program have produced a lot of lessons, and one of the most important realizations is the power of action over politics.

Even as a kid, the environment and animals mattered a lot to me, and I wanted to translate that into actions that would make for a better world: less pollution, more environmental protections, and protection of other species.

I suppose it was inevitable that my concern for environmental issues would lead to an interest in politics and how political action influenced the environment. However, I came to place too much emphasis on this aspect of the environmental movement. Because I did so, I became disheartened when the politicians of the United States failed time and time again to address global warming. That disappointment began to weigh on me in very personal ways. Feeling powerless is not a good feeling, especially when important issues like global warming are left unresolved.

In early 2023, I began volunteering to clear wildlife corridors for the Cascades to Olympics program, which highlights the importance of southwestern Washington state for wildlife in the region. By reconnecting portions of habitat, the program helps species get where they need to go and find more suitable habitat as the climate changes.

Almost instantly, I felt better. The physical activity of improving the corridors was a good outlet for my frustration at the country's political failures. It was also a chance to connect with others and build community. Perhaps most importantly, it allowed me to translate my concern for the environment into tangible work that could make a difference right away in a place that meant a lot to me.

While I was volunteering last week, I spoke with Conservation Northwest's project manager, and he noted how a lot of people in the area are becoming interested in helping with the program. He said he thought one reason was that participating in it gave people hope in what otherwise seems like a hopeless situation. That's when I realized exactly why volunteering on the project had made me feel better. I said, "You know, I think working on this project has done more to help animals prepare for global warming than any politician who has ever received my vote."

Political action isn't a waste of time, but when it comes down to what's most important, it's sometimes best to take matters into your own hands.

A Simply Powerful Vision

Habitat connectivity involves so many factors and such large spaces that it is easy to forget how simple the idea is at its core.

The work Conservation Northwest is doing to preserve and restore connections in habitats across the state of Washington certainly involves a lot of challenges and considerations. That's what makes the organization's projects so impactful.

Still, as the video below demonstrates, habitat connectivity is a basic need for wildlife that can be addressed if we make a slight adjustment in how we think about the environment and our place in it.

Figuring out the details of a specific habitat-connectivity project might require strategy and planning, but incorporating the concept of connectivity into our vision for how we live and interact with the other inhabitants of the environment isn't that difficult. No wonder the concept is so powerful: It has far-reaching impacts, but its foundation is simple.

Just look at Conservation Northwest's successes so far and think about how much the simple concept of habitat connectivity has produced.

Connections and Relationships

Building connections and relationships has always been crucial to social causes. Its importance continues to grow as the bonds linking society fray and rupture.

In its efforts to undertake conservation projects in southwest Washington, which I previously blogged about here, Conservation Northwest is taking steps to ensure such connections and relationships have strong roots.

On July 20-22, the nonprofit organization will co-host the Southwest and Coastal Washington Connectivity Summit. The summit will bring together nonprofits, tribes, government agencies, land owners, and businesses to lay the groundwork for future efforts to ensure habitat connectivity and address ecological issues like global warming. This will be the first summit on these issues in southwest Washington, but the plan is to continue holding them every two years.

This year's event is in Ridgefield, Washington. However, it can also be attended virtually.

I'm very excited to see the potential of the relationships that come out of these summits.

Pieces of Possibility

Executing big ideas can require piece-by-piece action. 

Comprehensive visions of environmental conservation are both vital and exciting. We must think those big thoughts if we are to create a scope of action that operates on the level of ecosystems. Additionally, such expansive goals help us rise to the challenge of major environmental issues like global warming. Very importantly, big plans generate energy and enthusiasm about what's possible. 

Still, when it comes to making possibilities into realities, a different, smaller, and typically more demanding approach takes the wheel. We must prepare to work at issues over a long period of time and take opportunities where we can find them even if they are small and scattered. It's about being meticulous and tenacious and comprehending the long-term commitment necessary for success. Conservation Northwest's Cascades to Olympics program, which I previously blogged about here, is shaping up to be a great example of how we need to piece together major projects. Check out the video below to learn about the program and how people are finding ways to make it happen.

   

I really like how Conservation Northwest has looked for possible options that help provide connectivity for wildlife between the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Mountains. They have assessed the areas that would maximize connection and then looked for opportunities to make those connections better. Each piece requires its own unique work. For example, on the Satsop River in Grays Harbor County, Conservation Northwest has found a way to make the most of a bridge by clearing space for wildlife to walk under it. By contrast, along Interstate 5, the organization is working with the Veterans' Ecological Trades Collective to perhaps create a wildlife overpass that would provide wildlife with a safe option for crossing the freeway. Put together with other projects over a period of years, the work on the Satsop River and the potential I-5 overpass could produce the kind of connectivity Conservation Northwest desires. 

The dream seems more possible as dedicated and hard work puts pieces in place.

Connecting the Lynx

Piece by piece and cat by cat, Canada lynx claw a foothold in the Kettle River Mountain Range of northeastern Washington state, helping reestablish a population that will connect lynx in the Rocky Mountains with their counterparts in the Cascade Mountains.

A unified effort led by the Colville Confederated Tribes, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, and Conservation Northwest has worked to bring lynx from healthy populations in Canada to the Kettle Range, a move intended to bolster the species' population in the United States where it is listed as threatened. By reestablishing a breeding population in this part of the lynx's historical range, the partnership will bridge the gap between lynx in the Pacific Northwest and those that live along the Continental Divide.

The project also features a unique element. To catch and relocate the lynx from Canada, the partnership has enlisted trappers. However, instead of being paid for the pelts of dead animals, the trappers receive money for the lynx they catch in live traps. It's another example of boundaries being crossed for this worthy cause.

During a period of about five years, as many as 50 lynx will be moved to the Kettle Range. For more information on the project, click here.

I look forward to seeing the population gap in the Kettle Range filled with lynx in the future.

Legal Roots

An important case, one that could return the Evergreen State's definition of "state forest" to its roots, reached the Washington State Supreme Court this month.

Upon earning statehood in 1889, Washington state received a land grant for state lands from the United States Congress. The land came with the stipulation that "all the public lands granted to the state are held in trust for all the people."

For years, Washington's forests have been managed to produce timber harvest. The proceeds of the logging are then applied to funding for the state's schools. Conservation Northwest is challenging this approach, arguing that it fails to live up to the expectations of holding the land in trust for all the people.

If Conservation Northwest prevails in the case, the outcome will alter how the state manages its forests. Such changes could plant the seeds for using forests in Washington to sequester carbon. It would also seemingly return the forest-management process to its roots, allowing the original intention of the land grant to be fulfilled. For more information about the case, click here.

Let's hope the Washington State Supreme Court doesn't cut down Conservation Northwest's case.

Dreams on the River of Restoration

The conservation dreams about the Chehalis River in southwestern Washington state continue to grow bigger with more and more groups and organizations supporting preservation and restoration projects in the river's basin.

At first, conservation projects on the river popped up piece by piece. For instance, I previously blogged about the plan by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to purchase the Davis Creek Addition, which sits along a portion of the Chehalis in eastern Grays Harbor County. Then, a larger conservation framework began to develop in the form of initiatives like Conservation Northwest's Cascades to the Olympics program.

Another part of the framework is taking shape under the restoration program orchestrated by Pacific Northwest conservation group Forterra. By specifically focusing on the Chehalis River Basin, Forterra is bringing the river to the forefront of Washington's conservation efforts. A recent announcement of the organization's purchase of a 23-acre property along the Satsop River, a tributary of the Chehalis, demonstrates the far-reaching nature of the dreams to protect and restore the latter river. What these conservation groups are doing goes well beyond the banks of the Chehalis, linking the river to mountains and other streams in the watershed.

Although these different projects and programs come from various organizations and have some unique objectives, they also have the potential to combine for a massive and profound conservation effort. Each piece helps, and the gathering momentum points toward a lot more possibilities in the future. It's the kind of scale on which all dreams of conservation must be executed.

Perhaps the best part of this work is that it's no longer just a dream. The reality is beginning to match the visionary ideal.

Go North, Young Fisher

The effort to reintroduce fishers to the North Cascades achieved a major milestone last month.

For the first time since the species was eliminated from Washington state in the middle of the 20th century, a female fisher was recorded with kits in the North Cascades on April 18.

Reintroduced to the area starting in 2018, fishers appear to be thriving in their northern surroundings. Watch a video of some of the fishers being released in 2019:

Hopefully, the recently born fishers flourish in the North Cascades just like their parents did and continue bolstering the local population.

SW by Conservation NW

The time has arrived for southwest Washington to come out of the conservation shadows.

Long eclipsed by the Cascade Mountains, the Olympic Mountains, the Washington coast, Puget Sound, and the Columbia River Gorge, the interior of Washington's southwest region missed out on many important conservation designations. It lacks a snow-capped volcano, and the Chehalis River looks far less imposing than the Columbia, so instead of being set aside for protection, it was carved up by the timber industry.

A view of Minot Peak in the Willapa Hills
from the Chehalis River Basin.

Now, at long last, this region's important role in Washington's ecosystem has taken center stage because Conservation Northwest has launched its Cascades to Olympics program. At first glance of the title, the program appears to once again emphasize the state's charismatic features, but the less celebrated southwest region sits at the core of this project.

Cascades to Olympics prioritizes the future of the Chehalis River, the placing of wildlife crossings on Interstate 5 and Highway 12, and the commitment to conservation and restoration projects throughout the region. The key to all of this is the recognition of southwest Washington's ability to connect the Cascades and the Olympics. Such an approach takes a more comprehensive view of habitat, species movement, and ecosystems. All told, along with recent news about preserving parts of Grays Harbor County and stopping the dam on the Chehalis River, the Cascades to Olympics program indicates a new commitment to protecting an often overlooked part of Washington. For more information about Cascades to Olympics, click here.

As someone who hails from southwest Washington, I couldn't be happier that it is finally getting the attention it deserves from the conservation movement.

Chehalis, Stay Free

During the last decade, the story of dams in Washington state has moved from "Elwha, be free" to "Chehalis, stay free."

Occurring during the removal of two dams on the Elwha River in Washington state's Olympic Peninsula, proposals to dam the Chehalis River in southwestern Washington carried no small amount of irony. Just as the follies of the Elwha dams fell aside under demolition, the state prepared to place the Chehalis under constraints similar to those that had strangled fish runs and sediment flows on the Elwha.

The surge plain of the Chehalis River.

Despite the trend of removing dams on rivers in Washington and around the rest of the country, calls to dam the Chehalis followed a series of major floods on the river. The floods, largely the result of unwise logging practices and continued development in the river's flood plain, caused extensive damage and cut off transportation routes like Interstate 5 in 2007 and 2009. A dam became the preferred way of dealing with the excessive flooding without addressing the root causes, and for a long time during the public debate, it seemed almost inevitable.

Several groups remained firm in their opposition to the dam, and their efforts recently paid off in an announcement from Governor Jay Inslee. For years, the Chehalis Tribe, the Quinault Tribe, and environmental groups like Conservation Northwest have emphasized how the dam would hurt fish runs and the overall health of the river, calling for alternative approaches to flood mitigation. During a public comment period in May 2020, the dam proposal met with heavy resistance. Then, in July, Governor Inslee ordered both the suspension of planning for the dam until at least January 2021 and the pursuit of non-dam options. This is the right decision and an important development in the life of the Chehalis River. For more information about it, read the news release from Conservation Northwest.

"Elwha, be free" became a key slogan in the push to remove the dams from that river, and it appears the desire to keep the Chehalis River free has swung momentum away from a proposed dam there.

Taking the Road Ahead

Too often we let the road take us somewhere instead of taking it where we want to go, but a new project from Conservation Northwest goes the other way.

Looking to take the next step in the journey that began with the successful plan to put wildlife passages on Interstate 90 at Snoqualmie Pass, Conservation Northwest has proposed another wildlife underpass. This one, located on Highway 97 in remote Okanogan County, has a twist with the potential to spread throughout Washington state and allow us to go in important new directions.

In response to the more than 350 mule deer killed by automobiles on Highway 97 every year, Conservation Northwest has brokered a deal with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to construct one wildlife underpass on the road. If the environmental organization can raise $125,000 through its Okanogan Wildlife Crossing Campaign by the end of 2018, WSDOT will build the underpass, hopefully sparking the state legislature to provide funding for additional crossings in the future. I donated to the campaign yesterday. To learn more about the project and see how you can contribute to the campaign, click here.

Beyond Conservation Northwest's single underpass or the intent to expand that project in the coming years, the efforts to connect habitat through wildlife crossings represent a greater undertaking. They set a course toward enacting a vision of how people can best interact with the environment. As the video below demonstrates, Conservation Northwest realizes that vision through tangible results (like those already seen at Snoqualmie Pass) that reshape and improve our entire state. It's a great lesson in how to take a proactive approach while navigating our social and environmental challenges.



Projects like the Highway 97 wildlife crossing are more than just ways of getting from one point to another; they are opportunities to take the road into the future to the place we really want to be.

The Best of Us

The best of who we are emerges through our collective efforts to achieve shared dreams.

At Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90 in Washington state's Cascade Mountains, we can see the great things that happen when people come together in a public decision-making process and exercise their combined power to solve problems. Fittingly, that collaboration has produced work that both symbolizes and realizes the potential of connection.

Seeking to solve multiple problems, including avalanche danger, car collisions with wildlife, and ecosystem disruption, a far-reaching coalition of environmental groups, government agencies, lawmakers, and engaged citizens, planned out an extraordinary project. Through a series of road-widening strategies and plans for wildlife overpasses and underpasses, the coalition set in motion an intelligent and inspiring approach to transportation and habitat connectivity. The long and impressive work to bring that vision to life continues, but the fruits of the labor have already started appearing, and they are nothing short of awesome. To learn more about the entire project, check out Cascade Crossroads, the new documentary by Conservation Northwest:



Fragile as it is, confidence in ourselves and our public institutions deserves the best chance to flourish. When it is allowed to, it yields amazing results.

Projects like the I-90 wildlife overpasses and underpasses demonstrate the great things within our collective capacity when we offer our individual strengths to the work of a common dream.

This Bear is Just Right

Something's been missing from the North Cascades in Washington state, and here it is: the grizzly bear.

Although grizzlies aren't associated with the Pacific Northwest the way species like the orca and salmon are, the North Cascades represent an important habitat for the bears, a native species that hasn't been recorded in the area for several years. Because of this, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the United States National Park Service are working together on a plan to recover the population in the North Cascades. A public comment period for the plan runs through March 26.

Conservation Northwest, a region environmental organization, supports the proposed plan and encourages the public to comment in favor of it. The organization provides information that can help individuals put together and submit their comments. That information can be accessed here. Conservation Northwest also has a video about the recovery plan. View it below:



As the video demonstrates, despite not receiving a lot of attention as a species of the Pacific Northwest, the grizzly occupies a key part in the North Cascades ecosystem and in the identity of the region. Allowing this PNW native to disappear forever from Washington certainly wouldn't be right.

Use the link on Conservation Northwest's Web site to make a comment in support of grizzly recovery and let them again sleep in their beds in the North Cascades.

Opening New Doors

We consider necessity the mother of invention, but inspiration shares some of the parenting.

Few species inspire us more than wolves. Their size, intelligence, formidable appearance, and family structure all touch us deeply. They've also inspired fear and hatred, two reactions that have created some seemingly intractable public debates.

Despite the attention disagreements about wolves receive, recent trends suggest that our deep fascination with wolves may move us toward new solutions that foster coexistence. Last September, I blogged about Conservation Northwest's range rider program. That exciting approach to living with wolves has shown great promise in Washington state. Now, NPR reports on other options for coexisting, and the writer uses some innovative ways of telling the story.

The NPR article addresses conflicts over wolves, but it emerges from them with some great ideas. In addition, the report's incorporation of sound, graphics, and interaction with the reader shows the potential of innovations in journalism. The extra features provide a deeper connection with wolves, the world they inhabit, and the debate around them.

I can't think of anything more inspiring than a strong relationship with the environment.

License Not to Kill

Wolves: You can live with them if you really want to.

Opponents of wolves typically say that living with wolves is not possible, but that seems to be more of a perspective choice than an absolute reality. Washington state is demonstrating that people make the difference in determining the outcome of human-wolf interactions.

As this polling shows, residents of Washington, Oregon, and California are supportive of having wolves around. Therefore, it's no surprise that Washington is finding ways to support wolf populations. The latest piece of the strategy moves into place on October 1 when car owners in the state can begin purchasing vanity license plates that fund non-lethal wolf-management tactics, including range riders, which I blogged about two weeks ago. For more information about the plates, how to get them, and the programs they help fund, visit this page on Conservation Northwest's Web site.

Washingtonians' efforts to make a place for wolves ultimately show that the fate of these animals will come down to our willingness to share an existence with them.

Go Fisher

Although it's an awesome place, the Pacific Northwest isn't complete.

Several species were either entirely or partially wiped out from the area in the 19th and 20th centuries. These included the wolf and the fisher.

Those missing pieces have started a comeback, and people can help them take a next step. In 2008, fishers were returned to the Olympic National Park through a successful reintroduction program. Now, the National Park Service is proposing to reintroduce this member of the weasel family to the Cascade Mountains, and the agency will be taking comments on the plan until September 30. To voice your support for this next phase of reintroduction, visit this page from Conservation Northwest.

By bringing fishers back to another part of the Pacific Northwest, we help restore the full promise of this great area.

A Range of Options

The simplest answer isn't always the right one.

In dealing with wolves, we can take the easy route and exterminate them again, or we can look for solutions that allow us to live with them. The second option is infinitely more complex in terms of both its challenges and its opportunities.

Living with wolves requires planning and work, but it also has impacts that reach far into our ecosystems. For example, the presence of wolves decreases bank erosion along rivers because they keep elk from eating all the vegetation beside the streams.

Here's some news from Conservation Northwest that shows living with wolves is possible if we embrace more developed ideas. To sum it up, the article talks about the use of "range riders," who are individuals that watch over livestock herds. The strategy virtually eliminates predation by wolves.

The easy road is to ignore science and delist wolves, turning them over to state governments whose intention is to kill wolves, not manage them.

We have more and better options though, and it's in the interest of both humans and wolves that we choose them.