Earth Share of Washington

Patience Rewards Wild Sky Wilderness Supporters

By Tom Uniack, Washington Wilderness Coalition

On Tuesday, April 29 the U.S. House passed a package of bills that included designation of the Wild Sky Wilderness.  The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature. (Editor's update)

My grandfather always told me, "Good things come to those who wait."  For the thousands of local stakeholders, elected officials and Washington citizens who have been working for the better part of the last decade on the proposed Wild Sky Wilderness, those words are taking shape.

Wild Sky is the result of almost nine years of work by Senator Murray (D-WA), Representative Rick Larsen (D-WA02), and advocates across Washington State.  Murray and Larsen first introduced the bill in 2002.

"Turning the dream of Wild Sky into reality has been a

long, hard climb, but with Senate approval today, we are just steps away from our goal," Senator Murray said.  "Wild Sky will give more than 2.4 million people from Snohomish, King, and Skagit counties easy access to hiking and camping in pristine wilderness for generations to come.  It will preserve a unique environment, and it will give nearby towns an economic boost." The bill now goes to the President for approval.

The Wild Sky Wilderness Act would protect 106,000 acres of forests, rivers, valleys and mountains in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  Much of this area is in low elevation forest, allowing easy access for recreationists and protection of vital habitat for wildlife.  Permanent protection of this diverse landscape is important to ensure the ecological future of fish and wildlife throughout the region, to safeguard world-class recreational opportunities, and to bolster the economies of local communities.

For more information on the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal click here or read an article from the Seattle Times

Posted in the May 2008 Earth Page

Historic Agreement Signed to Restore Manastash Creek

By David Gorton, Washington Environmental Council

In December 2007, a wide range of interests signed an agreement to restore Manastash Creek a tributary to the Yakima River near Ellensburg. After six years of negotiations farmers, environmentalists, tribal staff, state agencies and others have signed an agreement that will lead to both a restoration of the creek as well as provide the water needed by local farmers.

A big part of this story is how far the negotiators have come -- six years ago, on farms outside Ellensburg the tension was palpable. The potential of a looming law suit was real. Yet, the desire to get to better place was felt by all. And over time the adversaries put down their guard, sat down to talk, and slowly built trust.

"It is with a mixture of relief and great pride that the Manastash Steering Committee will announce and sign an historic agreement," said John Arum of Washington Environmental Council. "We hope it can serve as a model for successful resolution of water conflict throughout the state."

The agreement will maintain the irrigation needs for local farmers while improving instream flow, screening irrigation diversions, and removing barriers to fish passage.  In all, it will open up 30-miles of formerly inaccessible high-quality habitat in the Wenatchee National Forest.  As climate change reduces the water available to Washingtonians, agreements like this one are crucial to protecting streams and fish as well as safeguarding working agricultural lands.

It's hard to put it better than the Yakima Herald-Republic, which said of the agreement, "What grew from those early, uncertain days is now seen as a model for resolving the complicated and contentious fish and irrigation issues that exist throughout the state and the region."

Posted in the May 2008 Earth Page

Snow, Sleet & Sun: Hundreds Celebrate Earth Day 2008

Volunteers Step Up To Save Our Sound!
By Mike Sato, People For Puget Sound

Puget Sound is healthier today, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of volunteers who volunteered at 8 restoration sites along Seattle's Duwamish River, at the Swinomish Community near LaConner, and at the Union Slough restoration site near Marysville.

The volunteers weeded out invasive plants, planted native plants, mulched and cleaned up trash as Puget Sound Earth Day 2008 unfolded April 19 under skies of snow, sleet and sun.

At Codiga Park, one of 8 Duwamish Alive! work sites where about 200 volunteers gathered to weed, plant and mulch, the 27-member Duwamish Alive! Coalition received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal America Award for outstanding national volunteer conservation service.

The presentation included Ron Sims, King County Executive, Virginia K. Tippie, Director of Coastal America, and Timothy R.E. Keeney, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of People for Puget Sound, accepted the award for the 27 partners, many of whom were on hand to collect their commemorative plaques.

An estimated 800 volunteers turned out this year at the 8 sites during Duwamish Alive! At Codiga Park, volunteers came from Highline Community College, Boeing, Starbucks, Nova High School, O'Dea High School, Everett High School, Puget Sound Business Travel Association, City of Seattle, Washington Department of Ecology, Rainier Scholars, Boeing Employees Credit Union, and Arnold Air Society.

In the first two years of Duwamish Alive! Earth Day cleanups, over 1700 volunteers removed over 2 acres of invasive weeds, spread over 180 cubic yards of mulch (about 18 dump truck loads), planted more than 1,000 plants, and removed 325 pounds of garbage at 11 sites.

Continuing through Earth Month and beyond is the "10 Simple Things To Save Our Sound" pledge drive for Sound Citizens to do their part to Save Our Sound-"Click here":http://pugetsound.org/primary/act/citizen/simplethings

Posted in the May 2008 Earth Page

My Grandfather's Legacy

- By Anna Fahey of Earth Share organization Sightline Institute

In 1930, when my grandfather was just 19, he drove with his mother from Seattle to Mt. Vernon, Washington, and stood on the county courthouse steps, anxiously watching as a handful of land auction buyers gathered around him. With little money in his pocket, he knew that if anyone else in the crowd intended to bid on the parcel he'd come for, he would walk away with a broken heart.

It was his luck--and our family's great blessing--that only he had come that morning to purchase land on Cypress Island. Part of the San Juan island archipelago in the Puget Sound, Cypress is an island that he'd fallen in love with as a kid. That day nearly 80 years ago, he paid 50 dollars down on nearly 100 acres. That land would anchor our family and shape all our lives.

Recently, I stood with my grandfather--now 97--a few blocks from the same courthouse steps as he, my dad and I signed a conservation easement--another down payment, if you will--that continues our stewardship of that land into the future. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust to permanently limit certain land uses to protect a property's natural characteristics in perpetuity. The easement stays with the land even if ownership changes. Perpetuity is a big word, but this contract is meant to last. Our signatures that day made concrete our conviction that the place is not something to possess, rather a place that we have a responsibility to take care of and a legacy we want to leave intact.

Cypress is a magical spot. The Northern Straits Salish have lived in these parts for more than 11,000 years. A few homesteaders scratched out orchards and gardens on the rugged landscape in the 1890s--but didn't last long. There are a few private cabins on Cypress today. But the island has come through the years largely untouched. It is the biggest undeveloped island in the San Juans--without ferry access, paved roads, or much human impact. Parts of the island have been logged; the forest on the majority of the island today is magnificent and healthy 100-year-old second-growth.

People who know the island, either by exploring its rocky beaches, hiking to panoramic views from Eagle Rock, or circumnavigating it in a kayak, develop a fierce loyalty to it. My family, along with other landowners and concerned neighbors, spent decades working to protect the island's integrity. Starting in the 1960s, developers bought up most of the island, proposing subdivisions and extensive development. Plans were lined up for a 5-star resort that would take up three quarters of the island, including a golf course, air strip, and marina. Overnight, Cypress could have been transformed from a pristine gem to the most densely populated island in the San Juans.

Citizen action and visionary state leadership saved Cypress from that fate. In 1975, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources purchased its first parcel on Cypress. In the late 1980s, the DNR's mandate changed slightly: the state could hold especially unique or fragile land without logging it. These special places are managed as a "public trust" for the benefit of current and future citizens of Washington State. Cypress qualified. By 1996, on the 5,500 acre island, DNR had acquired 4,700 acres.

The easement process led my family to some unusual dinner-table conversations. There was no question about our intentions: To keep the place just as it is. But thinking through the details forced us to imagine the world in 10, 50, 100 years--and beyond. We wound up working through tough questions--and facing tough realities--about our hopes and fears for our family and our region.

This conservation easement is small in the face of larger concerns -- climate disruption, population, economic stability. But any family would benefit from conversations like the ones we had, imagining the world we'd like to leave behind. Because we're all responsible for protecting our grandfather's stake--or whatever place our souls call home.

Anna Fahey lives in Seattle and is the Communications Strategist for Sightline Institute. She wishes to thank her dad, Nick Fahey, for "leading the Friends of Cypress Island for all those years," Bob Rose and the Skagit Land Trust for unflagging "dedication to conservation," and her grandfather, George Fahey, for "being as visionary at 19 as he is wise at 97.

Posted in the March 2008 Earth Page

Announcing King and Snohomish County Native Plant Steward Training Programs

Two exciting opportunities to become an informed and effective native plant steward are being offered this spring. Each program follows a 10-week curriculum of lectures, hands-on workshops, and field trips. Experts will share their knowledge and experience on plant identification, soils, plant care and propagation, wetlands and forests, invasive plants, native plants for urban settings and attracting wildlife, training and leading volunteers, and how to restore and monitor a variety of habitats.

In King County, the Washington Native Plant Society will partner again, as in 2007, with Seattle Parks and Recreation, Cascade Land Conservancy, and the Green Seattle Partnership to train Forest Stewards for Seattle Parks. Applications are due by April 2nd for classes to be held 8:30am-4:30pm on Fridays at South Seattle Community College from April 25 through June 27th, including three all-day Saturday field trips.

In Snohomish County, the Washington Native Plant Society is partnering with Snohomish County Surface Water Management Division and Everett Parks and Recreation to offer the program at Legion Park in north Everett. Applications are due March 12th for classes to be held 8:30am-4:30pm on Fridays, April 4 through June 6, plus three field trips.

The 100 hours of expert training over 10 weeks is free in exchange for a volunteer commitment of 100 hours returned in projects that educate citizens, and protect and restore our regional green spaces. For more details and application forms please see www.wnps.org or call WNPS at 206-527-3210. Since 1996, 350 stewards have donated nearly 67,000 reported hours protecting native habitats in King and Snohomish Counties through this program.

Posted in the March 2008 Earth Page

Why MLK Day matters for environmental organizations

- Submitted by Earth Share organization EarthCorps

Everyone can be great, because everyone can volunteer for their community. – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In January, EarthCorps kicked off its 2008 volunteer season with the MLK Weekend of Service. EarthCorps grew from hosting one event, as in previous years, to hosting an entire weekend of service projects aimed at restoring urban forests in the Seattle area. This increase came about as part of a nation-wide effort promoting MLK Day as a “day on, not a day off,” as authorized by the US Congress in the 1994 King Holiday and Service Act. Over 500,000 Americans honored Dr. King’s legacy by participating in service projects in their communities. Here in Washington State, employers are catching on to the idea of giving employees MLK Day, not as a holiday, but as a paid day to engage in community service – and this spells opportunity for organizations that can combine their volunteer events with the principles of non-violence and civil rights that Dr. King espoused.

Civil Rights and Parks

For EarthCorps, this meant focusing on projects and partnerships in ethnically diverse communities and especially parks near the route of the MLK Day March on MLK Way in Seattle. Volunteers began the weekend of service on Saturday at Dr. Jose Rizal Park on Beacon Hill. There, volunteers pulled ivy while enjoying a unique view of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound and the International District. Their work contributes to reducing crime, drug-dealing and illegal encampments in the park, by showing that the community cares for this public space. Volunteers that day included a Brazilian delegation of the World Affairs Council.

On Sunday, volunteers joined EarthCorps and King County Parks and Recreation to help complete Phase I of the restoration of White Center Heights Park. They planted 110 Red Alders and Big Leaf Maples and 250 bare root Slough Sedges. A wetland species, these sedges had to be planted one-by-one by hand in frigid waters. White Center Heights Park has in recent years received a lot of attention beginning with its Starbucks Ultimate Park Makeover. The volunteers’ work was important in continuing the momentum started by this makeover.

On Monday, hundreds of volunteers gathered at the Cheasty Greenspace in the Rainier Valley. Once neglected and overrun by invasive plants and rubbish, Cheasty Greenspace is seeing a rejuvenation as an urban greenspace. A new walking/running path winds beside the road, and as trees have been freed from their heavy capes of ivy, the area is taking on a less creepy, more welcoming appearance.

In total, EarthCorps worked with 268 volunteers in restoration projects totaling 1,079 volunteer hours. Volunteers pulled one acre of invasive species and maintained half an acre of previous work sites. These projects contributed to healthier forests and wetlands, and most importantly, they have concrete social value in allowing neighbors to improve the quality and safety of recreational areas close to their homes.

In 2007, EarthCorps worked with over 11,000 volunteers; based on the MLK Weekend of Service, the 2008 volunteer year looks to be just as successful.

40 Days of Nonviolence - Building the Beloved Community

In addition to the physical service, EarthCorps partnered with Service for Peace to host a fair to promote community service and Dr. King's legacy of community engagement. Sixteen community organizations hosted tables at the fair, promoting their cause and interacting with community members face-to-face. The 300 fair attendees learned about nonviolence and Dr. King's Beloved Community. (This is a vision of a socially just society that Dr. King described, for example, in his “I Have a Dream” speech.) Over 100 people signed a pledge to practice nonviolence for 40 days – boycotting violent speech, actions and entertainment - to honor the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. The pledge included a commitment to volunteer with a group or organization that helps build the Beloved Community. Anyone can pledge online at www.40daysofpeace.org.

EarthCorps is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 with a mission is to build global community through local environmental service. Visit www.earthcorps.org to learn more or volunteer.

Posted in the February 2008 Earth Page

New Seward Park Audubon Center Opening Soon!

The Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center, a partnership between the City of Seattle and National Audubon Society to renovate the historic building at the entrance to Seward Park and create a nature education center, will soon be offering programs for the youth and families of Seattle. The Center successfully raised over $3 million to restore this landmark building and provide a community facility that includes classrooms, a library, a learning lab, exhibits, and a small nature store. Doors will open starting this spring and the Grand Opening is scheduled for April 10-13!

The Center’s flagship programs focus on middle and high school students, but will also have youth, family and community programming, including nature-themed walks, citizen science, summer camp, lecture series, nature art exhibits, workshops, performances, and annual celebrations. Many programs include a stewardship component or service learning component to help students understand their role in caring for our public park lands.

Two of the Center’s premier youth education programs that will begin this spring are Talking Tree and Eco Explorations. The Talking Tree program is a delightful introductory environmental presentation for young children that addresses how trees and people are dependent on each other and emphasizes the need to plant and help care for trees. A costumed Seward Park Audubon staff, naturalist, or volunteer will discuss trees, the importance of trees, and the comparison of trees to people. The Talking Tree is geared to students kindergarten and below in individual classes.

The Eco Explorations field trip program brings students deep into Seward Park for field study, investigation, and hands-on exploration of Seward Park ecology. Eco Explorations’ fun and educational programs teach the large scale concepts of chemistry, food chains, systems, ecology, habitats, and ethnobotany by exploring the ecosystems at the park: the old-growth forest, the oak savannah, and Lake Washington. All lessons are designed and assessed to meet 5th through 12th grade Washington State Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) and Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs).

Heading into summer, the Center will offer six one-week sessions of fun and exciting camp. Day camps for students entering 5th–8th grades will explore arts and the environment, outdoor adventures, and nature science. Camp sessions are July 7-11, 14-18, 21-25 and August 4-8, 11-15, 18-22. Sign up for summer camp at Seward Park starts March 5!

The Center, a project of Audubon Washington, is located at 5902 Lake Washington Blvd S, Seattle, WA 98118. Once open, hours of operation and store hours will be Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Program hours will vary. For more information, see http://sewardpark.audubon.org. To get on the Center’s distribution list, call (206) 652-2444.

Posted in the February 2008 Earth Page

Washington Wilderness Coalition helps Introduce Alpine Lakes Wilderness & Wild and Scenic River Bill

- Submitted by Earth Share organization Washington Wilderness Coalition

On November 8, 2007 Congressman Dave Reichert introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to add the first new additions to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in more than 25 years. The announcement came after months of consultation with local stakeholders, the conservation community and local elected officials about the merits of protecting this incredible area.

The proposal includes areas of the Pratt, Middle Fork and South Fork Snoqualmie River Valleys as wilderness additions, and specifically protects the Pratt River with a wild and scenic river designation. This remarkable area, just 45 minutes from downtown Seattle, includes glacier-cut, u-shaped valleys, snow capped peaks, rare low elevation mature and old-growth forests, whitewater rivers, and healthy native trout runs. These low elevation areas include key fisheries habitat and multi-season recreational opportunities, which are under-represented in the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Wild and Scenic designation for the Pratt River will ensure that recreational opportunities on the river, including unique backcountry kayaking and world-class hiking, can continue while safeguarding clean water resources for hundreds of thousands of local residents.

Washington Wilderness Coalition (WWC) played a leadership role in working with the Congressman and a coalition of conservationists, user groups, and local stakeholders to develop the proposal. Modeling the experience after the recent Wild Sky campaign, WWC assisted the Congressman with outreach early on to key stakeholders, including Alpental Ski Area, local businesses, private landowners and local mayors.

Get the latest at www.wawild.org.

Posted in the February 2008 Earth Page

2008 Priorities for a Healthy Washington

- By Kerry McHugh of Earth Share organization Washington Environmental Council

Each year Washington's environmental community comes together to select four legislative Priorities for a Healthy Washington. By joining together, the groups that make up the Priorities collaborative are better able to advance ambitious goals in the legislature and make a difference for Washington’s land, air, and water.

This year’s Priorities encompass legislation to get our state on track to meet its goals for reducing global warming pollution, to make our communities denser and more climate-friendly, to protect and restore our urban forests, and to invigorate local farms while providing healthier food for kids.

The community is already hard at work - helping create coalitions, educate legislators, and engage environmental advocates to build support for the Priorities in the lead up to the 2008 legislative session which begins on January 14th.

Below is a look at the four Priorities for a Healthy Washington. If you’re interested in more in-depth coverage of a particular Priority go to http://www.environmentalpriorities.org to learn more.

Washington Climate Action
Earlier this year our state set goals to reduce global warming pollution. This Priority will create a structure and timeline for making these goals real. Taking action in 2008 is crucial to make progress on this important issue. Foot-dragging at the federal level is a problem, and we can take action at the state level to lead the nation toward solving this global challenge. Responsible limits on climate pollution will establish Washington as a strong leader in the clean energy economy, increase energy independence, create good new jobs, and deliver a better future for our children.

Local Solutions to Global Warming
About half of our state’s global warming pollution comes from transportation. We need to address this factor if we are to make significant headway. This Priority will help local governments make responsible plans about where we live, how we get around, and consider how those choices can reduce global warming pollution. With the dramatic population growth expected in our state, we must make responsible decisions - now - so we can reduce driving and promote efficient, livable communities.

Evergreen Cities
Since 1971, we have lost almost half of the urban forest land surrounding Puget Sound, which increases air pollution and stormwater flow, and costs the tax payers billions of dollars. Proper forest planning, management, and stewardship are necessary to reverse this trend. Keeping existing trees and planting new ones enhances quality of life for people, increases property values, gives us cleaner water and habitat for birds and wildlife, and will make Washington's cities evergreen.

Local Farms - Healthy Kids
This effort addresses two major challenges facing our state: concerns about the diet and health of our children and the well-being of our small and mid-sized farms. By connecting local kids with local food we get great Washington produce to schools and can improve children’s health. By creating vibrant demand for local food, we help stimulate local agriculture, which helps to keep working lands working.

Get Involved
There are many avenues if you are interested in helping pass these four Priorities -- two great opportunities are our annual Legislative Workshop (January 12th in Seattle) and then 2008 Lobby Day (January 23rd) where people from around the state come to Olympia to make their voices heard in the Capitol. For more information and to register, please go to Priorities for a Healthy Washington web site -- www.environmentalpriorities.org.

Posted in the January 2008 Earth Page

Washington's Winter Habitat Supports Birds of Many Feathers

- By Hilary Hilscher of Earth Share organization Audubon Washington

So what does January offer Washingtonians keen for some nature-oriented, outdoor excitement?

Just about the best winter birding in the country.

Whether you’re west or east of the mountains, whether you know an owl from an oystercatcher, whether you have a few hours or a few days, the Great Washington State Birding Trail can guide you to places where our feathered neighbors thrive outdoors in January.

Not only are many avian species all decked out in their most spectacular plumage of the year, many are also gathered in huge flocks – in some cases thousands, even tens of thousands, of individual birds all in one place.

What, exactly, is a “birding trail”?

Birding trails, now found in more than 20 states, are usually self-guided driving trips, though some include biking, walking, canoeing and kayaking segments.

The Great Washington State Birding Trail, produced by Audubon Washington together with many private partners and public agencies, was one of the first in the country and features the state’s 365 resident and migratory species. The initial route, the Cascade Loop, was published in 2002, followed by the Coulee Corridor, and the Southwest and Olympic Loops. Three more maps will complete the statewide trail by 2010.

With nearly 50 million people in America describing themselves as interested in bird watching, birding trails have become big business nationwide. Birding trails and their birds attract visitors to primarily rural locations, which spurs economic development and gives local residents increased incentive to safeguard the natural areas around their communities and region.

What hardy avian critters would you find along Washington’s trail in January?

Sun Lakes State Park along the Coulee Corridor, near Coulee City, features dense concentrations of waterfowl: American Coots, Ruddy and Ring-necked Ducks, wigeons, mergansers and scaups. As the lakes freeze from the edges inward, the birds crowd together in the remaining open water – which makes for spectacular viewing.

The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge just north of Olympia is highlighted on both the Southwest and Olympic Loop maps because of its wealth of year-round birding. But winter offers some of the best: Watch Peregrine falcons, merlins and bald eagles as they for meals among the 6,000+ waterfowl gathered in ponds and fields.

Two other sites along the Southwest Loop provide excellent winter birding plus adventuring: Cape Disappointment State Park with its breaker-washed, craggy coast; lighthouse; and Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center; and Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to as many as 15,000 cackling Canada geese, plus Sandhill cranes, and trumpeter and tundra swans.

Speaking of swans, three of the Cascade Loop’s sites in the Skagit Valley offer reliable and accessible swan watching, plus giant flocks of snow geese and occasional snowy owls. This area also boasts the largest winter aggregations of bald eagles outside of Alaska.

Looking for loons? At the Elwha River Estuary outside of Sequim on the Olympic Loop, you can find wintering common, Pacific and red-throated loons, plus seven species of gulls and red-necked, eared and Western grebes. Goldeneyes sport stunning tuxedo plumage while Harlequin ducks present a breath-catching crazy-quilt design.

The full-color maps of the Great Washington State Birding Trail feature original artwork of birds along the routes, plus descriptions of habitat, species, access, and best seasons for birding. Go to http://wa.audubon.org/birds_GreatWABirdingTrail.html to see the maps online and to order.

Posted in the January 2008 Earth Page

A Tidal Force to Restore Puget Sound Shorelines

- By Melinda Milner of Earth Share organization The Nature Conservancy

What a difference a year makes. The Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines kicked off officially more than a year ago. Since the campaign began, the Conservancy and its partners have made major strides toward their ambitious goals.

10 new parks and natural areas
The Conservancy recently purchased 28 acres of uplands and a one-half interest in 30 acres of tidelands in Tarboo-Dabob Bay on Hood Canal, the first acquisition in pursuit of the Alliance’s goal to create 10 new parks and natural areas around the Sound.

Tarboo-Dabob Bay has one of the largest and best examples of undisturbed saltmarsh estuaries and shorelines remaining in Puget Sound. Stands of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar cover the uplands, while overhanging vegetation and natural landslides supply shade and new sediment to the beaches. The tidelands and shallow waters near the shore provide key rearing habitat for juvenile salmon. Pacific sand lance and surf smelt—small fish that are a crucial part of the Sound’s food web—spawn on the undisturbed beach. Olympia oysters, dabbling ducks, brant, loons, and western and red-necked grebes also call the bay home. Although the bay is largely undeveloped, private timberlands in the area are being converted to other uses.

Restoring 100 miles of shoreline
Summer is prime time for on-the-ground restoration. This summer the Conservancy undertook several restoration projects that show the breadth of restoration actions that will help the Alliance achieve the goal of restoring 100 miles of shoreline around the Sound.

At the Conservancy’s Port Susan Bay Preserve near Stanwood, the Conservancy initiated an experiment to learn whether placing giant tree-sized logs in intertidal channels of the estuary will enhance habitat and benefit juvenile salmon. A helicopter and crew from Columbia Helicopters first dropped concrete ballasts, then ferried large logs--actually, whole trees with rootwads attached--from a nearby staging area and placed each one in careful position next to the ballasts. Ground crews quickly cabled the logs into position.

The next day, project manager Danelle Heatwole and Conservancy colleagues Robert Warren and Roger Fuller went out on the tideflats and discovered that the logs already were having the desired effect of increasing the channels’ complexity. The channel bed was scoured away in new places, and sediment had already started to accumulate in other places. “I was amazed at how dynamic an environment it is out there,” Fuller said.

The Conservancy continues to work with partners to eradicate invasive plants such as Spartina (a saltwater cordgrass introduced to the Pacific Northwest from the East Coast) from Puget Sound shorelines, and restore native Olympia oyster populations where they once thrived. In partnership with Puget Sound Restoration Fund, for example, the Conservancy is doing oyster restoration in Liberty Bay, near Poulsbo, and in Woodard Bay and Eld Inlet, near Olympia.

Promoting public policies that protect shorelines
Improved shoreline regulations in four counties have enhanced protection on more than 500 miles of shoreline. The Alliance has also made progress in pushing for toxic control and cleanup, wastewater and septic management, and efforts to control invasive species.

You can learn more about all these initiatives at www.nature.org/washington

The mud monster wants you to save Puget Sound
Did you know that there are more than 3.5 million people living around Puget Sound? The Mud Monster says it’s time for us to MudUp and do our part to save the Sound.

There are all kinds of ways to MudUp. You can MudUp figuratively, with activities such as writing letters, making phone calls, and letting your public officials know that the health of Puget Sound is important to you. Or you can MudUp literally, by pulling Spartina, helping spread oyster shells, doing a beach cleanup, or inventing your own activity.

Join with the Mud Monster at www.MudUp.org , where you can find a whole host of family-friendly ways to get muddy and help save Puget Sound.

With generous support from The Russell Family Foundation, three organizations--The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, and People For Puget Sound--are working together to protect and restore Puget Sound’s ecologically rich shorelines. The three groups, along with many other partners, are creating 10 new parks and natural areas along Puget Sound shorelines, restoring 100 miles of shoreline, and promoting policies that will protect 1,000 miles of shoreline by June 2009.

Posted in the December 2007 Earth Page

EarthCorps and eSurance hold first-ever Carbon Offset Day in Washington

- Submitted by Earth Share of Washington organization EarthCorps

On November 10, 2007, over 500 volunteers joined EarthCorps, eSurance and the State of Washington to celebrate the first ever Carbon Offset Day. Volunteers planted over 3,000 trees and plants at sites around the metro Seattle region and learned about other ways to reduce or offset their carbon emissions.

Plant a tree – Offset your carbon.
EarthCorps encouraged volunteers to take a direct, hands-on approach to offsetting their carbon emissions: by planting trees in parks, receiving education and resources to plant their own yards, and learning about other ways to reduce their carbon footprint.

Governor Christine Gregoire proclaimed November 10 statewide as Carbon Offset Day, noting that "community-based reforestation is an effective educational tool and strategy for offsetting atmospheric CO2, thereby contributing to slowing climate change, and EarthCorps brings together community members to restore and reforest our public lands."

Seattle City Council Member Richard Conlin joined in the planting at Frink Park, where he announced the new Seattle Public Utilities Climate Action Grant, which allows community groups working on projects near streams in Seattle parks to apply for a week of EarthCorps crew time to assist their project.

As an example of rethinking everyday actions and their impact, Mr. Conlin walked to the event in Frink Park from his home. EarthCorps encouraged volunteers to walk, bike, bus or carpool to the volunteer event sites in an effort to reduce the carbon emissions of those attending the events. Online directions included Google Maps with public transit routing and timetables, and links to the region’s new real-time ride-sharing technology provided by Goose Networks, which allows users to offer or hitch rides simply by texting on their cell phones.

To extend their engagement in reducing carbon emissions, volunteers received information about everyday actions they can take, and some received shore pines and sword ferns to plant in their own yards. EarthCorps encouraged participants to continue to volunteer to restore their local parks and habitats throughout the year.

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Restore = take the next step!

There are many ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and even add oxygen to the atmosphere! Top ten next steps:

1. Go native with native plants in your garden and use less water
2. Plant trees and restore forests with EarthCorps!
3. Get free native plants salvaged from construction sites around King County
4. Compost! You'll save on your and your city's trash bill and get plenty of fertilizer.
5. Buy products that use less packaging and stow a reusable shopping bag in your trunk, bike basket or backpack.
6. Play soccer with EarthCorps instead of watching TV.
7. Play board games instead of video games. Xeko is an environmentally oriented local board game company.
8. Bike, bus or carpool to work once a week. If you can't change your work commute, try changing your shopping commute: buy at local farmers' markets.
9. Turn electronics off. To avoid energy-sucking sleep mode, plug stereos, TVs, cell phone and battery chargers into a powerstrip or outlet with a switch.
10. Turn your car off. Idling or warming up cars wastes gas, pollutes the air, and doesn't help your motor. See more green driving tips from eSurance.

Posted in the December 2007 Earth Page

American Forests Pledges Support to Restore Wildfire-Stricken California

Earth Share of Washington organization American Forests wants to match $2.8 million already in place for planting over 5.5 million trees

A nonprofit group awarded nearly $3 million to plant trees in California announced today it was launching a fund to double that amount to reforest fire-scarred areas of the state.

American Forests, the nation's oldest nonprofit conservation group, was awarded $2.8 for tree planting earlier this year, in a settlement with ConocoPhillips. The nonprofit also announced it is forming a task force to determine where to plant the trees and the best species to locate there.

"Our hearts go out to all those in California who have lost so much in these fires," Executive Director Deborah Gangloff said. "As soon as assessments have been done and planting can proceed, we are ready to help the state begin the healing process. And that process begins with trees."

American Forests' Global ReLeaf program has planted more than 27 million trees in the U.S. and around the world. Of those, more than 800,000 have been planted in California since 1991, with more than 500,000 planted to reforest wildfire-stricken areas. Each $1 donation plants 1 tree.

"Our California Wildfire ReLeaf Fund is now accepting money to match the $2.8 million we were awarded. We appreciate the trust that has been placed in us and are eager to begin the process of healing the land with trees," Gangloff said.

American Forests’ mission is to grow a healthier world with trees. Through community-based initiatives we help people understand the many values of trees and restore forest ecosystems in urban and rural areas. Our work encompasses tree planting, urban forestry, environmental education, and community-based forestry. American Forests is on the World Wide Web at www.americanforests.org.

Posted in the November 2007 Earth Page

Native Plants go online

- By Catherine Hovanic of Earth Share organization Washington Native Plant Society

You definitely have a reason to check out the Washington Native Plant Society's (WNPS) website now where you will find some fabulous new content for those interested in gardening with native plants, for those working with school aged children and for those interested in habitat restoration using native plants.

For over a decade, Starflower Foundation partnered with community and school groups, city agencies, volunteer organizations, local businesses and landscape designers to create Pacific Northwest native plant communities. The foundation supported 18 urban habitat restoration projects, worked with schools developing native plant curricula for teachers, and kept a database of information on some 200 native plants including over 1000 photos.

Starflower Foundation will cease operations in December 2007 and it is their wish that their work and what they have learned be shared with others. Over the past six months they have contracted with web professionals to develop content for the Washington Native Plant Society's website.

Soon you will be able to look up over 200 native plant species in an Image Herbarium where you will find great photographs with identification aspects featured and be able to learn about their morphological characteristics, when they flower, what their fruits look like, and learn about their ecology, habitat preferences, wildlife and ethnobotanical values. But that's not all. There will also be web content on Quick and Easy Habitat Education Activities. Teachers and others will have access to a plethora of outdoor education activities for teaching children about the ecology of native plants, weeds and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. Grade-level appropriate lessons are arranged in sequential learning units. Activity sheets, identification cards, native plant of the month posters are all available for downloading and using in the classroom or with children at home.

Links to the Image Herbarium, the Quick and Easy Habitat Education Activities, and Native Plant Habitat Restoration Documentation will be featured on the WNPS home page: www.wnps.org

Posted in the November 2007 Earth Page

Conservation Group Works to Protect Mount St. Helen's National Monument

- Submitted by Kay Crider from Earth Share of Washington (ESW) organization Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics

The Mount St. Helen's National Monument, established by President Reagan in 1982, showcases the remarkable natural recovery of the landscape impacted by the famous May, 1980 eruption. The monument designation protects the cool, clean water that was choked by logs and sediment just two and a half decades ago.

The waters of the Mount St. Helen's Monument are threatened by a giant gold and copper mine recently proposed within the monument. The proposed mine site, located in the Green River Valley below Goat Mountain, was originally acquired by the Trust for Public Land as a conservation easement. The Trust later sold the land to the U.S. Forest Service, which purchased the site with money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. That Fund is intended to protect lands from resource extraction and create a legacy of high quality recreation areas. See http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/lwcf/

Mining in the Green River Valley risks impacts to threatened salmon and steelhead runs and drinking water for the nearby communities of Kelso, Longview and Castle Rock. The drainage methods proposed for this area also risk the release of toxins like sulfuric acid into rivers and streams. Mining activities, including truck traffic, will degrade popular recreation destinations like the Goat Mountain Trail and the Green River Horse Camp. Finally, the mine would spill over into the Tumwater roadless area, protected by the Clinton Roadless Rule.

The Green River Mine would be in operation for 5-30 years, but the potential environmental impacts could persist for more than a century, far longer than it took the forests and waters surrounding Mount St. Helen's to recover from a volcanic eruption.

Earth Share of Washington member group, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE), recently filed detailed comments on the mining proposal, detailing the reasons why the mine does not conform to the National Monument Plan or the Northwest Forest Plan. In addition, FSEEE emphasized the primary purpose for the U.S. Forest Service’s acquisition of lands in the area: preservation of the integrity of the Green River and its recreation opportunities for Washington citizens.

Posted in the October 2007 Earth Page

Preserving the "great outdoors" in Sultan Basin

It's been years in the making, but now efforts by Friends of the Trail to clean up an area north of the town of Sultan in Snohomish County are beginning to pay off. And the real winners are campers, hikers and recreationists in Northwest Washington.

The area, known to locals as the Sultan Basin, was both used and abused as an illegal trash dumping area and shooting gallery. "It was a Wild West show out there for years... decades really." according to Wade Holden of Friends of the Trail. “People would bring old TV sets, computers, sofas—you name it--out as targets. They'd have their fun shooting this stuff into Olney Creek and just leave the junk and the gun shells to pile up."

It was a dangerous combination; glass and heavy metals from the computer monitors leaching into the soil and water, accompanied by occasional stray bullets. Said Holden "No matter how often Friends of the Trail came out to the basin to haul out trash, we just couldn't make a dent in the problem. And of course campers and picnickers felt like they were taking their lives in their hands just using the area."

Things took a turn for the better after the Snohomish County Council voted to ban shooting in the basin. The Washington Department of Natural Resources now regularly sends law enforcement officers to patrol the area to enforce the no shoot policy. A year ago, 30 to 40 persons might have been stopped for illegal shooting at the Sultan Basin on a typical Saturday. Now things have quieted down to the point where the patrolling DNR officer often goes the entire day without hearing a gun shot.

And good news for outdoor enthusiasts in the area--the piles of trash and debris are diminishing as well. As Holden comments, "Friends of the Trail will continue in our efforts to clean up the Sultan Basin. There's a great deal of satisfaction in finally seeing things getting better."

Posted in the October 2007 Earth Page

Potential Alpine Lakes Wilderness Addition Considered

- Submitted by Nalani Askov of ESW organization Washington Wilderness Coalition

Middle Fork Valley - At an August 8 event held at the Middle Fork (Snoqualmie River) Campground, Congressman Dave Reichert announced his intention to introduce legislation that would add to the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness area and designate the Pratt River as a Wild and Scenic River. Washington Wilderness Coalition and a host of other conservation groups joined local stakeholders and elected officials in highlighting conservation opportunities in the remaining wild forests and rivers in the 8th congressional district.

Washington Wilderness Coalition’s Conservation Director Tom Uniack facilitated the event which featured statements from Congressman Reichert, King County Executive Ron Sims and several representatives from the conservation and recreation communities. Following the announcement, more than 40 elected officials, members of the media and local stakeholders participated in a tour highlighting the values of this remarkable area.

“This is an exciting time for Wilderness in Washington,” said Uniack. “We have worked for new wilderness legislation in Washington for more than two decades and this fall we could have two efforts making their way through Congress. The Wild Sky Wilderness campaign has really shown what is possible when our champions come together in a bipartisan collaborative effort." The Wild Sky Wilderness, which lies north of Index, awaits approval by the U.S. Senate, which is expected this fall. President Bush says he will sign the legislation.

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness was designated by Congress in 1976. The designation permanently protected what has become one of the nation’s most popular wilderness destinations. Unfortunately, some of the region’s most important low-elevation forests including the Pratt, Middle Fork and South Fork Snoqualmie Valleys were left out of the 1976 proposal. These areas are truly the backyard wilderness for the millions of people who live in the Puget Sound basin, providing world-class recreation and ensuring the region's clean water and environment. During the past 30 years, local grassroots supporters have continued working to see these spectacular low-elevation forests protected.

In addition to the wilderness protections, Congressman Reichert also expressed his intention to designate the entire Pratt River as a Wild and Scenic River. This designation will ensure that the Pratt River is fully protected, securing critical habitat for cutthroat trout, elk, mountain goats and many other species. Wild and Scenic designation will also ensure that recreational opportunities on the river including unique backcountry kayaking and world-class hiking can continue, while safeguarding clean water resources for hundreds of thousands of local residents.

"The Pratt is one of the last pristine rivers in western Washington. It is a rare and special thing to have a wild river so close to an urban area, and it’s rivers like the Pratt that make living in the Pacific Northwest so special," said Bonnie Rice, associate director for conservation for the Northwest office of American Rivers. "A Wild and Scenic designation would protect the Pratt’s clean water, fish and wildlife, and recreation opportunities for future generations. There is no question the Pratt deserves to join the ranks of Washington’s other great Wild and Scenic rivers, like the Skagit and White Salmon.”

Congressman Reichert has indicated his intention to introduce legislation to protect the Pratt after Congress returns from recess in September.

Posted in the September 2007 Earth Page

Earth Share's 20th Anniversary feature - Puget Soundkeeper Alliance

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 1987, Puget Sound Alliance (later to become Puget Soundkeeper Alliance) joined a growing coalition of environmental organizations, known at the time as the Environmental Fund of Washington and later to become Earth Share. Puget Soundkeeper Alliance was one of the founding 10 organizations in this young and growing coalition.

Puget Soundkeeper Alliance (PSA) was founded in 1984 to protect and preserve Puget Sound by tracking down and stopping the discharge of toxic pollutants into its waters. PSA is the only organization that actively monitors and patrols the waters of Puget Sound to detect and document sources of illegal pollution. While this is not their only approach to conservation efforts in the Sound, it is one of their greatest strengths. PSA is part of the Waterkeeper Alliance founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the fastest growing environmental movement in the world. These keepers act as stewards for their rivers, lakes, bays, sound, or coast.

Pollution prevention is ultimately cheaper and better for the environment than superfund cleanups. Their short-term goal is to turn off pollution one pipe at a time by taking legal action against permit violators, reviewing pollutant discharge permits, monitoring on the water, expanding their coverage of Puget Sound, reporting and responding to incidents of pollution, and educating and empowering businesses and citizens to get involved in protecting Puget Sound.

Over the past two decades, PSA is proud to have an ongoing track record of success:

1. LEADING THE REGION'S EFFORTS TO ADDRESS STORM WATER POLLUTION - Just since 2002, PSA has successfully reduced storm water pollution from over 2,000 industrial facilities and construction sites. Despite being a primary source of Puget Sound water quality degradation, storm water pollution had historically been largely unregulated, and so PSA has taken the leadership role – by rigorous permit review, monitoring enforcement, and building strong local coalitions - in bringing it under control.
2. EDUCATING AREA RESIDENTS ON WAYS TO PROTECT & PRESERVE PUGET SOUND - Better than addressing pollution after it happens is to educate people on ways to reduce the pollution that finds its ways into the Sound. The following are some of their actions and results over the past two decades:
   • Distributed 50,000 Clean Boating Guides
   • Conducted 2 Lake Union Clean Ups
   • Distributed 2,000 watershed pledge booklets.
   • Partnered with Marine Business Coalition to conduct 10 Ship Canal Clean Ups (Fremont Bridge to the Locks) collecting 12-18 dumpsters of garbage/year
   • Distributed over 5,000 oil absorbs capable of cleaning up 500 gallons of oil each.
   • Worked with King County to create and build EnviroStars, a program with over 500 member businesses demonstrating practices friendly to Puget Sound water quality
3. ENFORCING THE CLEAN WATER ACT - Just over the past 5 years, PSA has filed 40 legal actions to protect Puget Sound water quality; 25 of these actions were citizen suits under the Clean Water Act and 5 were administrative appeals of industrial or storm water permits.
   
   PSA supports its enforcement activities through regular on-the-water patrols on both the Soundkeeper vessel and kayaks in the central Sound. PSA staff and volunteers patrol 6 times a month during the spring, summer and fall and 4 times a month in the winter. Permit violations are observed, documented and reported on approximately 30% of the patrols. PSA conducts pollution detection trainings 2-4 times a year. In addition, PSA has received over 400 calls on its Pollution Hotline number since its inception. The hotline database is used during the review of draft permits to evaluate ongoing compliance and the need for more BMPs or monitoring requirements. Between the North Sound and Commencement Baykeepers and PSA, most major NPDES permits have been reviewed for compliance with the Clean Water Act since 1999.
4. DISPENSING CLEAN WATER ACT MITIGATION FUNDS TO WORTHWHILE PROJECTS - Successful litigation against Clean Water Act violators delivers not only future compliance, but often “mitigation” funds as well… funds the violator makes available for productive Puget Sound water quality initiatives. Through their successful legal efforts, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance has generated $317,000 in mitigation project funding, benefiting 19 organizations, agencies or municipalities.

Their four program initiatives – monitoring, engagement, enforcement and partnerships – are sharply focused and action-based to address the Washington State Department of Ecology’s number one identified water quality issue facing Puget Sound – polluted stormwater runoff. Stormwater enters the Sound directly through storm drains after rain washes off streets, lawns, industrial facilities and construction sites.

On-the-water monitoring is essential to an effective Keeper program. No other environmental organization or government agency actively monitors and patrols the waters of Puget Sound to detect and document sources of illegal pollution. The Soundkeeper then works directly with the source responsible for the discharge, collaborates with government agencies to resolve the problem, or in ongoing and egregious cases (at times, when our government agencies fail to act), takes citizen enforcement action to stop the pollution at its source. Their citizen lawsuit scorecard against Puget Sound polluters is perfect – over 40 wins and no losses. The visible presence of the Soundkeeper boat out on the water also serves as a deterrent to potential polluters. The goal of the organization is simple: to prevent pollution. Clean water will bring Puget Sound back to life – both above and below the waterline.

For more information, please visit the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance website at www.pugetsoundkeeper.org

Posted in the August 2007 Earth Page

State Legislature Votes for a Healthy Washington

For the past five years, twenty-two Washington-based environmental groups have come together and identified four critical environmental issues and committed to promoting solutions in the state legislature. Known as the Priorities for a Healthy Washington, this collaborative and focused approach is innovative and has proven to be a highly effective and a formidable force for change in the state.

2007 was a banner year for the Priorities. The coalition, led by Earth Share of Washington organization Washington Environmental Council (WEC) and our friends at Washington Conservation Voters, went an unprecedented four for four, as all of the Priorities passed and were signed into law. This is great news. It means a healthier Puget Sound, more money for Washington Wildlife and Recreation Programs, better air quality because of cleaner fuels, and ban on toxic fire retardants – the first of its kind in the nation!

A quick recap of the bills:

Clean-Air/Clean Fuels
The Clean Air-Clean Fuels bill will bring better air quality, reduced petroleum dependence, and a new source of good jobs to Washington. It will help keep Washington’s money in Washington, rather than using it to import gas and oil.

Passage of this bill will lead to 100% biofuels use in state and local fleets by 2015, dramatically increasing the Washington market for cleaner fuels and vehicles. This increased demand for cleaner fuels and vehicles should make both more available to the average consumer, as well as improving air quality.

Under the new regulations, Washington will create the infrastructure and incentives to produce and use biodiesel and cellulosic ethanol, actions which should reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of the air we breathe

Save Our Sound
Puget Sound touches almost all aspects of Pacific Northwest life, from recreational activities to providing livelihoods to the local fishing industry. And Puget Sound is sick. Thankfully, steps are being taken to return the Sound to health by 2020. These steps include a new commitment to action and accountability – real emphasis on making sure all money allocated to restore Puget Sound is part of a smart, coordinated, and prioritized effort.

To best organize these measures, a new agency has been created – the Puget Sound Partnership. This agency will ensure that our tax dollars are used for solutions for Puget Sound which make a difference. It will serve as a command center for all Puget Sound related actions – coordinating and evaluating relief efforts. This new agency and a newly created independent science panel will galvanize Washington’s fight to protect and restore the Sound for generations to come.

$100 Million for Wildlife and Recreation Programs
Included in this year’s budget was a big win for everyone who enjoys Washington’s outdoors. Priorities for a Healthy Washington lobbied hard and succeeded in having $100 million included for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) over the next two years.

This was a huge step, as the valuable programs administered by the WWRP have suffered from a stagnant budget since 1990, despite Washington’s dramatic population growth of 25% in the same period. The funds will support 135 projects, including new state and local parks, shorelines and wildlife habitat, plus the state's first ever funding for a farmland preservation program.

Eliminating Toxic Flame Retardants
Washington is the first state in the nation to ban all types of toxic flame retardants (PBDEs). Despite the existence of safer alternatives, until now, many manufacturers have used PBDEs in ordinary household products: televisions, computers, furniture, and carpeting. Unfortunately, like other toxic substances like mercury, PBDEs build up in the food chain and levels detected in humans, animals and the environment are sharply increasing. Exposure to PBDEs can negatively impact learning, memory and behavior. Thanks to Priorities legislation, Washington state will begin the process of ending PBDE usage.

While we’re only halfway through 2007, WEC and our partner groups are already thinking about the 2008 legislative session. To learn more about the Priorities and to get involved in the effort to make them a reality, visit www.environmentalpriorities.org.

Posted in the June 2007 Earth Page

Dive In - The Mud's Great

- By John Daly, Alliance For Puget Sound Shorelines

Most parents would discourage their kids from getting their hands dirty and tracking mud into the house, but a new campaign to clean up Puget Sound is, surprisingly, pushing people to do just that. MudUp, a bold and fun new campaign to engage the public in protecting and restoring the Sound, was launched May 31 by the Alliance for Puget Sound Shorelines (a joint effort with Earth Share organizations The Nature Conservancy, People For Puget Sound and The Trust for Public Land).

Everyone who cares about the health of Puget Sound can now get in on the action. We all have a big stake in the Sound, and we’ve seen the effects of increasing pollution and disappearing habitats on our precious marine life. Seventy-five percent of the Sound’s salt marsh habitat has been destroyed, and only about 10 percent of our shoreline is open to the public. Native plants and wildlife have had to “move over” for human development like bulkheads that now edge about one-third of the total Puget Sound shoreline, resulting in damaged beaches and estuaries. (See State Legislature Votes for a Healthy Washington above for promising new measures to protect the Sound).

The idea behind Mudup.org is an online web portal that works as a one-stop-shop for Puget Sound cleanup events and activities. Through Mudup.org more people can get involved in hands-on cleanup events like removing invasive species, cleaning up beaches and planting native plants. All of this restoration will eventually lead to healthier near shore habitat for us and for our children.

But if you don’t feel like getting your hands dirty, web users will also be able to find out how to attend lectures, go on field trips, take their kids on treasure hunts and even share their favorite Puget Sound stories, photos and videos (perhaps of the Mud Monster, Puget Sound’s elusive but friendly new mascot?). MudUp emphasizes that there are many different levels of involvement to which people can commit, from sending an email to their representative to participating in cleanup events.

So if you’ve never taken part in a Puget Sound cleanup event before, dive in -- the mud’s great! By June 2009, the program aims to build 10 new parks and natural areas along Puget Sound shorelines, restore 100 miles of shoreline, and protect 1,000 miles of shoreline. It’s time to get dirty for the Sound. To find out how you can take part in MudUp, just go to www.mudup.org.

Posted in the June 2007 Earth Page

In Brief: Reintroducing Kokanee Salmon to Lake Sammamish & Audubon Honors Local Conservation Leader

Trout Unlimited Kokanee Reintroduction Program
The Bellevue/Issaquah Chapter of Trout Unlimited, in partnership with Boy Scout Eagle Scout candidate Colin Wick, Troop 677, Save Lake Sammamish, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the City of Issaquah have just completed the first ever survey of out-migrating Lake Sammamish late-run kokanee on Lewis Creek, a tributary of Lake Sammamish.

The Lake Sammamish kokanee are one of the last truly native salmonids left in the Lake Washington/Sammamish basin. They are among the latest running of salmons, appearing in late November and running well into January. These kokanee are unique to Lake Sammamish and are currently at risk due to habitat loss and worsening environmental conditions. They currently spawn in just a handful of streams in central/south Lake Sammamish including Lewis, Laughing Jacob, Ebright, and Pine Lake Creeks. The early run of these fish ran up Issaquah Creek, but was officially declared extinct in 2003.

Trout Unlimited volunteers are currently working with local, county and state agencies and other nonprofit groups, putting together a kokanee recovery plan. To get involved, contact Bellevue/Issaquah Chapter President Mark Taylor at emtbckt@msn.com or 206-200-2840.

Audubon Honors Local Conservation Leader
The National Audubon Society recognized two volunters for outstanding conservation leadership, one of them from Washington state. Helen Engle, member of the board of stewards for Audubon Washington and an active leader of the Tahoma Audubon Society in Tacoma, shared the award with Margery Aylwin Nicolson, board member of Audubon California and Audubon Alaska.

Helen Engle's fifty plus years of environmental activism are an inspiration. She has been the Audubon matriarch of Washington state, working with Audubon staff and volunteers from throughout the region. Her contributions range from her role as founding president of the Tahoma Audubon Society, to editor of The Towhee newsletter for ten years, to positions as a member of both the Audubon Washington board of stewards and the National Audubon Society board of directors. Helen’s willingness and style of bringing people together and building common consensus have brought about change that no one would have thought possible. In addition, Helen has served on the boards of numerous local, state and regional non-profit and governmental organizations, and has won many awards for her contributions. For more information about Audubon Washington, please visit http://www.wa.audubon.org/.

Posted in the June 2007 Earth Page

A Western Screech Owl Returns Home

- By Kevin Mack of Earth Share organization PAWS Wildlife Center

On March 3, 2007 a Western Screech Owl found herself sitting in a familiar wooded area next to a stream along Highway 101 just north of Shelton. For the first time in more than six weeks, she was home. Before that evening, her last flight in the area had occurred on January 13th. It had ended abruptly when the owl collided with the passenger side door of a passing truck. The man who had been driving the truck scooped up the stunned owl, and after two days and several phone calls he transported her to the PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood.

Upon admission at PAWS, the screech owl was assigned the case #07-0031. She was still showing signs of head trauma, and she had a pronounced droop in her left wing. X-rays showed that the bird had broken her left humerus when she collided with the truck. Her wing was wrapped to immobilize the fracture and allow the bone to heal. The owl did not approve. She repeatedly removed her bandage and attempted to use her wing. It became clear that surgical intervention would be necessary in order to immobilize the fractured bone.

On January 19, PAWS wildlife veterinarian Dr. John Huckabee performed surgery on screech owl 07-0031. Dr. Huckabee stabilized the humeral fracture with a steel pin and a small piece of wire (known as "cerclage wire"). Post-surgical X-rays showed that the broken ends of the bone were in excellent alignment. The wing was re-wrapped with a difficult-to-remove bandage, and the owl finally began to recover.

By January 26, the screech owl's bandage was removed. The fracture site was well stabilized by the metal pin and wire, and the bone seemed to be healing very well. At the beginning of February, the owl was examined by veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Tom Sullivan who determined that she had not suffered any eye damage at the time of her injury. Her prognosis was looking better every day.

On February 6, Dr. Huckabee removed the pin from the owl's humerus. The fracture site was very stable, and the bird seemed to have the full range of motion in her left wing. The following day she was moved to a small outdoor cage, and three days later she was ready to test her newly healed wing in a large flight enclosure.

It took owl 07-0031 some time to regain her stamina, and to condition her newly mended wing. During the first week of her pre-release conditioning, her left wing appeared slightly stiff and weak in comparison to her right wing. The owl's flight steadily improved, and by her third week in the flight enclosure she was flying as if her wing had never been broken. Her treatment was complete and it was time for her to resume her life.

On March 3 the owl exited her transport carrier and took her first free flight since her injury. This time the owl's flight did not end with a sickening thud against a metal door. It ended with a perfect, soft landing on a sheltered cedar branch. The only sounds to be heard were the gurgle of the creek nearby and the occasional passing car on the highway above the slope.

Posted in the May 2007 Earth Page

Train to Become a Native Plant Steward

Washington Native Plant Society will offer a free ten-week training program in native plant forest stewardship starting April 27. This program offers training on a wide range of topics useful for volunteers restoring and protecting native plants and natural areas in the lowland Puget Sound region. Each week, trainees will learn to identify the plants growing in our region and to understand the Western Washington ecosystems. Topics covered during the classes will include urban forestry, native plant identification, landscaping, forest ecology, plant biology, ethnobotany, invasive plant species, and restoration practices. Trainees will learn hands-on methods to improve the open spaces and native plant habitats remaining in our urban areas.

The ten-week program is free in exchange for a 100-hour volunteer commitment within King County. Volunteer hours will be focused on restoration within a Seattle Park. After the training, teams of Stewards will be assigned to one-acre sites in Carkeek, Ravenna, Interlaken, Discovery, Lakeridge, or West Duwamish Greenbelt Parks. Stewards will fulfill their volunteer commitments by designing and implementing native plant restoration plans.

Class will begin Friday, April 27, 2007 and will run until June 29th, including three all-day field trips on May 5th, May 12th and June 16th. The deadline for applications for the training is Thursday, April 12, 2007. For a copy of an Application Form or more information, contact Jill Politsch at (206) 527-3210 or npsp@wnps.org. Download applications at www.wnps.org.

Posted in the April 2007 Earth Page

Washington Wilderness Coalition Celebrates 20 Years as an Earth Share Organization

- By Nalani Askov, Executive Director of Washington Wilderness Coalition

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 1987, Washington Wilderness Coalition joined a growing coalition of environmental organizations, known at the time as the Environmental Fund of Washington and later to become Earth Share. WWC was one of the founding 10 organizations in this young and growing coalition.

Washington Wilderness Coalition (WWC) was founded in 1979 to preserve wilderness and biodiversity for future generations. We work to protect wildlands, waters and wildlife though outreach, public educations, organizing and support of grassroots conservation groups.

In its early years, WWC enjoyed many successes, including:

• Playing a key role in passage of the 1984 Washington Wilderness Act protecting over 1 million acres of Wilderness;
• Lobbying successfully for the creation of the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area;
• Coordinating citizen response that defeated plans to drill for oil in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area;
• Stopping dam construction on Railroad Creek and the Duckabush River;
• Helping to stop timber sales in areas proposed for wilderness including south of Glacier Peak and in the Kettle Range in E. Washington;

In February 1987, WWC Executive Director Karen Fant was one of the 11 founding board members of the "Environmental Fund of Washington," which later became Earth Share of Washington. In the past 20 years, the successes of WWC and Earth Share have continued to grow, even as challenges to protecting our environment have become more complex.

Working on wildland conservation issues requires a great deal of patience. Often, sustained effort over many years is required before success is realized. Few achievements happen quickly. Nearly a decade of work by environmental and conservation organizations, including WWC, was needed before President Reagan signed a bill in 1988 establishing the 1,800-acre National Wildlife Refuge in Grays Harbor, WA to protect wetlands of critical importance to migratory shorebirds and other fish, wildlife and plant species.

Sometimes initial successes must be revisited - again. In 1992, Washington Wilderness Coalition, along with the Washington Trails Association, North Cascades Conservation Council and other groups, intervened in a law suit by the Northwest Motorcycle Association challenging a Forest Service’s ban on off-road vehicle use in the North Fork Entiat section of the Wenatchee National Forest. We won and in 1994 the Ninth Circuit also upheld the ban. The case was the first in the country to give judicial guidance on user conflicts with off-road vehicles on federal public lands. In 2005, WWC and these groups, along with the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club, sued the Forest Service to stop it from creating a "world class" motorcycle trail in a nearby area of the Wenatchee National Forest - an area previously proposed for wilderness designation. The Forest Service wanted to embed thousands of concrete blocks in the trail and install a large steel bridge to create a loop trail. The Federal Court found the Forest Service did not adequately consider the cumulative impact of incremental expansions of the off-road vehicle trail system before approving the project and issued an injunction prohibiting it from going forward.

Success comes in many forms. It may be a successful lawsuit, the adoption of new legislation or policy - or preventing the adoption of bad legislation or policy. Success is also found in educating others and building collaborative efforts that can sustain our conservation goals over time. In 1999, WWC co-founded the Fair Trails Coalition. Like many conservation victories, we were successful only after many years of effort in stopping the State of Washington from spending a disproportionate amount of state gas tax funds to build backcountry motorcycle trails. This victory resulted in a fairer distribution of gas tax funds to support the development and maintenance of hiking trails. The Fair Trails Coalition continues to monitor this important issue.

Public education about wilderness preservation has been an essential part of WWC's mission since its founding. Over the past 20 years, the Washington Wilderness Coalition has literally had personal contact with and helped to educate over 100,000 people in King County and throughout Washington state about a wide range of wild land conservation issues. That number doesn't include the many thousands of others who have been reached indirectly. In 1998, WWC worked with members of the popular rock bands REM and Pearl Jam to speak out against the destruction of our national forests. The musicians held benefit concerts for WWC, produced PSAs which ran on CNN and VH1 and served as spokespersons for State and national media outlets on forest issues.

WWC's work has always emphasized building connections with people. That focus is strongly evident in our work over the past 6 years on the Wild Sky Wilderness. WWC's local outreach efforts to diverse groups including hunters and anglers, small businesses, local elected officials, and religious communities was recently called a model of the nation by those working to protect wilderness on a national level. Our work with Republican Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn is a good example. Many said it was a waste of time to even try to get her support for a proposal to protect the Wild Sky area but WWC did more than try, we succeeded. Through good old-fashioned grassroots efforts, WWC convinced Rep. Dunn of the merits of the Wild Sky Wilderness Bill and her co-sponsorship underscored the bipartisan support for the legislation.

This is necessarily only a brief sample of WWC's achievements over the past 20 years. We are very proud to count Earth Share as one of those achievements. With the help of many others, the original dream for Earth Share has been richly achieved. Earth Share of Washington, its organizations and the thousands of individuals who give to help protect our environment can look forward to another 20 years of successful work.

Posted in the March 2007 Earth Page

An End to a Mother Bear's Suffering, and Hope for Her Cub

- By Kevin Mack, PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Naturalist

In mid-January, the PAWS Wildlife Center received a call from a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife agent with a request for help. He was monitoring a mother Black Bear with a yearling cub that had been seen on the outskirts of Enumclaw. He feared that something had disturbed the bears from their winter sleep and that, since food resources in winter are scarce, they were likely to come into conflict with humans. He also noted that the mother bear was visibly underweight, and he was concerned that she was injured or ill. He planned to continue to monitor the situation while also looking into options for care and housing of the bears if it became necessary to capture them. PAWS agreed to provide assistance.

On January 30, the wildlife agent captured the bears, and the next morning he drove them to PAWS. Both bears were tranquilized and were examined by PAWS wildlife veterinarians Dr. John Huckabee and Dr. Darlene Deghetto. The cub, a female, had a large laceration on her ear. She was also thin, but in otherwise good health. Dr. Huckabee cleaned and sutured the cub’s wound while Dr. Deghetto and other PAWS staff members assessed the condition of her mother.

During the examination of the mother bear, it became apparent why she and her cub had not been in a winter den. The adult bear had multiple injuries including a badly broken jaw, and a bone fracture and infected wound on her leg. X-rays of the mother bear showed badly shattered bones. The injuries were at least several months old, which means they likely occurred before the bears would have retired to a den for the winter. At 95 pounds, the bear was severely under weight. Eating must have been extremely difficult if not impossible for her judging from the extent of her jaw injury. X-rays also revealed the cause of her injuries. The bright spots on the films were unmistakably bullet fragments. She had been shot.

There was no hope of repairing the severe jaw fracture that the mother bear had suffered, and so she was humanely euthanized. Her cub, however, is now safe. Although the cub's mother was taken from her, she will not be alone. She will be housed with another orphaned, young bear brought in to PAWS this winter who is recovering from a broken leg. The two cubs will spend the remainder of the winter at the PAWS Wildlife Center, fattening up and preparing for a return to the wild in the spring.

Posted in the March 2007 Earth Page

The Biggest Fish (News) of 2006

- By Liz Banse of Earth Share organization Washington Foundation for the Environment

2006 has come to a close and the verdict is in. The most headline-grabbing international ocean news of last year was a provocative study published in the November 3 issue of Science magazine.

The study, "Impacts of Biodiversity Loss on Ocean Ecosystem Services," by an international group of ecologists and economists, predicted the collapse (defined as 90% depletion) of all species of wild seafood that are currently fished by 2048, if current trends are not reversed. The tuna fish sandwich you want to buy from the deli at lunchtime today? Gone. The Chilean sea bass you were hoping to order at the restaurant tonight? Gone.

Who is to blame? There are a lot of factors at play in this doomsday scenario. Overfishing, including damaging bottom trawling, coastal pollution, poor ocean governance and more.

What is more important to focus on is that this study shows that it is not too late to reverse this downward trend. With better ocean policy – through an ecosystem based management approach – many species can rebound in a surprisingly short period of time – in less than ten years. The study authors point to integrated fisheries management, pollution control, and maintenance of essential habitats and creation of marine reserves as key ways to restore the health of our oceans.

"From the [Seafood Choices] Alliance's perspective, one of the more significant findings of this study is the inherent ability of the ocean to self-heal and regenerate, but only if given the opportunity," says Mike Boots, Seafood Choices Alliance director.

Seafood buyers and sellers can play a role in ensuring the health of our oceans. Consumers can look for an "eco-label" from a certification outfit like the Marine Stewardship Council. Retailers and restaurants are building environmental sustainability into their purchasing as well. These little steps, combined with large-scale ocean governance changes, will reverse the staggering biodiversity losses now happening in marine environments around the world.

As Jay Stachowicz, marine ecology professor at UC Davis stated in a Sacramento Bee article after the Science study came out, "Diversity is a good thing in our diet, it's a good thing in our stock portfolios, so why shouldn’t it be a good thing for our oceans?"

Posted in the February 2007 Earth Page

Earth Share's 20th Anniversary Showcase – Washington Native Plant Society

- By Peg Pearson, Washington Native Plant Society Steward

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 1990, Washington Native Plant Society 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 WNPS and one other organization that year, a young Earth Share of Washington grew to 14 organizations.

The Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) became the fourteenth member admitted to Earth Share of Washington in 1990 – an exciting step during WNPS's 14th year of operations.

Now beginning its 31st year, WNPS continues to grow and collaborate to accomplish its mission to "promote the conservation of our native flora and their habitats through study, education, and advocacy." WNPS's successes such as the Appreciation Week and Stewardship programs discussed below are due in part to its seventeen-year partnership with Earth Share of Washington.

WNPS roots
With widely varied geographic and climatic conditions, Washington is home to over 3000 vascular native plant species, ranking 12th in diversity among states behind the leaders California and Texas. More than 360 state species are currently listed as endangered, threatened or sensitive due to the disappearance or degradation of their habitats and from pressures such as loss of pollinators and over harvesting. The world's only known population of the dainty, white showy stickseed, for example, clings to survival in the Wenatchee Mountains. Hundreds more are on watch and review lists.

Plant life is the basis of healthy ecosystems by producing oxygen, supporting and feeding all creatures (including humans), and purifying air and water through carbon sequestering, erosion control, and filtration. Diverse in their beauty and function, native plants inspire wonder and provide environs in which to recreate and reflect. Including thousands of species of lichen, mosses, macrofungi and marine algae, Washington landscapes are natural heritages of complex biodiversity to enjoy and conserve.

Since 1976, WNPS has been promoter, educator, researcher, protector and restorer on behalf of native plants and their habitats. Eleven chapters statewide offer local opportunities to learn more and volunteer. Guest speakers, field trips, events, workshops and publications cover a wide array of topics related to healthy environments. Some chapters maintain demonstration gardens. Others hold sales of native plants propagated or salvaged by members. While botany is the backbone, people enthusiastic about every aspect of the environment in addition to professionals from many disciplines help contribute to the variety of issues and projects addressed and managed by WNPS volunteers.

Appreciation
In 2004, over 40 governmental agencies and environmental organizations led by WNPS participated in the first statewide celebration of our native flora. Governor Gary Locke declared May 24-30th Native Plant Appreciation Week. Across the state, activities helped people explore backyards and urban forests, parks and preserves, beaches and salmon streams. They were introduced to the native plants in their communities and heard discussions about threats to large and niche ecosystems. Nearly 40 cities in addition to King, Pierce and Snohomish counties signed proclamations endorsing the events.

During the first week of May in 2005, Governor Gregoire invited citizens to join in the second Native Plant Appreciation Week. Nurseries throughout the state created native plant displays for customers to select from. Walks, talks, tours and restoration projects engaged the minds and muscles of participants. Oregon's Governor Kulongoski proclaimed the same week to honor that state's native plant heritage.

The cooperation of state and federal agencies, cities, counties, colleges, non-profit organizations, private foundations and many volunteers has continued. In 2005, the third Native Plant Appreciation Week was held with increased outreach and attendance. A WNPS members' photo contest each year has produced stunning posters of a delicate white anemone, a Calypso bulbosa orchid, and the bitterroot, Lewisia redivida. What beauty will announce this year's fourth celebration occurring April 29th through May 5th?

Education
While Appreciation Week activities might give a person a brief, first introduction to native plants, the acclaimed Washington Native Plant Stewardship Program has trained 335 stewards to be specialists in research, education, conservation and restoration. Modeled after the Master Gardener training, the steward program began in 1996 in response to growing demand for speakers, instructors, and leaders. Ten spring classes in King County, five fall classes in Snohomish, and a 2006 first class in Pierce County have each provided 100 hours of instruction that has resulted in over 57,000 hours of volunteer work on many types of projects... and thousands of other hours not reported by stewards and the folks they have inspired and subsequently trained.

Through a collaboration of WNPS and the Society for Ecological Restoration, two abbreviated programs have been offered to government and private sector professionals. Design and management plans for green spaces have improved among agencies, businesses and volunteers because of the shared knowledge base acquired during these Design to Dirt sessions.

This May, the WNPS steward training will be adapted to prepare new forest stewards for Seattle's parks. The Green Seattle Partnership (a public-private venture of the City of Seattle, the Cascade Land Conservancy and other non-profits committed to restoring 2500 forested acres over the next 20 years) will team with WNPS and King Conservation District to train 25-30 stewards. Small teams of stewards will then devote 100 volunteer hours each to remove invasive species and replant a minimum of 200 native trees and shrubs within one acre in their assigned park. Seattle's forested parks are presently besieged by invasive English ivy, clematis and other weeds, which damage trees and prevent native seedlings from sprouting. It is estimated that 1,750 acres (70%) will cease to be forests within 20 years without removal and restoration efforts. The stewards will also coordinate large public work parties. Hopefully, individuals and communities will step up and learn how to protect their parks alongside the stewards and park crews.

WNPS salutes Earth Share of Washington's 20 years of success and looks forward to continued participation in this state's respected workplace giving federation for the environment. To learn more about WNPS and the programs mentioned above, please see our website at www.wnps.org or call 206-527-3210. Volunteers are always appreciated.

Posted in the February 2007 Earth Page

What the orcas are telling us

- By Heather Trim of Earth Share organization People For Puget Sound

We lost four orcas this summer. When People For Puget Sound was launched in 1991, there were about 90 Southern resident killer whales. Their numbers peaked to 97 in 1996, declined to 79 in 2001, and stood this year at 90. But sadly the four that died - a 20 year-old male, a 34 year-old female mother of three, a 12 year-old new mother and her four month-old calf – leave us with just 86.

Factors in their decline include their capture for animal parks, food and habitat reductions, toxic contamination, underwater noise, and vessel interactions. People For Puget Sound took on orca recovery as a keystone issue and, along with other orca advocacy groups, succeeded in petitioning the National Marine Fisheries Service to list orcas as an endangered species. As a result, almost all of Puget Sound except for military installations, Hood Canal and near shore waters has been designated as critical habitat for orca protection and the process is underway to adopt an orca recovery plan.

Especially troubling in this decline of orca health are scientific findings of how toxic pollutants, like flame retardant PBDEs, build up in orcas’ fat and how pollutants like PCBs affect their immune and reproductive systems. Because orcas are long-lived mammals just like humans, accumulation of these chemicals come from years of eating food that is contaminated with these pollutants, sometimes in only small amounts. Scientists speculate that the four orca deaths this year were due to malnutrition from low salmon supplies, leading to a reliance on their fat, which in turn drew out toxics and reduced their ability to fight off infections.

What are the whales telling us? By looking at the root factor, it becomes apparent that we also consume from the same food supply, Puget Sound. And, we are sharing persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs), like PBDEs and PCBs, chemicals that build up in the food chain, accumulate in animal fat, and are extremely toxic even in very small quantities.

A study by Sightline Institute found levels of toxic flame retardants in milk samples in Puget Sound women at levels 20 to 40 times higher than levels found in European and Japanese women. A March 2005 study found 35 hazardous industrial chemicals, including PBTs like PCBs, dioxin and toxic flame retardants, in household dust from 10 homes in Washington. The Pollution in People study in May 2006 reported on tests for six groups of chemicals conducted on 10 Washington residents; the tests showed that toxic pollutants are rampant in their bodies.

This fall, Puget Sound residents were warned by state health officials to limit their consumption of local wild Chinook and other fish because of toxic chemical in these fish.

Earlier this year over 500 people attended a conference on Toxics in Puget Sound and over 400 attended safe cosmetics workshops held in Bellevue, Seattle and Tacoma in November. People are increasingly concerned that our state and federal governments have failed to prevent the use of harmful chemicals in consumer products, manufacturing processes, and food production. In 2006, most chemicals are virtually unregulated, and Washington State needs a new comprehensive approach to protect our health from toxic chemicals.

Elected officials have a great opportunity in the 2007 legislative session to truly make a difference, both for the orcas and for the people by passing legislation banning the use of the flame retardant PBDE and by supporting strong measures to reduce stormwater pollution and to clean up polluted sediments in the Sound.

Posted in the December 2006 Earth Page

Caribou and Snowmobiles

- By Tania Ellersick and Mike Petersen of Earth Share organization The Lands Council

When people think of caribou, they often picture the herds of barren ground caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But much closer to home a small herd of mountain caribou still live in the old forests of the Selkirk Mountains of north Idaho and northeast Washington. This fall, conservation groups won a temporary injunction against snowmobiling and snowmobile trail grooming on the only occupied winter habitat of caribou in the lower 48 states. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Whaley for the Eastern District Court of Washington ruled in favor of The Lands Council and five conservation groups protecting the recovery area of the last remaining Selkirk caribou. The groups asked that the snowmobile trails and play areas in the mountain caribou’s last habitat be closed until a comprehensive winter recreation plan that includes the needs of the caribou is developed.

Unrestrained motorized recreation endangers the animals, which like elk and other wildlife are particularly vulnerable in the winter, when animals are stressed by cold weather and deep snows. The spring 2006 survey estimated that there are only 35-40 caribou left in the southern Selkirk herd, which spends part of its time in northern Idaho and northeast Washington and the rest in southeast British Columbia.

Consequently, snowmobile and conservation groups presented a joint proposal in Federal Court that intends to protect critical winter habitat, while allowing snowmobiling in non-controversial areas. The arrangement allows snowmobiling in areas along the edges of the designated recovery area, while protecting core habitat for the endangered caribou of the Selkirk Mountains. The agreement also establishes funds for signs and monitoring to ensure that the closure area is secure. Approximately ninety percent of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest is outside the recovery zone and is not impacted by this accord.

While the Idaho Panhandle National Forest refused to endorse the joint proposal, all conservation and snowmobile groups involved endorsed the agreement. The Lands Council appreciates that the snowmobiling community was willing to work towards a solution and protect the last remaining habitat for these endangered animals. Although lesser protections won out in this instance, the spirit of collaboration between snowmobilers and conservationists bodes well for the last remaining Selkirk caribou.

Posted in the December 2006 Earth Page

Candlelight vigil offers vision for restoring endangered salmon

On October 17, Earth Ministry, Save Our Wild Salmon, Sierra Club, and the National Wildlife Federation hosted a Vigil for Endangered Salmon at St. John United Lutheran Church in Seattle. Four leaders in the faith and tribal communities led prayers and offered reflections that address the growing common interest of faith-based and conservation communities to be stewards of the earth and to protect sustainability of the planet.

Nearly 150 people attended the Salmon Vigil to honor, celebrate, and pray for the endangered wild salmon of the Pacific Northwest. "The fate of these magnificent fish is in our hands," said LeeAnne Beres, Executive Director of Earth Ministry and moderator of the event. "Extinction stops with us. We know in our hearts that salmon are the defining creature of the Northwest. Their beauty, strength, miraculous lifecycle, and totemic presence in Pacific Northwest cultures across time, speak to us, and help define who we are as a people."

Speakers at the event urged a focus on solutions, encouraging people from both the faith and conservation communities to engage in dialogue, discuss solutions, and work together to meet community needs as the Northwest commits to the work required to restore our endangered salmon runs.

Rev. Carol Jensen, Pastor of St. John United Lutheran, reminded those present that there is an underlying moral obligation to prevent salmon from extinction: "As people of faith who find a part of our own identity in the biblical story of creation, the moral imperative to preserve and protect the salmon in this place flows from our shared creatureliness – from our being part of the extraordinarily diverse web of life on this planet."

Elmer Crow, a Nez Perce Tribal Elder, shared stories of seeing salmon at Celilo Falls in his childhood, now underwater due to The Dalles Dam. He spoke passionately about how salmon have provided inspiration, nourishment, and support to the Nez Perce for centuries, and the immeasurable sense of loss his people have felt as salmon runs have declined precipitously.

Rev. Rich Lang, Pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, spoke about consciousness raising and bold actions of justice. "We stand at a crossroads, in a stream, quite literally, alongside struggling salmon," Lang said, "and restoring health to our rivers and abundance to our salmon will require that we change our behaviors and ways of doing business. Change is hard and will require us to move from a place of conflict and disagreement to one of trust and resolution."

Following the reflections, those gathered participated in a candle lighting ceremony and a blessing of the waters through which Washington's threatened salmon migrate, combining water from Redfish Lake, the Snake River, the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers, the Columbia River and Puget Sound. A sister event was held simultaneously in Boise, Idaho, to emphasize that salmon recovery is important to all residents of the Northwest.

Posted in the November 2006 Earth Page

Come Bark in the Park and get wild for wildlife!

Meet hundreds of dogs and thousands of people at Seattle's Sandpoint Magnuson Park for the 15th Annual PAWSwalk on Saturday, September 9, 2006 presented by 98.9 Smooth Jazz KWJZ and Pacific Ridge Homes. PAWSwalk raises funds for all of PAWS work including that of Earth Share of Washington member PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Registering online for PAWSwalk is fast, easy, and guaranteed to make your fundraising more fun and successful. When you register, a personal Web page will be created and you'll be able to send e-mails asking your friends and family for donations at the click of a button.

Gather your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to form a team to raise money for animals in need. And remember you don't have to have a canine pal to pull you along - you can walk in honor of your favorite wild animal. After the healthy 5K walk, enjoy animal-friendly shopping, refreshments, tips on coexisting with wildlife, canine agility demonstrations, and our expanded Kid's Zone. Don't delay, join in the fun and register for PAWSwalk online or by calling 425-787-2500.

Posted in the August 2006 Earth Page

Have Wildlife Questions? PAWS Has Answers!

- By Kevin Mack from ESW organization PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Over the past few weeks you have likely noticed a change in the behavior of the wild animals on your property. Birds are singing and gathering nesting materials. Squirrels are chasing each other and peeling thin strips of bark off of trees. You may have been woken up in the night by snarling raccoons or the pitter-patter of little feet in your attic. The spring breeding season has arrived, and many species of wildlife are making the necessary preparations to bring the next generation into the world.

In the coming days, weeks and months, you may have a direct interaction with breeding wildlife. If there is access available, it’s possible that an animal will take up residence in your attic or crawlspace. A bird may decide to build its nest near, on or in your house. You may come across a young animal and wonder if it is in need of help. The breeding season can be a trying time for both wildlife and their human neighbors alike, but whenever an issue arises help is only a phone call or a mouse click away.

PAWS offers a variety of resources online at www.paws.org. Are you having a conflict with Raccoons? Some other species? Click on the wildlife tab and check out the “Resources and Fact Sheets�? section. It contains detailed information on a variety of common species that people encounter. Have you found an injured or orphaned wild animal? Click on the “Injured/Orphaned Wildlife�? tab to determine how to proceed.

If you don't find what you are looking for on the website, don't hesitate to call the PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center directly at 425-787-2500 ext. 817. Our experienced staff members can offer valuable advice on just about any wildlife issue that may arise. They will be happy to help you find the most effective and humane solution for your particular situation.

Summer hours for the PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, beginning in April, are from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week. If you have a wildlife related issue or question, we would love to help in any way that we are able. Stop by the website or give us a call!

Posted in the May 2006 Earth Page

PAWS Wildlife Center: A Unique Volunteer Experience

- By Rebecca Mandell, Wildlife Volunteer Program Manager

As the days get longer and the temperatures get milder, chances are you are spending more time outside enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. If you are a wildlife enthusiast, you have probably begun to notice the birds singing more and collecting extra nesting materials. You may have witnessed small mammals acting oddly, such as pairs of squirrels chasing each other around tree trunks. Perhaps you've seen birds on the move, as migrating species return home from the south and species that winter in the northwest leave for the journey back to the artic. All of these are signs that spring is near and baby animals are on the way.

With both people and animals on the go at this time of year, PAWS Wildlife Center knows that human-wildlife conflicts are bound to ensue. What does that mean for PAWS? It is time to gear up for thousands of sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals that will inevitably come our way for care. What does that mean for you? There are tons of ways that you can get involved and support the rehabilitation of wild animals at PAWS!

The process of rehabilitating these animals and ultimately releasing them back into the wild requires a great deal of teamwork. PAWS Wildlife Center relies on the dedication and commitment of more than 250 volunteers to carry out our mission. Volunteers contribute in a variety of ways. Some commit to working a set, four to five hour shift each week. Others that have a more limiting schedule may volunteer for just one day to help with a special project. Regardless of how much time they are able to contribute, PAWS Wildlife volunteers know that they are helping give wild animals a second chance at life.

For volunteers who want to develop their skills and learn a great deal about the huge diversity of wild species in Washington, a committed weekly position is the perfect fit and we have several unique options from which to choose. Each of these positions is integral to the successful operations of PAWS Wildlife Center, and requires training, commitment, and hard work. Wildlife Care Assistants help the Wildlife Rehabilitators with cage set-up and cleaning, making food for the animals, and hand-feeding baby mammals. They have the opportunity to learn about animal husbandry, behavior, and basic medical skills -- and may ultimately choose to pursue a license in wildlife rehabilitation. Bird Nursery Caretakers are dedicated to feeding, cleaning, and caring for the hundreds of baby, orphaned songbirds that come to PAWS every summer. This is the perfect position for bird lovers, who get to work with a wide variety of native Washington songbirds and watch them go through every stage of development--from hatchling to nestling to fledgling--and ultimately get to see the grown birds fly free in the wild! Facility Caretaker Assistants develop their construction and landscaping skills, helping PAWS staff members maintain and improve caging options in order to provide the best possible care for our wild patients. Transport Team Members serve as our wildlife ambulance network, transporting wild patients from Seattle Animal Control to PAWS Wildlife Center for care.

In return for their hard work, volunteers are given the opportunity to learn new skills in wildlife rehabilitation and attend optional educational programs, like presentations by local wildlife experts and guided field trips. Committed volunteers are also given the opportunity to help with the final step of the rehabilitation process: the release. Imagine the satisfaction in witnessing a once-ailing animal run, fly, or swim back to a wild life.

The rewards of working with wildlife are tremendous, as one volunteer explains: "I d