Earth Share of Washington

Northwest Forest Plan - In Focus

As 2003 draws to a close, it will be remembered by some as one of the most prolific wildfire years in history. Whether it was caused by global climate change or poor forest management practices remains up for debate, but what is certain is a call to action, and reform of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). The plan, created in 1994, was designed to strike a balance between habitat and species preservation, and logging. Specifically, it ended the ongoing standoff between old-growth logging and spotted owls. Today, spotted owl populations continue to decline, wildfires run amok across the Western United States, and logging harvests sit at a fraction of their early 1990's level.

Amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan are currently under review, which would result in increased logging and thinning of Western forests. Under the new plan, time consuming surveys and monitoring would be significantly limited. Earth Share of Washington member group Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) recently submitted detailed comments on a proposal to remove the Survey and Manage Standards from the Northwest Forest Plan. What the current standards do is require an analysis of whether a particular proposed activity, such as building a road, logging, prescribed burning, building a campground or other ground-disturbing activity, will have a significant impact on plant and animal species in old-growth areas.

FSEEE focused on the following issues with the proposed amendments to the NWFP. First, the changes would make certain important activities optional that could help avoid extinction of at least 47 and as many as 77 species, substantially affecting species diversity and violating the Endangered Species Act. Second, the changes to the NWFP do not take into account the environmental effects that the changes could have on species that live in or near water. Finally, the elimination of the Survey and Manage Standards does not require agencies to take any action in lieu of the Standards, such as putting "at risk" species in Special Status/Sensitive Species Programs or taking steps to stop further degradation or extinction of a species. The environmental analysis performed to support the proposed changes assumes that the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management will take steps that are, in fact, discretionary. Any of these proposed changes to the NWFP, if approved, will likely have profound effects on forest and ecosystem health.

Earth Saving Tips for the Holiday Season

20 Eco-Friendly Holiday Gift Ideas

It's holiday time - a joyous season of gift-giving. This year, consider alternatives to merchandise (and all the wrapping that goes with it). Doing so will reduce landfill waste as well as other forms of pollution. Here are some ideas for less-wasteful giving:

1. Make a book of family recipes by inserting recipe sheets into clear plastic holders (to keep them clean when cooking) and assembling them in a binder.
2. Donate in the name of a friend or relative in a subject area of interest to them (such as a gift to Earth Share of Washington!)
3. Get tickets to an exhibit or membership to a museum.
4. Give a gift certificate to a used book or music store.
5. Offer your talents, such as photography, financial planning, or hairstyling.
6. Give a sports- or health-club membership.
7. Give an adventure or experience (a day of hiking or canoeing, for example).
8. Give frequent flyer miles.
9. Plant a tree in someone's name.
10. Give tickets to concerts, sporting events, shows, whale-watching trips, etc.
11. Make a personal voucher or certificate entitling the bearer something good (use your imagination!).
12. Make a video of family members, friends, and loved ones.
13. Make dinner for someone or cook other homemade food and deliver it.
14. Baby-sit or pet-sit.
15. Make a calendar for the coming year using personal or family photographs.
16. Give a plant sprouted from one in your own garden.
17. Provide a gift certificate for a lesson (tennis, swimming, drumming, etc.).
18. Collect photos and put together a photo album.
19. Weed, water, or help establish a friend's garden.
20. Give a smile and comfort to someone who is alone.

Warning: Dangerous Art Ahead

Local photographer, activist wins National Sierra Club Award

Bellevue resident and former Boeing engineer, Subhankar (pronounced "shoe-BANK-ar") Banerjee, recently received the National Sierra Club's Special Achievement Award, which recognizes a single act of particular importance dedicated to conservation. He left his job and overcame immense obstacles, in order to spend 14 months taking photos in one of the most remote and beautiful areas of Alaska. The result was Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Seasons of Life and Land. The book was the product of his field research documenting life in this harsh but fragile arctic ecosystem and contains stunning images of wildlife and daunting landscapes. Along with the photos are essays by people like President Jimmy Carter, Peter Matthiesen, and David Sibley, which further illuminate us as to the hidden values and timeless qualities of this "sacred place where life begins" according to the Gwich'in people who live there.

Banerjee was catapulted into the national prominence this spring when an exhibition of his Arctic Refuge photos at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History was mysteriously moved from a prominent place in the rotunda to the basement. That happened right after Senator Barbara Boxer held up an advance copy of the book during a debate on opening the Refuge to oil drilling. She urged her peers to read the book before making any decision on the drilling. There was speculation that political pressure caused the Smithsonian to move the exhibit. A flurry of articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, and on National Public Radio told the tale to the nation and kept the Refuge and its threatened status in the public eye.

In addition to writing the book, Subhankar tirelessly tours the country to educate people about the beauty, vitality and hidden life dramas that abound in this wilderness. It has to be part of the reason the public continues to tell Congress that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should remain undrilled, unspoiled, and magnificent.

For information on protecting the Refuge, contact Kathleen Casey at Kathleen.casey@sierraclub.org. The book was published in both hard and soft-cover editions by Mountaineers Books. To purchase a copy go to www.mountaineersbooks.org.

Big Boats Turn Out for Ship Canal Clean Up

- submitted by Chris Wilke from ESW member Puget Soundkeeper Alliance

Fortunately the predicted high winds did not materialize on October 18, when 116 volunteers and 24 vessels gathered at Fisherman's Terminal for the annual Seattle Marine Business Coalition Ship Canal Cleanup. The event was co-sponsored by Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, a member of Earth Share of Washington, along with Seattle Public Utilities and the Army Corps of Engineers. Unlike other cleanups which utilize volunteers on-shore or on the water in small boats, this event mobilized the big rigs. Several large tugboats traveled with dumpsters on the stern and offloaded trash from kayaks and small power boats including the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance patrol boat. Kayaks and small skiffs proved to be particularly effective in getting close to shore where the trash often accumulates, although some of the tugboat pilots skillfully maneuvered their craft close to shore to snare trash directly.

All in all, eleven dumpsters worth of trash was removed from the area of the Lake Washington Ship Canal that lies between the Ballard Locks and the Fremont Bridge. Among the more interesting items removed from the waterway were a shopping cart, a relatively new street sign, and a pair of goggles with tennis balls stuck in the eye sockets. The Golden Styrofoam award (for the largest amount of trash) was given to the crew of the Crystal Charters boat and the coveted MFO award (Miscellaneous Floating Object) went to the volunteer who recovered the shopping cart from the bottom of the canal. (Okay, so it wasn't floating, but it was an admirable effort nonetheless!)

The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance office is located just 2 blocks north of the canal on Leary Way, and the Alliance likes to take care of their "home waters". Through this event, the June 28 Lake Union Sweep, and bi-weekly kayak patrols, the Alliance directed cleanup efforts over a continuous waterway that stretches all the way from the locks to Lake Washington. The waterway is also an important migration route for Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon as well as Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. If you are interested in participating in on-water cleanup events or patrols, contact Chris Wilke at the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance office at 206-297-7002.

Cool Website - December 2003

NASA Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

View exquisite images of the Earth from space, courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory project. The Terra satellite was launched in 1999 to record detailed images of the Earth from space. "Terra," Latin for land, is the name of the Earth Observing System flagship satellite. The five sensors aboard Terra are comprehensively measuring our world's climate system - to observe and measure how Earth's atmosphere, cryosphere, lands, oceans, and life all interact. Data from this mission are used in many research and commercial applications. Terra is a vital part of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, helping scientists understand and protect our home planet. Browse the extensive archive of images from around the world and check back frequently for images pertinent to current world events.

Upcoming Events

• December - all month long - Volunteer at any of the more the 20 Washington Trails Association projects this month that take place around the state. Visit their website at www.wta.org to learn more about specific opportunities in your neck of the woods.
  
  
• December 6 -Ivy Removal at Cheasty Greenspace - 10AM - 2PM - Join EarthCorps & Friends of Cheasty Boulevard and Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation in an effort to free the trees of ivy. They will create "survival rings" around trees in this 43-acre south Seattle greenspace. To participate in this project contact Chris LaPointe at chris@earthcorps.org or call 206-793-8030.
  
  
• December 8 - Washington's Water, Washington's Future - The Sierra Club, Washington Environmental Council, the Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and American Rivers present an opportunity to learn about the state of Washington's rivers and streams, and what we all can do to help protect our rivers and streams. Speakers will include several Seattle-area state legislators and water policy experts.
  
  All attendees can enter a free drawing for an REI gift certificate. 6:30 PM, at Seattle REI, 222 Yale Ave N. Contact Alison at alison.mielke@sierraclub.org or 206-778-5345.
  
  
• December 10 -The Lands Council Holiday Party - Please join the staff and board of The Lands Council for A Holiday Party Celebrating 20 Years of Conservation in the Inland Northwest. Wine and Hors d'oeuvres and featuring paintings, drawings, and wood sculptures of Kay O'Rourke. "Rooted Between Earth and Sky" will be showing in the gallery.
  
  Where: The Lorinda Knight Gallery, 523 West Sprague Avenue, Spokane, WA
  
  
• December 13 - Licton Springs Park Native Tree Planting - 10AM - 2PM - Join EarthCorps, Friends of Licton Springs, UW Carlson Center, and Seattle Works in an effort to restore this amazing North Seattle Park. They will plant native trees, shrubs and ground cover as well as perform maintenance on several of the restoration sites located in the park. To participate in this project contact Chris LaPointe at chris@earthcorps.org or call 206-793- 8030.
  
  
• December 21 - Starlight Beachwalk - People for Puget Sound invites you to join them. 8:30pm - Alki Constellation Park (Charles Richey, Sr. View Point). Adults and kids are invited to comb the beach to discover sea critters they have only seen in books, or never before. Bring a good flashlight, layers, rain gear, sturdy waterproof shoes, and a thermos of something. Please contact the ShoreWatch Coordinator to sign up at 206-382-7007 or email shorewatch@pugetsound.org