Earth Share of Washington

Earth Share of Washington Celebrates 20th Anniversary

- By William Borden, Earth Share of Washington’s Executive Director

February 3 marks the 20th anniversary of the Earth Share of Washington. In the mid-1980s, ten local non-profits decided to pool their resources to advance environmental philanthropy. A new opportunity had emerged – giving through the workplace – as more employees demanded greater choices for their payroll contributions. Here are the founding ten organizations:

• Friends of the Earth
• National Audubon Society, Washington Chapter
• Puget Sound Alliance (now called Puget Soundkeeper Alliance)
• Sierra Club Legal Defense Club
• Washington Citizens for Recycling (now called Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation)
• Washington Environmental Council
• Washington Foundation for the Environment
• Washington Toxics Coalition
• Washington Trails Association
• Washington Wilderness Coalition

As support for the environment continued to grow, so did Earth Share of Washington. Today we represent 65 organizations that address a broad array of issues. Over these 20 years we’ve formed lasting, rewarding relationships with businesses and those who work there. Government employees, teachers, lawyers, software designers, aircraft mechanics, bankers, accountants, sheriff's officers, bus drivers – regardless of occupation, people care about healthy communities and a healthy planet.

Also in those 20 years we've developed some expertise to share with workplace leaders. We help build their payroll contribution programs "campaigns", providing campaign best practices, education on environmentally friendly work practices, volunteer opportunities, etc. Now, businesses proudly tell us they have designed new LEED certified offices (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), or they request a presenter from our speaker's bureau for Earth Day. As clean energy, green building and environmental conservation go mainstream, Earth Share of Washington is on the front line, connecting businesses and donors with the most efficient and trusted organizations.

Throughout this anniversary year, we'll share some highlights from our organizations (see the following article from Volunteers for Outdoor Washington). As always, we welcome comments and feedback from Earth Page readers (info@esw.org). Just as we’ve evolved, we're interested in hearing how your views on the environment have evolved since 1987. Thank you for being a part of this history!

Volunteers for Outdoor Washington: Promoting environmental stewardship, one work party at a time

To celebrate Earth Share of Washington's 20th Anniversary (1987-2007), we plan to showcase the work of our organizations over the past two decades. Each month, we'll feature a different Earth Share organization, their contributions to making our communities more vibrant & livable, and their efforts to create a cleaner Washington and a healthy planet. In 1989, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington joined a growing coalition of environmental organizations, known at the time as the Environmental Fund of Washington and later to become Earth Share. With the addition of VOW and one other organization that year, a young Earth Share of Washington grew to 12 organizations.

Nearly 25 years ago Volunteers for Outdoor Washington was established by outdoor enthusiasts who witnessed their beloved trail system fall into disrepair. The mix of ballooning trail use and shrinking budgets resulted in trails being loved to death. While that threat continues today, VOW is proud of what it’s accomplished since that first work party in 1983. There are 9,000 miles of trails in our state and we’ve been lucky to swing a Pulaksi on a range of efforts (trail building, trail restoration, invasive species removal, native plantings) and settings (both backcountry and frontcountry). On some 200 projects VOW has trained and supervised thousands of volunteers over the years--volunteers who have contributed hundreds of thousands of hours to our mission of promoting environmental stewardship.

Saturday, June 19th, 2004 was a sunny day, a perfect day for a ribbon cutting ceremony complete with trail tape and a trusty pair of loppers. The Bandera Mountain / Mason Lake Trail was re-opening after years of re-building and the Forest Service was officially re-naming the it the "Ira Spring Trail" after the famed author, mountaineer and photographer. Volunteers for Outdoor Washington, under the leadership of veteran crew leader Harold Buresh, tackled a two-mile re-route beginning in 2002. Hundreds of volunteers contributed over 4,000 hours on this challenging trail, dubbed by many to the best in the I-90 corridor.

In 2004 VOW also celebrated another trail christening, capping off years of hard work and a lot of fun. Steve Dean, a former VOW board member and longtime crew leader, convinced city and county officials, organized a team of volunteers and built a trail that brings history to the hiker. The Lime Kiln Trail, located near Granite Falls, opened in October 2004 and highlights the history of the Everett & Monte Cristo Railroad. Astride the detritus of another time--rusty saw blades, bits of leather hat, brake linkages--thunders the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River though the narrow Robe Canyon. The trail's name is from a kiln, now choked by Mother Nature who continues to reduce mortar to powder, used to cook limestone. The resulting lime was shoveled into railroad cars and carried off to a paper mill and a smelter in Everett. Why devote seven trail seasons and be a part of the over 10,000 hours it took to get the job done? "Some people do it for the satisfaction of the craftsmanship of the trail itself," says Dean. "Others just like being outdoors. And some of the volunteers have said this is their way of giving back--out of their sense of duty because they enjoy hiking trails so much."

Another trail that provides a window into another time is the Iron Goat Trail. This is VOW's signature project, and one that began in 1990. In partnership with the Forest Service, VOW dedicated the Martin Creek Trailhead and the first four miles of the trail in 1993. That first celebration was only the beginning. Volunteers continued to transform a long-abandoned Great Northern Railway bed into a hiking trail. In 2000 a second trailhead was completed at Wellington, and in the fall of 2006 the Iron Goat Interpretive Site was opened to the public. This combination Hwy 2 Rest Area/Iron Goat Trailhead/interpretive site features kiosk panels and a 29-ton all-steel bright red historic caboose. Check it out for yourself at milepost 58.3 and then walk into history along the trail. Learn about railway life in the early 1900s, including in 1910 when a massive slab of snow broke free from Windy Mountain and swept two trains off the tracks and into the canyon below. Ninety-six lives were lost in the deadliest avalanche in US history.

Today visitors know the trail as one of the kid-friendliest in the state, and over half of its now 10 miles is wheelchair accessible. It's called a lot of things—Cadillac of trails; best trail in the state; fun, factual, fantastic—and now it’s also known as "Ruth's place." A PBS documentary on the project, Back to Life: The Iron Goat Trail, showcased the volunteer effort lead by one of VOW's founders, Ruth Ittner, whose tenacity and spirit made it all happen. At the October 2006 dedication, WSDOT unveiled a sign at the new interpretive site that reads, “This site is dedicated to Ruth Ittner 'the keeper of the story of the Iron Goat Trail.' Her vision, leadership and steadfast enthusiasm continue to build alliances to provide outdoor education for future generations. Thank you Ruth!"

Like Ira Spring's legacy, Ruth Ittner, now 88 years young, continues to build trails and partnerships. The Iron Goat Trail project demonstrates partnering at all levels: the Forest Service, Washington State Department of Transportation, Great Northern Railway Historical Society, the Town of Skykomish, to name but a few of the dozens who brought Ruth's vision to life. And the work continues. In 2007 volunteers will complete the Windy Point Crossover between the upper and lower grades, and there are plans to extend the Iron Goat Trail one mile from the Martin Creek Trailhead to capture another key interpretive element in Great Northern Railway history, the Horseshoe Tunnel. You can join the Iron Goat's own history--over 800 work parties totaling 60,000 trail hours (with volunteer administrative hours that's an in-kind gift to the state worth more than $1,000,000)--by joining a work party!

These three projects provide a flavor of what we do and where we do it. In addition to these backcountry gems, Volunteers for Outdoor Washington has a long history of action in the frontcountry. We’re currently at Seattle’s Interlaken Park.

VOW is about the power of volunteering and the dedication of a core of volunteers who show us the way. The three examples above note Harold Buresh, Steve Dean and the remarkable Ruth Ittner. Citizen action is an inspiring but often under-tapped resource. It is needed now more than ever thanks to our recent record-breaking weather: heavy rains, floods and wind storms left in its wake a long list of damaged trails. Volunteers will be in great demand for maintenance work in 2007. View VOW’s entire work party schedule at trailvolunteers.org and sign up on a day that works for you. Or contact VOW’s office at info@trailvolunteers.org 206 517-3019.

Join a work party and be a part of VOW's work and long history of building trails, restoring habitat and preserving our state’s rich heritage. You just might have the same reaction as this first-time volunteer: “Within hours it was life-changing, the amount of time and energy that goes into three feet of trail--hours of human labor. I will never get on a trail again with the same consciousness I had before, just taking it for granted. It's an incredible labor of love."

Telling Our Story: the Squaxin Island Tribe Is Given a Voice

- By Earth Share of Washington Intern Maggie McKeown

“That day could possibly be the proudest day of my life� says Rick Peters about the moment when his tribe’s story was told, by the tribe, for the first time. Rick is 52 years old and has a fresh, motivated way about him. He recently completed his Bachelor’s degree after spending most of the 1990s working as a shellfish manager for his people, the Squaxin Island Tribe. Since he was young, Rick has been fascinated by the connection his people have with the Puget Sound environment. That interest blossomed during an internship with the Thurston Conservation District and the South Sound GREEN program. Rick never had the impetus to explore that connection, however, until he met Tom Kondin of Washington Foundation for the Environment. The two discussed the lack of awareness about his people and the environment, and they came up with an idea to create a learning tool that would introduce students and the greater community to the Squaxin Islanders. Rick produced a k-12 curriculum and DVD to be used in local schools. The project discusses the importance of the Northwest's resources to the Squaxin Island people and their culture, particularly the role of fish and shellfish in tribal life. It also covers the history and the impact of settlers and the consequences of treaties signed with the American government. Finally, it lets the audience know how one can help protect these resources and the tribal way of life based on them. Rick felt this story needed to be told.

The Squaxin Island Tribe comes from the region around the seven southernmost inlets of the Puget Sound. A small tribe of about 650 members, the "People of the Water" historically flourished on the natural bounty of shellfish, salmon, berries, and other resources. They used cedar to create both spiritual and practical tools, such as oceangoing canoes. The tribe's environment is the soul of who they are, and their relationship with the earth is their culture and their spirit.

As is the case with many other tribes throughout the United States, the lives of the Squaxin Islanders changed dramatically with the arrival of Europeans. Land was becoming scarce as more people entered the region; inevitably the American government proposed a treaty to the Squaxin people. On December 26, 1854, the Treaty of Medicine Creek ceded nearly all Squaxin ancestral lands and many of their traditional rights without the tribal elders' full understanding of the treaty’s language and implications.

One hundred and twenty years later, in a landmark 1974 court decision known as the Judge Boldt Decision, the tribe had restored many of the fishing rights that were so critical to their way of life. Federal Judge George Boldt became one of the most important figures in modern day tribal history when he reaffirmed the Squaxin Island Tribe's right to fish in accustomed places. He also reallocated 50% of annual catch to the tribes. Although treaties of the past were supposed to protect these fundamental rights, settlers with modern equipment and the backing of the American government gradually displaced tribal fisherman. Judge Boldt found that, through treaties, the government promised to secure fishing rights and that the tribes had the original right to the resource, which they extended to the settlers. Finally, Judge Boldt ordered the government to limit fishing by non-Indians in these ancestral lands.

So when Rick set out to tell the Squaxin Island story and develop a multimedia curriculum, he quickly realized it would need to be a team effort. The Tribe applied for a grant from Washington Foundation for the Environment, an Earth Share of Washington organization, to help support Rick’s work. His proposal reflected his extensive research into historical archives, photographs, and dusty artifacts representing his ancestors. The WFFE grant enabled him to collaborate with the Tribe's Museum and Research Center, the University of Washington, the Washington State Historical Society, the Thurston Conservation District, and others. Rick received countless hours of support from the Museum and its volunteers, including a retired teacher who worked with Rick to write the school curriculum.

In the end, it wasn't easy pulling it together. In fact, the Tribal Council reviewed Rick's work four times before they gave their blessing to go forward with this story. But the months of work and dedication paid off, and on July 20th, 2006, Rick presented the fruit of this labor at a dinner hosted by the tribe. In celebratory fashion, Rick showed the DVD and explained the school curriculum, which will be given to Thurston County and Tribal schools. So effective was Rick's presentation and his commitment that a solid partnership formed between the Tribe and Thurston County, one that will benefit tribal and non-tribal people alike into the distant future.

It was incredibly exciting for Rick to see people come together in this effort and the greater community of the region benefit from his hard work. The curriculum has been reviewed by teachers across the County and has been delivered to schools to be used in history and social studies classes. It will also be presented at Evergreen State College and at the National Conference of Conservation Districts in October.

According to Rick, a senior tribal member recently overheard a young native dancer ask, "Who is Judge Boldt?" He told Rick, "I really hope the tribe will use this story in its education program so no other senior citizen of this tribe has to hear a Squaxin Island child ask that, unaware of the tribe's history." Rick can now relish the fact that the kids of the lower Puget Sound community will have a deeper understanding of his people.

The Reach of Hanford's Contamination

- By Tom Carpenter and Amalia Anderson of Earth Share organization Government Accountability Project

The Hanford Reach is a stretch of the Columbia River that runs through the Hanford Nuclear Facility, the largest nuclear waste site in the US. The Columbia River is the primary water source for the region surrounding the Hanford Reach in Eastern Washington and Northern Oregon. This simple fact makes the health and cleanliness of the Reach of utmost importance. People depend on the Columbia River to continue to be a safe water source for a variety of purposes worth noting.

The Hanford Reach is a major spawning ground for salmon, which supports a large fishing community, both locally and regionally. An estimated 80% of the Columbia River’s wild salmon spawn in the Reach. Furthermore, the Hanford Reach is an important wilderness area and is home to several rare plants and animal populations unique to the Northwest. All these things require that the Reach be monitored and verified to be safe; if the river is contaminated, everything that it supports will be affected accordingly.

The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is working with other non-profit organizations interested in fish, environment, and agriculture, toward getting a federal appropriation for performing an independent technical assessment of contamination in the Hanford Reach – past, present and future. This survey would be aimed at gaining a better understanding of the risks involved with the proximity of the Hanford Nuclear Site to the river.

Current studies have not been able to address the whole river or examine the contamination fully. Furthermore, existing studies do not agree on the extent of contamination, making it difficult to gauge the state of the river.

According to the EPA the risk of cancer and genetic mutations are increased with exposures to even low level radiation. Also, many radioactive isotopes, such as iodine, strontium, and radium, that could be ingested in even minimally contaminated water not only travel through the body but are retained by the body. Radioactivity is only part of the problem. For instance, chemical contaminants such as hexavalent chromium also plague the Reach’s salmon spawning habitats.

Government Accountability Project will be working on funding an independent study in the weeks and months to come to ensure that the Hanford Reach stays beautiful and pristine for future generations to enjoy. For more information about the study or to find out how to get involved, please visit the GAP website, www.whistleblower.org.

Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities - January 2007

• January – all month long - Washington Trails Association Trail Work Calendar - In 2006, Washington Trails Association (WTA) volunteers contributed more than 72,000 hours of volunteer service restoring hiking trails. Join that effort and be a part of protecting and maintaining trails around Washington State. This month, WTA hosts more than 15 trail work parties. To find a work party in your neck of the woods, please visit the Washington Trails Association website at www.wta.org and signup today!
• January 6 - Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership Winter Stewardship Project - Help restore critical riparian habitat by planting native trees and shrubs, monitoring and maintaining restoration sites, and removing invasive species. 9am-12pm at Lacamas Creek in Camas. Visit www.lcrep.org for volunteer information.
• January 6 - Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop - 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM - Seattle Pacific University, Gwinn Room - Attend the annual Priorities for a Healthy Washington Legislative Workshop as the state's leading conservation groups prepare for the upcoming legislative session. Participants will hear from legislators, environmental leaders, and members of the media regarding the community's Priorities for a Healthy Washington. These priorities include legislation to save our Sound, eliminate toxic flame retardants, promote clean air and clean fuels, and invest in Washington’s parks and wildlife. All attendees have a chance to win an amazing black-and-white photo of the first repatriated totem by photographer David Adam Edelstein. Space is limited, so for more info and to register online go to http://www.wecprotects.org/join/legworkshop_reg.cfm or contact Kerri Chehovic, Organizer for Washington Environmental Council, at 206-622-8103 ×212 or "kerri@wecprotects.org:mailto:kerri@wecprotects.org with any questions. And make sure to save the date for Priorities for a Healthy Washington Lobby Day on February 14th in Olympia.
• January 13 - Glacial Heritage Prairie Restoration Work Party - 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM - Need some fresh air? Then join the friendly volunteers who help the Nature Conservancy restore remnants of our rare and beautiful prairie landscape and learn about our natural heritage in the process. New faces are always welcome! Volunteers will work to replant rare native plants and pull invasive Scotch broom. Bring a lunch/water and they’ll provide the rest. If you’d like to stay for the potluck feel free to bring a dish to share or simply come enjoy! For more information, email Grace Diehl, Volunteer Coordinator, at gdiehl@tnc.org.
• January 19 - Storming the Sound: A Regional Gathering of Environmental Educators - 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM - Maple Hall, 1st and Commercial Streets, La Conner, WA - Don’t miss the 7th Annual "Storming the Sound" workshop, bringing together K-12 teachers in the private, public and homeschool sectors, environmental resource providers and students interested in an environmental career from the North Sound area. This full-day workshop consists of a mix of facilitated breakout presentations and an agenda created through the “open spaceâ€? process. Be a part of the solution for "educating for the environment" and come with ideas, problems, solutions and resources to restore our world! A $5 donation is requested from all participants to cover expenses for the day, lunch included. For information on becoming a sponsoring organization or to sign-up, please contact Britta Eschete at 360-336-1931 or beschete@pugetsound.org
• January 27 - Longfellow Creek Restoration Work Party - 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM - Join EarthCorps, Longfellow Creek Watershed Council, and Seattle Parks and Recreation/Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) as we work to restore habitat along Longfellow Creek! Located in West Seattle, Longfellow Creek is one of only three natural waterways left within Seattle city limits. Salmon stopped using the creek in the 1930s due to pollution and blocked stream passage. The efforts of many community groups and volunteers made the return of the salmon possible in the 1990s. Now they are working to continue the improvement of conditions in the creek. Projects will include the removal of invasive plants, maintenance of restoration sites, and planting of native plants in areas along Longfellow Creek. For more information, contact Elizabeth White, Outreach Project Manager at (206) 255-4160 or email elizabeth@earthcorps.org
• February 1 - 2006-2007 Speaker Series: Sea Otter Reproduction at the Seattle Aquarium - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM - REI Flagship Store, 222 Yale Ave. N. - Seattle, WA - The Seattle Aquarium was the first facility in the world to successfully breed sea otters and to date is the only aquarium in the United States that has successfully bred northern sea otters. Curator C.J. Casson gives a history of the Aquarium’s sea otter program to demonstrate how the art of animal husbandry can effect the captive propagation of this species. C.J. will discuss mother/pup interactions and the Aquarium's role in sea otter research. To register, contact Lynne Jordan at (206) 382-7007 or email ljordan@pugetsound.org. Single Program - Non-Member $8.00 - People for Puget Sound Member - $6.00.