Monthly News Archive:
November 2003
Table of Contents:
- Wild Sky Wilderness Gains Momentum, Passes U.S. Senate
- Earth Saving Tips
- Perspectives on Habitat Preservation from PAWS Wildlife Naturalist, Kevin Mack
- Wildlife Portrait - Great Blue Heron
- New Rainforest Alliance Site Connects Kids to Conservation
- A Walk in the Wild Sky Wilderness
- Back to Nature Destinations - Skagit River Preserve
- Opinions Change on Global Warming
- EPA Decision Threatens Clean Air Act
- After Decades of Trail Restoration - "Last Week's Storm Set Us Back Years"
- Local nonprofit reinvents reuse
Wild Sky Wilderness Gains Momentum, Passes U.S. Senate
Late yesterday evening, the 106,000 acre Wild Sky Wilderness legislation was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate. Senators Murray and Cantwell worked hard to make sure that the full Senate considered the Wild Sky Wilderness bill before adjourning for the holiday recess. The Wild Washington Campaign praised the two Senators for their effective leadership and tenacious efforts to ensure that this important conservation measure for Washington becomes a reality.
"It's impressive how Senators Murray and Cantwell have worked to build bipartisan support for the Wild Sky, even in the...Read the full story
November 25, 2003 | 
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Earth Saving Tips
Courtesy of ESW member World Wildlife Fund
Be Different, Buy Different
The sway you hold as a consumer can be a conservation tool as powerful as any scientific endeavor or on-the-ground action.
Buy recycled paper
If just 1 out of 10 students bought a notebook made of post-consumer recycled paper, the collective savings would equal about 60,000 trees and 25.5 million gallons of water. Your purchases also contribute to conserving energy, freeing up landfill space, and reducing water and air pollution.
B...Read the full story
November 20, 2003 | Comments Off
Perspectives on Habitat Preservation from PAWS Wildlife Naturalist, Kevin Mack
by Kevin Mack, PAWS Wildlife Naturalist
On a trip to the coast, I sat on a beach in Olympic National Park and watched the tide come in. It was a slow process, but not slow enough for one sleepy Harbor Seal that was resting on a rock about 100 yards from shore. As most Harbor Seals do, she had hauled herself out of the water at low tide to take a nap and bask in the sun. For several hours she had lain there, surrounded by warmth and dryness, but now the waters around her refuge were rising. Her serenity was soon to be intruded upon by an irresistible liquid alarm clock, but ...Read the full story
November 19, 2003 | Comments Off
Wildlife Portrait - Great Blue Heron
Courtesy of our friends at Earth Share of Washington member People for Puget Sound
The term "Charismatic Megafauna" may have been coined specifically for this enchanting bird, the great blue heron. A fully-grown great blue heron is an impressive sight, standing four feet tall with a six-foot wingspan. In spite of its large size, an individual weighs only about 5 pounds because of its nifty flight adaption - hollow bones!
In the late 1800s, herons were hunted, almost to extinction, by poachers who colle...Read the full story
November 17, 2003 | Comments Off
New Rainforest Alliance Site Connects Kids to Conservation
This September, kindergarten through sixth grade teachers countrywide began logging onto www.rainforest-alliance.org to access the new, Web-based Rainforest Alliance environmental curriculum. Designed to teach children science fundamentals by way of introducing them to the organization's on-the-ground work, the curriculum engages students in some of the challenges faced by conservationists in the field. "By connecting children to our conservation projects, it helps them to under...Read the full story
November 14, 2003 | Comments Off
A Walk in the Wild Sky Wilderness
Rick McGuire, a key volunteer who has worked with Earth Share of Washington member Washington Wilderness Coalition (WWC) over the past 3 years to support the Wild Sky Wilderness proposal, was featured in an Everett Herald article on November 8th. The article, entitled "A Walk in the Wild Sky," chronicled Rick's commitment to Wilderness issues in Washington State over the past 25 years. He has also recently authored a new hiking guide highlighting trails in a...Read the full story
November 13, 2003 | Comments Off
Back to Nature Destinations - Skagit River Preserve
As the stark, somber gray of November replaces October's brilliant yellow and red, bald eagles begin returning to their favored wintering grounds along the Skagit River. Gradually the population builds to several hundred, peaking in mid-January. This impressive winter gathering of bald eagles, which is one of the four largest in the Lower 48 states, coincides with the spawning runs of chum salmon on the Skagit River. The carcasses of the spent fish, washed onto gravel bars or into shallow water, are a major food source for the eagles. As the supply of carrion diminishes in this eagle "kitch...Read the full story
November 12, 2003 | Comments Off
Opinions Change on Global Warming
Howard Ris, President of the Union of Concerned Scientists, an Earth Share of Washington member organization, issued a statement last Thursday (October 30, 2003) acknowledging a positive shift in the way the U.S. Senate views global climate change. Referring to a vote on the McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, which the Senate defeated 55-43, Ris points out that similar legislation five years ago was defeated 95-0.
Read this statement by Howard Ris, President, Union of Concerned Scientists regarding this historic ...Read the full story
November 07, 2003 | Comments Off
EPA Decision Threatens Clean Air Act
An excerpt from today's Seattle P-I reveals an EPA decision to cease and desist pursuing some of the nation's worst polluters, including coal plants, refineries and factories:
WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency may drop some investigations into whether coal-burning power plants, refineries and factories are violating federal clean air laws.
The agency said in a statement that for now it is vigorously pursuing cases it already has filed against various plants, but will take a case-by-case approach to decide whether to pursue or set aside pendi...Read the full story
After Decades of Trail Restoration - "Last Week's Storm Set Us Back Years"
SEATTLE, WA (Oct. 30, 2003) - For the past decade, the Forest Service and volunteer groups like Earth Share of Washington member Washington Trails Association have worked tirelessly to restore our trail system to an acceptable condition. "In a single day, last week's storm set us back years," said Elizabeth Lunney, Executive Director of Washington Trails Association. "It's like working for years to pay off your mortgage, only to see your home destroyed the day before your last payment."
At least 20 trail bridges are kno...Read the full story
November 05, 2003 | Comments Off
Local nonprofit reinvents reuse
Eco Encore raises funds for the environment through resale of used books and CDs.
Seattle is known for creative technology concepts. Now environmentalists can add Eco Encore to the list of creative start-ups that got their start in Western Washington. Since September of 2002, Seattle-based Eco Encore has been busy gathering donations of used books, CDs, videos and DVDs, selling them online and then passing on the profits to local environmental organizations. Since inception, Eco Encore has raised $10,000 for its 12 ...Read the full story
November 03, 2003 | Comments Off