Earth Share of Washington

Sagebrush to Tumbleweeds – The Decline of the Shrub Steppe and the Loss of the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit

- by David Manelski

One of the world's smallest rabbits, and the only known burrowing rabbit species, was placed on the Endangered Species List March 5th. Only 12 Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbits remain left in the wild, living in the Sagebrush Flats area of Douglas County, Washington. On the verge of extinction, these rabbits, and their fate, are inexorably linked to the fate of the shrub-steppe ecosystem.

Defined by superlatives, the shrub-steppe is the largest grassland in North America, and also considered the most threatened. It extends from eastern Washington and eastern Oregon, through Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, and into western Wyoming and Colorado. Home to not only the smallest rabbit species, but also the largest hawk in North America, the Ferruginous Hawk. Dependant on one another for survival, these animals once thrived in this land of sagebrush and perennial grasses that stretched across over 200,000 square miles of the western United States. In Washington State and other areas of the west, more than 60% of that habitat is now gone, lost to agriculture and invasive plant species. It is this drastic change and loss of habitat over the course of the past 100 years that is driving these species to the brink of extinction.

"When people think about conservation in Washington State," remarks Earth Share of Washington Executive Director William Borden, "we think of the majestic mountain wilderness, the lush forests, and the diversity of sea life in Puget Sound. Not often enough do we consider the grassland species of the shrub-steppe."

Four Earth Share of Washington member groups are actively involved in conservation efforts in the shrub-steppe ecosystem. These include Washington Native Plant Society, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Federation, and Audubon Washington. Large tracts of land that make up the pygmy rabbit habitat now fall under federal protection and groups like Washington Native Plant Society are working to selectively restore native plant habitats. Through education and political action, hope remains for the shrub-steppe.

What will become of the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit and the Ferruginous Hawk is still uncertain. It would be a great tragedy to lose the largest hawk and the smallest rabbit right in our own backyard. A captive breeding program is under way for the pygmy rabbit and with life breeds hope. To find out more about how to help volunteer for these Earth Share of Washington members, please contact them directly:

Audubon Washington
www.audubon.org/chapter/wa/wa
(360) 786-8020

The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org
(206) 343-4344

Washington Native Plant Society
www.wnps.org
(888) 288-8022

World Wildlife Fund
www.worldwildlife.org
(202) 293-4800

Bringing History to the Hiker

- Submitted by Todd Jennings, Executive Director for ESW member group Volunteers for Outdoor Washington

You never know what to expect when you put a call out for trail volunteers on a weekday in March. The forecast, naturally, called for rain. Lots of it. But this is Robe Canyon, and people are drawn to its rugged beauty and rich history. Since 1995, 400 volunteers, led by Earth Share of Washington member Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, have invested more than 9,000 hours constructing a window into another time.

The Everett & Monte Cristo Railroad was built in the late 1800s to transport gold and silver ore from mines deep in the Cascades to a new smelter in Everett. In the fall the Stillaguamish River swells into roaring whitewater, and maintaining the line required yearly battles to repair damage from rockslides and flooding. Before its demise in 1933, the railway was also used to transport limestone, timber, and even tourists seeking views of the wild beauty.

A stroll along the Stillaguamish gives clues to this past: bits of a leather hat, a rusty saw blade, the brake linkage from an old rail car. The gem of Robe Canyon Historic Park is the soon-to-be-completed Lime Kiln Trail, named after a lime kiln built into the south side of the canyon that burned some 30,000 tons of limestone.

This March morning the rain clouds can't make up their minds, and the nine volunteers are greeted with drizzle. It lingers all day, providing a cool contrast to the huff and puff of tackling a thorny thicket at the site of the future trailhead. Other work parties will focus on construction of the Lime Kiln Trail, tracing the abandoned railway route along the South Fork of the Stillaguamish.

While leading the charge is Steve Dean, it is truly a community effort, led by Volunteers for Outdoor Washington and bringing together Boy Scout Troops, Rotarians, The Mountaineers, the Snohomish County Juvenile Program, the Stillaguamish Citizens Alliance, and other groups. The 3.5-mile Lime Kiln Trail should be completed in late 2003 or early 2004.

Do you like to hike? Do you want to build new trails - and trailheads - or maintain existing ones? Do you want to learn what a pulaski is? Join Earth Share of Washington member Volunteers for Outdoor Washington for another fun and challenging season of trail work. For more information, please visit www.trailvolunteers.org/.

Wave of The Future -- Bulkhead Removal

- by Tom Dean from Earth Share of Washington member People for Puget Sound

During the first week of February People For Puget Sound led an effort to remove a shoreline bulkhead made of over 400 tires, restoring habitat for fish and wildlife in Mud Bay, at the mouth of Eld Inlet between Olympia and the Evergreen State College.

"Few shoreline property owners are brave enough to remove their bulkheads and let nature take its course," stated Tom Dean, restoration project manager for People For Puget Sound. "This is the story of one property owner who wanted to do the right thing."

The story began in 1998, when the Capitol Land Trust accepted the donation of a seven-acre conservation easement from Mud Bay resident Marjorie Randall. In 2001, the US Fish and Wildlife Service gave the Capitol Land Trust a grant to begin restoring the site, and People For Puget Sound was asked to lend a hand with restoration planning and implementation.

The attributes of the Randall Easement are many, including a small stream that flows through a very productive mudflat. At low tide, shorebirds scurry about in the mud and waterfowl feed along the shoreline.

The bulkhead, which ran along the shoreline for 150 feet, was comprised of 350 tires stacked in tiers (pictured right). "Besides being ugly, the tires covered up productive mud that would otherwise be an active breeding ground for small marine invertebrates, prized by shorebirds and juvenile salmon as forage," stated Curtis Tanner, a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. "The bulkhead removal this week restored this critical habitat area."

A backhoe plucked the tires, one-by-one, and loaded them into a dumpster. The tires were hauled away for cleaning and recycling. A crew from EarthCorps, another Earth Share of Washington member, re-graded the bank by hand, placing some matting along the shore for extra stability near the Randall home, and replacing native plants that were salvaged earlier in the restoration effort.

The project is a partnership between state and federal agencies, non-profit groups, private consulting firms, and private land owners. To learn more about eliminating your bulkhead, please call People for Puget Sound at (206) 382-7007 or visit their website: www.pugetsound.org

Producer Responsibility Coming to Washington State?

- by Suellen Mele from ESW member group Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation

"My computer just died! I just bought the darn thing last year, and it's already out of warranty," complains Cal Consumer, a cartoon character featured in a new publication from Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation (WCRC). "Why isn't there a better way to design this stuff so that it can be repaired and upgraded? Where can I take it to be recycled?"

Although Cal is a fictitious character, many residents in Washington ask the same questions.

Computers and televisions contain toxic materials such as lead and mercury, making them an environmental and health threat when improperly discarded. Some counties and cities already prohibit the disposal of this equipment in landfills. And large quantities of electronic waste intended for recycling are exported, dumped and recycled in unhealthy, unsafe conditions in countries such as China.

Who should be responsible for safely recycling this toxic electronic waste? Washington citizens want electronics manufacturers to step up to the plate!

Last August, WCRC conducted a random telephone survey of citizens in King County. 92% of respondents agreed that when electronics contain toxic lead and mercury, manufacturers should provide a safe and convenient way to recycle them. 94% said that corporations making electronic products should be responsible for designing them to be easily recyclable and less toxic.

"Manufacturer responsibility" has already taken hold in Europe, Japan, and parts of Canada, covering products ranging from electronics to paint to packaging.

Electronics legislation using a manufacturer responsibility approach has been introduced in Washington. House Bill 1942, if passed, will require manufacturers of computers, televisions and cell phones to finance and arrange the collection and recycling of electronic waste from their own products. The bill requires manufacturers to phase out the use of many toxic materials and replace them with more environmentally friendly substances. It also forbids landfilling while discouraging the export of hazardous electronic components.

This manufacturer responsibility approach has some incredible advantages. Environmentally-sound recycling programs for computers and televisions would be convenient and free of charge for businesses and residents, making it as easy to recycle a computer as it is to buy one. All this would be accomplished without raising taxes.

In addition, manufacturers would have a financial incentive to design "greener" products. When manufacturers pay to dismantle computers and dispose of toxic components, they design computers that are easier to dismantle and contain fewer toxics.

Want to know more? Go to www.wastenotwashington.org for information about manufacturer responsibility, the current legislation, environmentally-responsible places to recycle your computer, and survey results. To get a free copy of "A Citizen's Guide to Producer Responsibility," featuring Cal Consumer and friends, contact WCRC at 206-441-1790 or info@wastenotwashington.org.