Well worth an hour to hear from a key State Commissioner. Click anywhere on the photo below to be taken to the signup page. The RSVP link does not work in the image.
Filed under: education, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Events, fisheries, Government, Olympic Peninsula, wolves | Tagged: Commissioner, discussion, fish, politics, wildlife | 2 Comments »
According to Tom Hartmann..https://substack.com/@thomhartmann— “The world is subsidizing the fossil fuel industry’s efforts to destroy our planet at a rate of $13 million per minute.
A new report from the International Monetary Fund (which has funded fossil fuel projects in the past, so they’re not likely exaggerating), the total amount of subsidies given to fossil fuel billionaires and their companies last year was around $7 trillion, or about 7 percent of global GDP.
The biggest culprits are, in descending order, China, the US, Russia, the EU, and India. Here in America we give around $600 billion in subsidies every year to the fossil fuel industry, and that doesn’t even begin to count the costs we pay for cleaning up the industry’s messes, from abandoned wells and coal mines to rebuilding cities destroyed by climate-change-caused violent weather and fires.
This is insane, and must stop immediately. The IMF calculates that if the world’s subsidies were to end this year, next year would see a 34% decrease in the use of fossil fuels because they’d become so much more expensive. While we can’t control the rest of the world, we can set an example by cutting off American fossil fuel companies and their billionaires from our absurd taxpayer-funded subsidies: call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 and let them know you support ending fossil fuel subsidies.”
Better yet, today is the annual Jefferson County Democratic fundraiser. Perhaps it’s worth reminding our elected officials.
And here’s a song to sing to these people who just can’t seem to stop killing the planet for their own greed.
Filed under: Environmental Activism, Global Warming, Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on We are subsidizing our own demise.
DUNGENESS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE UPDATE (DNWR): Groups Sue USFWS For Failure to Protect the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
On August 17, Protect the Peninsula’s Future (PPF) was joined by The Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat and the WA D.C. national organization Beyond Pesticides in a legal action to hold the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) accountable to follow its regulations and protect the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. They were represented by the Seattle WA law firm Bricklin and Newman
Beyond Pesticides Press Release
The August 17 federal complaint, submitted to the United States District Court For The Western District of Washington, states that the USFWS must “take action that is required by the Refuge Improvement Act and conduct a compatibility determination and require a special use permit for a proposed industrial aquaculture use” that will abut and impact the Refuge.
Plainly, the compatibility determination would decide whether this industrial- shellfish operation is compatible with the mission of the Refuge.The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson. The Refuge provides habitat, a preserve, and breeding grounds for more than 250 species of birds and 41 species of land animals. The shellfish operation lease is for 50 acres of Washington State bottomlands. 34 acres would be covered with up to 80.000 plastic grow-out bags of non-native shellfish spat, staked into the bottomlands and potentially killing all marine life underneath and snaring wildlife in the netting. These plastic bags will cover the primary feeding grounds for the birds, essentially starving them as they peck through the plastic trying to reach nutrients. This operation would shift the natural year-round-sediment drift, moving the sediment into and covering the eelgrass beds – beds protected for rearing salmon for whales and nourishment for particular migratory ducks. To protect the birds, the area is closed to the public during the migratory bird season. However the USFWS will allow the shellfish operation in to the area all year long to the detriment of the birds.
Please see this publication for further detail. https://www.ehn.org/dungeness-national-wildlife-refuge-oyster-2660613389.html
Filed under: Clallam County, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection | Comments Off on Groups Sue USFWS for Failure to Protect Dungeness Spit
Commissioner Franz continues to work against the concerns of the local constituents. And this woman wants to be governor?
Timber Sale threatens drinking water access, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity – Washington DNR ignores community requests to pause logging.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2023
Contacts: Elizabeth Dunne, Esq., Director of Legal Advocacy, Earth Law Center edunne@earthlaw.org
Port Angeles, WA – On June 30, 2023, a coalition of groups–Earth Law Center, the Center for Whale Research, and the Keystone Species Alliance–filed a notice of appeal to challenge the “Power Plant” timber sale, currently set to be auctioned on July 26th, 2023, by the Washington Department of Natural Resources. The proposed “Power Plant” timber sale is a 126-acre timber sale that borders popular recreation routes such as the Olympic Adventure Trail, the Colville MBT, the trail to access the old lower dam site, and nearby climbing areas.
The forest is in close proximity to the Elwha River with a diverse mix of Douglas fir and Western redcedar, many at least a hundred years old, and a diverse, naturally regenerated understory. This timber sale is incompatible with the restoration of the iconic Elwha River, which underwent the largest dam removal in US history, completed in 2014. $327 million of federal funding has been invested in the river’s restoration to date. The legal action alleges that DNR has systematically engaged in extensive logging of older legacy forests in the Elwha River Watershed without studies or consideration of impacts to instream flows, groundwater recharge, and water temperature. Past, current, and future planned timber sales will remove hundreds of acres of forest.
The lawsuit also alleges that DNR failed to consider how the logging could impact this critical riverine wildlife corridor, soil health, salmon and orca populations, and ongoing Elwha river restoration. The Elwha River is City of Port Angeles’ residents only source of drinking water
The forest is in the headwater area for Colville Creek and small tributaries of the Elwha River, areas critical for the recharging of groundwater to feed these streams. The Forest, its streams, and the rejuvenating Elwha River work together to support two keystone species: returning salmon populations and the critically endangered Southern Resident Orcas, who depend upon consuming salmon for their survival. Given their proximity to the Elwha River, these older forests provide critical habitat for endangered and threatened species, including Southern Resident orcas, Chinook salmon, and the Marbled murrelet. In fact, a juvenile Marbled murrelet was recently found just miles from the proposed harvest.
The legal action specifically identifies Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz’ pattern of skirting community input to push through unlawful timber sales, including the Power Plant sale. This forest could be saved today if Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz directed the harvest to stop.
Community groups launched an ambitious campaign today to raise funds to negotiate for the protection of the forests from imminent logging. Pledged funds from the “Elwha Forest Fund” will go solely to replace the revenue that would have come from the extractive timber harvest auction.
This legal action is by no means the first action taken by community groups in opposition to timber sales in the Elwha watershed. In addition to public comments formally submitted to DNR, community members have come out in droves to DNR’s meetings to speak during the open comment periods in opposition to this timber sale. Additionally, on March 5, 2023, over a hundred community members, largely from Port Angeles, the lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Jamestown S’klallam Tribe, the Lummi Nation, and surrounding areas in the Olympic Peninsula, joined together in a peaceful rally at the Elwha River Observation Area near an active timber harvest site called “Aldwell.” Aldwell was logged earlier this year by the DNR.
The Port Angeles City Council in particular submitted letters to DNR to plead for the “Aldwell” auction to be put on hold. Despite community advocacy, DNR and Commissioner Hilary Franz did not adhere to local concerns and logged “Aldwell” without meaningfully considering community input. The city once again wrote to Franz to request delaying the auctions for “Power Plant” and “TCB23,” along with letters from many concerned local residents. For example, see the Mayor’s June 1, 2023 letter about the Power Plant sale.
Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Environmental Protection | 1 Comment »
This morning, Clallam County residents joined forest & climate activists across the PNW in hanging banners calling for forest protection as key to mitigating the worst impacts of climate change.
A local hike in Clallam County took place on Saturday as part of the region-wide Week of Action for Forests & Climate.
On the Anniversary of the 2021 Heat Dome, PNW Communities Mobilize for Massive Week of Forest and Climate Action
PORTLAND, OR – Today, on the two year anniversary of the 2021 Heat Dome, communities throughout the Pacific Northwest are mobilizing a massive week of action to shine a spotlight on the significance of forest defense as climate defense. From the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon, to Bellingham, Washington and out east to the Rockies, communities are holding events to call on elected officials — from the White House and Forest Service to governors and state forestry agencies — to protect PNW forests as a vital strategy to mitigate the worst climate impacts, create jobs restoring lands and waters, and ensure forests and communities thrive for generations to come. The week of action comes just days after Multnomah County filed Multnomah v. Exxon, a bold lawsuit seeking to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for the Heat Dome which caused more than 100 deaths in the state of Oregon.
Brenna Bell, Forest Climate Manager for 350PDX says, “It is beyond time for all levels of government to treat the climate crisis like the emergency it is. I am heartened by Multnomah County’s bold action last week to hold Big Oil accountable for their role in creating the climate crisis. Now, governments need to recognize that Big Timber has also massively profited off clearcutting Oregon’s best defense against climate chaos and act quickly to protect and restore our forests.”
To kick off the week of action, today activists hung 20 banners that called for forest protection over highway overpasses across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana in a coordinated action to highlight the growing grassroots movement to protect forests for climate mitigation. This action coincided with the release of an open letter from more than 30 organizations to the Biden Administration and federal leaders, calling on them to:
Protect federally-managed old-growth and mature forests in the Pacific Northwest as foundational to protecting our communities and a livable climate;
Listen to, resource, and support communities on the frontlines of the climate crises;
Support rural economies by redirecting federal subsidies away from the extractive timber industry and towards sustainable restoration and reforestation jobs;
Start acting like the climate crisis is the emergency that it truly is, and be a bold and decisive leader in protecting both the current and future generations.
“Protecting our remaining mature and old growth forests is crucial to mitigating the climate crisis and creating thriving climate-resilient communities,” says Madeline Cowen, Steering Committee member with the PNW Forest Climate Alliance. “Our forests have tremendous capacity to absorb and store carbon — we must prioritize safeguarding them for community benefit over short-term corporate profit.”
“We’re calling on our elected officials–from the White House and Forest Service to our Governor–to stand with our communities and protect our forests as a core part of meaningful climate action,” says David Perk, of 350 Seattle. “In Washington, we call on the Commissioner of Public Lands to follow through on her commitment to propose and implement an improved policy for the preservation of our remaining mature forests.”
Residents and organizations from around the region see a significant need to raise awareness around the need to protect PNW forests – some of the most carbon-rich in the world – as a key pillar of climate action and connect the dots between destructive logging and catastrophic climate impacts. They believe that these must be managed for community benefit, not to maximize profits for Wall Street corporations and shareholders. The actions will focus on the climate, water, wildfire, biodiversity, and economic impacts if their elected do not act now to protect PNW forests.
Dozens of actions are planned in 18 towns and cities across the PNW.
For the full list of actions visit: forestclimatealliance.org/weekofaction
The PNWFCA is a network of organizations and activists working at the intersection of forest defense and climate justice.
Filed under: Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Protection, Events | Comments Off on Forest Protection Advocates Banner Port Angeles
This article originally was published in Environmental Health News. We use it with permission of the author.
SEQUIM, Wash.—Jutting out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a fragile, slender spit of sand and glacial till leftover from the Pleistocene Epoch nearly 1.2 million years ago.
It is the longest spit in North America, a refuge and protective barrier for marine mammals and some 250 breeds of shorebirds, several of whom stop on their way between South America, Alaska and beyond to build up fat to fuel their long journeys.
And it is also about to become commercialized for private profit by an industrial oyster corporation.
The Dungeness Spit, part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, extends for five miles. Declared a refuge in 1915, its lush eelgrass beds are a pantry for waterfowl and a nursery for salmon that eventually feed whales and other wildlife. The Dungeness Bay itself is considered an important bird area by Audubon, for its significance for bird population conservation.
The refuge attracts birders and other recreationists from around the world. Territory enjoyed and cherished and serving as a nursery and refuge for wildlife that literally span the globe, will be subsumed for private gain. It is like a war on our marine ecosystem.
The Washington State Lands Commission, the Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) issued permits for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe to commercially grow non-native oysters in Dungeness Bay. These will be sold to restaurants, consumers and exported to other countries.
The operator will initially anchor 20,000, with a buildup to 80,000, on-bottom toxic plastic bags of non-native oyster spat over tens of acres smack dab in the primary mudflat bird feeding area – an area that today is off-limits to human access. Tens of thousands of shorebirds from across the Western Hemisphere depend on the mudflat as a critical feeding stop during migration.
The bags will be anchored into the sediment, smothering the intertidal zone benthic life underneath, and will affect the nearby eelgrass. This plastic is a type of PFAS, the group of chemicals also known as forever chemicals, able to contaminate the water that the filter-feeding oysters will ingest. This chemical could then move up the food chain to unsuspecting consumers.
The plastic nets are known to have ensnared birds and fish at other industrially-operated shellfish farms.
The Corps refused to conduct an environmental impact study, yet in an internal 49-page Memorandum to Record, the Corps admitted to the destruction the shellfish operation will have, but still permitted it.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), a division of the U.S. Interior Department, with authority to protect its refuges, withdrew its opposition to the operation. To protect the birds and their primary breeding and feeding grounds, this section of the refuge is closed six months of the year to human activity. Now the USFWS is permitting the industrial shellfish operator access to this protected area year-round, day and night.
As well, the USFWS is circumventing its own mandatory step of writing a compatibility determination.. Since this operation is incompatible, to write the determination would force the agency to publicly disallow the shellfish operation.
Violated, as well, are the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. Organizations and individuals throughout the United States submitted comments, spoke out and petitioned to stop this shellfish operation. No agency acknowledged the public outcry.
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge industrial operation will be precedent-setting for our nation’s refuge system – and bodes poorly for what can happen in other protected areas.
Public funds upkeep national refuges. We have seen this sad song repeated over and over: When private corporations destroy public lands, the public is taxed to clean up the damage.
Today we are spending millions of dollars annually to clean up Washington state’s Puget Sound, the second largest estuary in the United States. Yet our state and federal agencies are opening these wildlife intertidal zones to more pollution and industrial activity. One third of Washington state’s coastal waters are filled with industrial shellfish aquaculture and plastic, leaving wildlife to forage elsewhere.
“In wilderness is the preservation of the world,” Henry David Thoreau wrote in 1862.
We should heed his words and protect rather than pollute our natural world. The state and federal governments should get back to protecting our wildlife refuges rather than acquiesce to their destruction.
Darlene Schanfald, Phd, has been active in environmental campaigns for more than three decades and is a board member of Protect the Peninsula’s Future.
Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Environmental Protection, Straits of Juan de Fuca | 2 Comments »
(From Wild Fish Conservancy) -Cooke Aquaculture, is pulling up stakes, hitting the road, and leaving Puget Sound forever. All week, local residents and members of the public stood on the shores of Bainbridge Island watching workers operating loaders and cranes packing up nets, removing debris, and pulling up anchors and chains that have been holding the industry’s net pens in place for over forty years. Across the Sound, in Kiket Bay, local landowners watched as the Hope Island net pen was rigged up to a towboat and pulled out of sight and away from the waters it polluted daily at the mouth of the Skagit River. Below is a photo taken on Wednesday immediately after the Hope Island net pen was removed, showcasing the bay’s first moments free of commercial net pens.
In November, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz made clear she heard the voices of the nearly 10,000 individuals and hundreds of organizations and businesses working together under the Our Sound, Our Salmon coalition when she issued her groundbreaking decision that the Department of Natural Resources was taking bold action to protect Puget Sound from commercial net pen aquaculture. Not only did Commissioner Franz deny the industry’s request for new decade-long leases to operate in our public waters, but she took an even bolder step by enacting a new policy banning commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington marine waters indefinitely.
Whether this will hold up to the court challenge being brought by some Tribes remains to seen. Franz, running for Governor against Attorney General Bob Ferguson and facing criticism by some environmental organizations for her forestry policies, needed to bolster support from the environmental wing, while deciding that alienating tribes like the Jamestown S’Klallam would not cost her much in the way of votes. Certainly this will play well on “The eastside of the Sound” where her fundraising will be primarily done, as Seattleites rarely understand the subtleties of the issues raised by those on the Peninsula. Why? The Jamestown have been working with Cooke on changing the net pens to native Black Cod (Sablefish). So they are not happy about this decision. Other tribes have supported this decision, once again highlighting that the Tribes of the Salish Sea are not a single entity in their decision-making, but a coalition of individual political entities with unique needs. It is unclear of how this may play out as the State works with the Tribes on future negotiations around fishing regulations.
Years ago, I interviewed a local elderly fisherman, who had fished the areas around Agate Pass. His belief was that after the net pens came in, he noticed a significant drop in wild salmon the following years. Of course, this could have been coincidental, given the amount of destruction happening through rampant development about the same time to the spawning streams of Puget Sound and overfishing off the coast. But I was also hearing similar things from other older fishermen about the Hood Canal Floating Bridge, which then turned out to be true. A large sum of money is being spent right now to mitigate what has only lately proved out to be the correct assumption of that “old timer” regarding Hood Canal. We’ll get to see if salmon numbers recover in the Agate Pass area, now that Cooke is gone.
Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Protection, fisheries | Tagged: aquaculture, Hilary Franz, Salmon | 1 Comment »
From Wild Salmon Conservancy. A major ruling with far reaching impacts.
May 3, 2023— Yesterday, in an international, coastwide environmental victory, Seattle federal Court issued a landmark order halting the overharvest of Chinook salmon in Southeast Alaska that has persisted for decades, jeopardizing the survival of federally-protected Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) and wild Chinook populations coastwide. This significant decision will immediately allow the starving Southern Resident population far greater access to these Chinook which are the whale’s primary prey, marking a turning point for their recovery.
“This Court decision is the largest victory for Southern Resident killer whale recovery in decades and will be celebrated internationally. After years of inaction by our federal government to address the prey crisis facing the Southern Residents, Judge Jones’ decision will finally provide starving orcas immediate access to their primary prey,” says Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “What’s more, by allowing far more wild Chinook to return home to their spawning grounds, this action is also helping to recover and restore wild Chinook from rivers throughout Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, essential to rebuilding both populations in the long-term.”
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones issued a final ruling in Wild Fish Conservancy’s lawsuit agreeing that halting the summer and winter seasons of the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fishery is the most appropriate remedy. The Court subsequently remanded NOAA Fisheries’ inadequate biological opinion in order for the agency to address the serious underlying violations of environmental law previously found by the Court.
In that biological opinion evaluating the fishery’s impact on threatened and endangered species, NOAA admitted that over the last decade and persisting today, Chinook harvest is occurring at levels that are unsustainable for the long-term survival and reproductive success of both threatened wild Chinook populations and endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Still, NOAA authorized the harvest to continue at these levels relying on proposed mitigation they claimed would offset this serious harm. In summary judgement in August, the Court overwhelmingly found the mitigation was insufficient and violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and that NOAA failed to conduct legally required environmental review of the mitigation, which would include opportunities for public input and an evaluation of alternatives, such as reductions in harvest.
Southern Resident killer whales were listed as Endangered in 2005. Currently, there are only 73 individuals in the population, an alarming decrease from nearly 100 only 25-years ago. Reduced prey availability, specifically large and abundant wild Chinook, has been identified by killer whale experts and NOAA as the primary cause of their decline. Research has shown an alarming 69% of Southern Resident killer whale pregnancies are aborted due to insufficient Chinook salmon and inbreeding depression has been identified as a growing threat to the population’s survival and recovery.
“This is unbelievable news, yet so long in coming,” said Wild Orca’s Science and Research Director, Dr. Deborah Giles. “The high pregnancy failure rate within the Southern Resident killer whale population is linked to poor nutrition, so having more fish returning to their home waters in British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon, will increase the whales’ prey base and improve their chances of giving birth to healthy calves.”
In an expert declaration evaluating the effect of the troll fishery’s harvest on the Southern Resident population, modeling by Dr. Robert E. Lacy projected closing the fishery would increase prey availability by approximately 6%, which would be enough to stabilize the population and stop their decline toward extinction, though additional actions would be required to begin to grow the population. The Court stated: “Though there is uncertainty as to how much prey would ultimately reach the SRKW, the record before the Court suggests that closure of the fisheries meaningfully improves prey available to the SRKW, as well as SRKW population stability and growth, under any scenario.” As a result of yesterday’s decision, approximately 172,000 Chinook that would have been harvested or indirectly killed in the 2023 summer and winter seasons of the Southeast Alaska troll fishery will now be able to continue their historical migration south to home spawning grounds and into the whale’s key foraging areas.
“Dr. Lacy’s findings suggest that the single action of closing this fishery would increase prey availability enough to stabilize the Southern Resident population. Stopping the precipitous decline of the whales toward extinction is the highest priority toward recovery efforts. These findings clearly demonstrate that Chinook harvest in Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery is contributing to the decline of the whales, validating why the Court’s decision is so critically important to the survival of this population,” says Helverson.
While the fishery occurs in Southeast Alaska marine waters, most people are unaware that up to 97% of all Chinook harvested in the Southeast Alaska troll fishery migrate from rivers throughout British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Roughly half of the fish harvested originate from the Columbia River, and many come from populations listed as Threatened under the ESA. Currently, these Chinook are harvested in their ocean rearing habitats preventing them from migrating back into southern waters where the Southern Resident killer whales encounter them. Majority of stocks harvested in the fishery are identified as priority stocks for the Southern Residents.
“Alaskan fishers should not be blamed for NOAA’s chronic mismanagement of this fishery, and we are sincerely sympathetic to the burden this decision will pose to Southeast Alaskan communities,” says Helverson. “However, this decision will finally address decades of harm and lost opportunity this overharvest has caused to fishing communities throughout British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington who depend on these fish, particularly Tribal and First Nations. In addition to the unparalleled benefits to killer whale and Chinook recovery, the Court’s decision is addressing this historic inequity and restoring control to coastal communities of the destiny of salmon recovery in their home watersheds.”
“The underlying harvest issues in this case are not an anomaly, but rather just one example that demonstrates the problems caused when harvest occurs in the ocean where it is impossible to avoid unintentionally harming threatened and endangered populations or intercepting high proportions of salmon from rivers coastwide,” says Kurt Beardslee, Director of Special Projects. “Scientists are increasingly calling for harvest reform measures that shift harvest out of the ocean and into fisheries in or near each river of origin where salmon return, providing fisheries managers and coastal communities the ability to manage recovery with far greater accuracy and success.”
Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, fisheries, Orcas, Salmon | Comments Off on Federal Court Rules on Overharvest of Salmon
Dear Puget Sound recovery community,
Registration is now open for two Puget Sound Day on the Hill livestream events!
May 9, 2023 | 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. PDT
The first livestream event, on May 9, will be a panel discussion about Puget Sound recovery with representatives from federal agencies moderated by Peter Murchie, Puget Sound Geographic Program manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Tentative panelists include:
May 10, 2023 | 7:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. PDT.
The second livestream event, on May 10, will feature members of the Washington Congressional delegation and Admiral Nancy Hann of NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps. The livestream will take place from 7:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. PDT.
Tentative schedule:
| 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. | Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez |
| 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. | Rep. Strickland |
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Rep. Larsen |
| 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Admiral Hann |
| 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Rep. Schrier |
| 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Rep. Jayapal |
| 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Rep. Kilmer |
| 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Sen. Murray |
| 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Sen. Cantwell |
Rep. DelBene will stop by between Rep. Kilmer and Sen. Murray
Please join us for these livestream events to support Puget Sound and salmon recovery and to encourage the good work done by federal agencies and our Congressional delegation. Both events will be recorded and available to view for registered participants.
We hope you’ll join us on May 9 and 10!
Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, education, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Law, Events, Government | Comments Off on EVENT: Puget Sound Day on the Hill Livestream! May 9th
The Northwest Toxic Communities coalition is proud to present our annual Summit
“Heroes of Our Time”
Hear the challenges they have faced along the way to success
Saturday May 6 – 9 AM – 3 PMJoin us virtually to celebrate Dr. David Carpenter, public health champion for communities v. Monsanto Attorney Marc Zemel on the Spokane River PCB cleanup against the USEPA Attorney
Charlie Tebbutt, author and public advocate for cleaning up CAFOs
RSVP here: https://nwtoxiccommunities.org/event/annual-summit-2023-heroes-of-our-time/ (And see an enlarged flyer)
Option: If the RSVP Google.doc link above does not work for you; email me your name and email address: darlenes@olympus.net
The URL to the meeting will be released Friday, May 5.
Filed under: Around the Sound, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Protection, Events | Tagged: Events | Comments Off on EVENT: Heroes of Our Time May 6th
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT – Please post and distribute
April 7, 2023
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council seeks members
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC). The council ensures public participation in sanctuary management and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent. The SAC holds meetings every two months within the regions of the Olympic Peninsula and occasionally Puget Sound.
Sanctuary staff are currently accepting applications for the Fishing: alternate, Research: alternate, and Citizen-at-Large: primary and alternate seats. Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen should expect to serve a three-year term. Primary seats represent a certain agency, tribe, user, or stakeholder group. Alternate seats fill a particular seat in the absence of the primary seat.
Applications will be accepted through Monday, May 22, 2023.
Advisory Council Seat Application Form (pdf 402 kb)
For more information or to obtain a copy of the application package, contact Chris Butler-Minor 360-406-2079, Chris.ButlerMinor@noaa.gov.
On the Web:
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: http://olympiccoast@noaa.gov
Sanctuary Advisory Council: https://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/
# # #
Filed under: Clallam County, Environmental Activism, Government, Olympic Peninsula | Tagged: volunteer | Comments Off on Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Seeks Members
Oddly, Senator Kevin Van de Wege is promoting a terrible bill, (SB5517) which would dramatically alter the issue of the instream flow rule. Eastern Washington has been trying for years to get something like this through but the Dems have been not been willing to support it. Now, with Van de Wege co-sponsoring this bill, it seems possible. Below you will find a Sierra Club overview of the problems with this bill. I am surprised if the Tribes support this. My guess is that the farmers of the Dungeness valley are behind this and getting Kevin to promote it. With only two sponsors my experience tells me it’s just a straw dog that Kevin did for them. We encountered this same kind of bill a few years ago regarding gravel bed “management” by farmers down on the Chehalis River. The tribes killed the bill. But it’s not to say that there ought to be a solid showing of dislike for this.
Please contact Kevin’s office and also put your comments in down at the State web site.
. Quick action – sign in “CON”
Filed under: Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, fisheries, legislation | Tagged: Olympic Peninsula, Salmon | 5 Comments »
| From the newly named Washington Conservation Action organization. Join us at Washington Conservation Action for our first, action-packed virtual briefing of 2023! What: Insider Briefing: Legislative Priorities, Lobby Days & our New Brand When: Friday, February 10th, 1-2PM How to Join: Via Zoom RSVP here to receive Zoom meeting link and login details As of January 1st, our former organizations Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters have joined forces to become Washington Conservation Action! We’ll kick off this briefing with a short update from Communications Director Zachary Pullin, who will share the latest about our new name and brand and answer your questions. From that point, we’ll dive right in and provide you with an insider peek on the work at hand. With the 2023 legislative session in full swing, our Government Affairs Director, Darcy Nonemacher, will talk about our priorities in this long legislative session, how they build on previous environmental wins in the last few sessions and share her insights. Then they’ll provide an overview and sneak peek of Environmental Lobby Days 2023, which will be held on February 14-16th. They’ll share why this annual coming together of activists and advocates concerned about Washington’s environment is so important, provide a preview into the online sessions we’ll be offering, and offer thoughts on why you should get involved. Zachary, Darcy and I are excited to give you the inside scoop, so please join us! Kat Kat Holmes (she/her) Field Director Washington Conservation Action |
| Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters are now Washington Conservation Action. |
Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Activism, environmental education | Comments Off on Briefing: Legislative Priorities Lobby Days
“It is not enough to have compassion. You must act.” Tenzin Gyatso 14th Dalai Lama
Incredibly sad news this morning that Ken Balcomb, the founder and senior scientist of the Center for Whale Research has passed. His influence on the protection of orcas in the Pacific Northwest cannot be underestimated. He was a giant in the world of whale research and environmental protection. While others may choose to work only on restoration, he was involved in restoration and protection. He didn’t just have compassion for the orca. He acted on it. All too few these days are really acting for protection of our natural world. Ken’s life is an example for all of us.
He will be missed.
Rather than write an obit, here is where you can read about his life and career.
Filed under: Around the Salish Sea, Environmental Activism, environmental education | 1 Comment »
On Monday night, the Port Townsend mayor and city council took the step to declare that the Southern Resident Orcas have inherent rights. Port Townsend is the first county in Washington State to take this step, in a growing movement known as the Rights of Nature. The “Rights of Nature” framework is the recognition that Nature is a living being and rights-bearing entity. Rights recognition takes Nature out of the realm of property.
Mayor David Faber, Patrick Johnson of QUUF and members of the North Olympic Orca Pod
Patrick Johnson of the Green Sanctuary Environmental Action Team from Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship read the following:
On behalf of Legal Rights for the Salish Sea, Earth Law Center, and our friends and supporters at the Green Sanctuary Environmental Action Team from Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and the North Olympic Orca Pod, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Mayor Faber and the members of the Port Townsend City Council for supporting this proclamation recognizing the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. We have been asking our decision makers to take BOLD action to save these unique and critically endangered orcas, and tonight YOU have done that! Your leadership and compassion for Nature will be a model for other city/county councils to follow. This is historic!
Central to a “Rights of Nature” framework is the recognition that Nature is a living being and rights-bearing entity. Rights recognition takes Nature out of the realm of property. It reflects an inseparable human-Nature relationship rooted in mutual enhancement and holism rather than dominion, subjugation, and exploitation. Rights of Nature, therefore, offers a framework in line with natural law and science, allowing us to properly respect and value Nature (intrinsic values) as decision making occurs. Over twenty countries already embrace Rights of Nature concepts at some level of government.
In 2018, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (comprised of American Indians/ Alaska Natives and tribes in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Northern California, and Alaska) passed Resolution #18-32 recognizing a sacred obligation to the Southern Resident Orcas, “our relatives under the waves.” The Resolution explains that the sacred obligation “to ensure all our relations are treated in a dignified manner that reflects tribal cultural values that have been passed down for countless generations” is to be understood in the context of “an inherent right and a treaty right, and in terms of indigenous ways of knowing the natural law” as embodied in their relationship to the Southern Residents.
At a more fundamental level, recognizing the Southern Residents’ inherent rights shows that we as a society value them as living beings. It shows that when we say we want to prevent their extinction, we mean it. This will undoubtedly require changes in the way we do business; opening space for innovations so that we can have a future with clean rivers, ocean and seas, and healthy habitats for humans, animals and plants alike.
We would not be here without the pioneering work and commitment to Ocean Rights by Michelle Bender and Elizabeth Dunne at the Earth Law Center. Many thanks to our friends at the Center for Whale Research, especially Ken Balcomb; Dr. Debra Giles at Wild Orca; and Howard Garrett, Susan Berta and Cindy Hansen, and everyone at the Orca Network.
Port Townsend, WA (December 6th, 2022)—Yesterday evening, Port Townsend’s Mayor David J. Faber signed a Proclamation describing the City of Port Townsend’s support for action by local, state, federal and tribal governments that secure and effectuate the rights of the Southern Resident Orcas.
The Southern Resident Orcas (“the Orcas) are culturally, spiritually, and economically important to the people of Washington State and the world. However, despite federal legal protections for nearly two decades, the population continues to decline and is critically endangered, with only 73 individuals left in the wild.
The Proclamation states that the Southern Resident Orcas possess the inherent rights to: “life, autonomy, culture, free and safe passage, adequate food supply from naturally occurring sources, and freedom from conditions causing physical, emotional, or mental harm, including a habitat degraded by noise, pollution and contamination.”
Kriss Kevorkian of Legal Rights for the Salish Sea (LRSS), with the help of Patrick Johnson, of the Green Sanctuary Environmental Action Team from Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, introduced the idea of the Proclamation. “We are so grateful to the Mayor and City Council of Port Townsend for taking bold action to save these unique and critically endangered Orcas.” says Kriss Kevorkian, founder of LRSS.
Legal Rights for the Salish Sea partnered with Earth Law Center (ELC) in 2018 and are working to educate local communities on a new legal tool to protect Nature and communities – Rights of Nature. Together, they are leading a campaign to gain support for recognizing the rights of the Orcas at the local and Washington State level, and to take immediate actions to protect and restore the Orcas’ rights by addressing their main threats to survival. “Recognizing the Southern Residents’ legal rights means that we must consider their wellbeing and needs in addition to human interests in decision making, and that they will have a voice in a variety of forums, including courts. Through their human guardians acting on their behalf and in their best interests, the Orcas will be able to express what they need to exist, thrive, and evolve,” explained Elizabeth Dunne, ELC’s Director of Legal Advocacy. “When structures such as the lower Snake River dams interfere with the Southern Residents’ ability to obtain prey (salmon) crucial for their survival, then to realize their rights we must find solutions to remedy the problem,” said Dunne.
Legal rights for species and their habitats is not new. Hundreds of Rights of Nature laws exist in approximately 30 countries. Both San Francisco and Malibu passed resolutions protecting the rights of whales and dolphins in their coastal waters in 2014; New Zealand’s Government legally recognizes animals as ‘sentient’ beings; the Uttarakhand High Court of India ruled that the entire animal kingdom are legal entities with rights; and the United Kingdom now recognizes lobsters, crabs, and octopus as sentient beings.
Howard Garrett, co-founder of the Orca Network, supports this effort because he sees recognizing the Southern Residents’ inherent rights as “essential to the orcas’ survival and well-being. Without this recognition, people will continue to put economic and self-interest above the Southern Residents’ very survival.”
“Over the past few years, we have continued to see the population decline, and actions to recover the population have been slow and piecemeal. Business as usual is not working” says Michelle Bender. “We thank the leadership of Port Townsend and hope more local communities support a call for policies that give the Orcas, and all Nature, a voice in decision making and a seat at the table.”
This effort is also supported by an online change.org petition and declaration of understanding, of which over 10 organizations have signed onto.
Earth Law Center created a toolkit to help advocates introduce a resolution to their local communities, share the campaign on social media and other helpful talking points. You can take action and view the toolkit here.
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Earth Law Center (www.earthlawcenter.org) works to transform the law to recognize and protect nature’s inherent rights to exist, thrive and evolve. ELC partners with frontline indigenous people, communities and organizations to challenge the overarching legal and economic systems that reward environmental harm, and advance governance systems that maximize social and ecological well-being.
Legal Rights for the Salish Sea (LRSS- http://legalrightsforthesalishsea.org/) is a local community group based in Gig Harbor, WA, founded by Dr. Kriss Kevorkian, educating people to recognize the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. Under our current legal system humans and corporations have legal standing but animals and ecosystems don’t. We believe that animals and ecosystems should also have legal rights, not just protections that can be changed by different administrations.
Filed under: Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Events, Government, Jefferson County, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula, Orcas | 1 Comment »
Kristina Sinclair gave a presentation to the Protect the Peninsula’s Future’s (PPF) meeting last night. I share her presentation with you with her permission. The questions that this presentation raises are many. What is the limit to these operations on our beaches? How much of the Sound and Hood Canal do we the people of this State want to see turned into the images in this presentation? Since 2000 the State has engaged in a promotion of commercial geoduck aquaculture for the profit of a small number of companies selling almost entirely to China. Do we want this to continue unabated? Can we expect local state and federal legislators who receive significant political contributions from these businesses to make changes on our behalf? Without considerable public outcry this will continue. Watch this slideshow, look at the map and you make up your mind.
Kristina Sinclair is an Associate Attorney at the Center for Food Safety (CFS), where she focuses on environmental cases challenging industrial agriculture, including commercial shellfish.
Kristina earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. While in law school, Kristina was an Articles Editor for the California Law Review. She also participated in the Environmental Law Clinic, served on the steering committee for Students for Economic and Environmental Justice, and worked as a teaching assistant for Appellate Advocacy. Upon graduation, she received recognition for her pro bono work and a Certificate of Specialization in Environmental Law.
Since joining CFS, Kristina has been working on a lawsuit challenging highly disruptive industrial shellfish operations in Washington. In this case, CFS and Coalition to Protect Puget Sound allege that the U.S. Army Corps (USACE) failed to properly consider the potential risks before reissuing the nationwide permit for commercial shellfish activities in January 2021, in violation of the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Endangered Species Act. In addition, USACE has authorized over 400 commercial shellfish operations without any public notice or environment review. Consequently, these operations have significant adverse effects on Washington’s local environment and wildlife. In this presentation Kristina provides an overview of USACE’s shellfish permitting requirements, as well as the ongoing litigation challenging USACE’s unlawful shellfish permitting actions. She also shares some insights from this legal work and potential opportunities for future advocacy.
Interactive map of Industrial Shellfish Aquaculture in Puget Sound & Hood Canal.
Below is the PDF of the Slideshow. It is over 4MBs so it might load slow on a slow link.
Filed under: Aquaculture, Clallam County, Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, Jefferson County, Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: Army Corps of Engineers, Center for Food Safety, lawsuits | 1 Comment »
Today, Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz made history when she announced a new groundbreaking executive order that will prohibit commercial net pen aquaculture in Washington state marine waters. During the press conference, a question about the net pen proposed by the joint business venture of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Cooke Aquaculture to create a net pen to farm Black Cod (Sablefish) was deflected with a mention that Commissioner Franz had been in discussions with them on this issue. It was not clear whether they were not going to be allowed to put the pen in under the Tribe’s name or not. Franz also mentioned that upland farming of salmon would likely be approved by DNR. The industry has long stated that this method is not commercially viable at this time.
This ends a long history of industry “spokespeople”, who have been involved with Marine Resources Committees both in Clallam and Jefferson Counties, touting the benefits of these pens and disrupting anyone coming forward to raise concerns, such as when Professor Dill, a researcher from a distinguished Canadian University came to Port Angeles a few years ago to discuss his scientifically based concerns and was shouted down by industry representatives.
While Commissioner Franz’ concerns about ending destruction of the near shore by these farms could easily be carried over to the nearshore beach destruction by industrial geoduck operations over thousands of acres of beaches throughout the Sound and Hood Canal, there was no discussion of that issue today.
This blog has been a long time critic of Commissioner Franz, due to her seemingly lack of concern over industrial aquaculture in our waters. We welcome and thank her for finally taking strong legal action on this issue. It has been viewed both here on the West Coast, nationally and internationally as a major step towards recovering and protecting our waters.
Press Release from the Wild Fish Conservancy, the major group working to end this policy.
“This new policy was announced earlier today by Commissioner Franz at a press conference on Bainbridge Island overlooking the Rich Passage net pens alongside leaders from Wild Fish Conservancy and Suquamish Tribe. The news comes on the heels of another long-awaited and widely-supported decision announced earlier this week by Commissioner Franz that DNR has refused new decade-long leases to global seafood giant Cooke Aquaculture to continue operating commercial net pens in Puget Sound.
“After the incredible news announced earlier this week, it is almost impossible to believe we are now celebrating an even bigger, groundbreaking victory for our wild salmon, orcas, and the health of Puget Sound,” said Emma Helverson, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “By denying new leases to Cooke and bringing forward this comprehensive, bold new policy to prevent commercial net pens from ever operating in Washington marine waters again, Commissioner Franz is ensuring Puget Sound will be protected, not just now, but far into the future for the benefit of generations to come.”
Together, the lease denial and executive order will require Cooke to remove all of their net pen facilities from Puget Sound before the end of year, marking the end of the commercial net pen industry that has operated in Washington state for over 40 years. The benefits of these actions for the recovery of wild fish, water quality, and the greater health of Puget Sound cannot be overstated. Immediately, this action will cease chronic untreated pollution that has been discharged daily at these aquatic sites for over forty years. Finally, these heavily polluted and degraded sites will have the opportunity to heal and begin the process of natural restoration as part of the largest passive restoration project in Washington State.
The decision will also eliminate many major risk factors that harm the recovery of wild salmon and steelhead, including ending the risk of exposure to viruses, parasites, and diseases that are amplified and spread at unnatural levels by massive densities of farmed fish and the risk of future catastrophic escape events in which farmed fish could compete with, attempt to interbreed, or spread pathogens to threatened and endangered wild fish.
DNR’s decision will also restore the public and Tribal access to over 130 acres of Puget Sound that have been restricted by this industry for over forty years. More broadly, Washington’s decision will unite the entire U.S. Pacific Coast in excluding this industry from marine waters. Combined with Canada’s recent commitment to transition open water net pens out of British Columbia waters, this decision also has the potential to eliminate a major limiting factor to wild Pacific salmon recovery at a coastwide, international scale.
“After the news earlier this week, we’ve heard from colleagues all around the world in places like Chile, Tasmania, Scotland, and so many others working to protect their own public waters from the environmental harm of commercial net pen aquaculture,” says Helverson. “Today’s historic decision is setting a new standard that will serve as a model and rallying cry to bolster the efforts of communities and governments around the world working toward this same end and we stand committed to leveraging our massive success to support their efforts.”
Cooke is the same company found at fault for the catastrophic 2017 Cypress Island net pen collapse that released over 260,000 nonnative and viral-infected Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. Cooke purchased all of Washington’s net pen facilities in 2016 with plans to expand exponentially in Washington waters.
In response to this expansion plan, Wild Fish Conservancy launched the Our Sound, Our Salmon (OSOS) campaign in April 2017 to raise public awareness about the environmental impacts of commercial net pen aquaculture. In 2018, a coalition of over 10,000 individuals and hundreds of businesses and organizations under the banner of OSOS, worked in concert with Tribal efforts, to advocate for Washington’s landmark law banning nonnative Atlantic salmon aquaculture.
In July 2020, in response to Cooke avoiding the ban by transitioning to native species, the OSOS campaign launched a new initiative, Taking Back Our Sound, with the goal of preventing Cooke from receiving new leases. Through this effort, 9,000 individuals and 127 business and organizations called on DNR’s Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz through a petition and direct actions, which included a Bainbridge Island city resolution, to deny new leases to Cooke and to restore Puget Sound for the benefit and use of all. In making her decision over Cooke’s lease request, DNR was required by statute to issue a decision in the best interest of the public.
“It’s clear this victory for wild salmon, orcas, and Puget Sound belongs to no one person or group. Without the separate actions of thousands of individuals, Washington’s Tribal Nations, businesses, organizations, chefs, fishing groups, scientists, elected officials, and so many others working together over the last five years, this would never have been possible,” says Helverson. “It is truly inspiring to see what is possible when the public unifies their voices and works together with the law and science on their side toward the shared goal of a healthier Puget Sound.”
Filed under: Aquaculture, Around the Salish Sea, Endangered Species, Environmental Activism, Environmental Law, Environmental Protection, First Nations, fisheries, legislation, Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, Straits of Juan de Fuca | Tagged: Hilary Franz | Comments Off on Dept. of Nat. Resources Bans Future Net Pen Aquaculture – Major Win for Environmentalists, Tribes, Salmon & Orcas.
The PPF has been spearheading environmental challenges to the most difficult problems we have faced: a nuclear power plant on Miller Peninsula, Northern Tier pipeline that would have gone in right off Protection Island, and more recently, the ever-growing industrial shellfish industry and their often illegally permitted farms, as proven in a court case against the Army Corps of Engineers.
Thursday, November 17, 7:00 PM RSVP to PPF@olympus.net to receive the Zoom connection*
Our featured speaker this year is Kristina Sinclair, Associate Attorney at the Center for Food Safety
Topic: “What You Should Know About Industrial Raised Shellfish
*Space is limited to 100.
Kristina Sinclair is an Associate Attorney at the Center for Food Safety (CFS), where she focuses on environmental cases challenging industrial agriculture, including commercial shellfish.
Kristina earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. While in law school, Kristina was an Articles Editor for the California Law Review. She also participated in the Environmental Law Clinic, served on the steering committee for Students for Economic and Environmental Justice, and worked as a teaching assistant for Appellate Advocacy. Upon graduation, she received recognition for her pro bono work and a Certificate of Specialization in Environmental Law.
Webinar: Since joining CFS, Kristina has been working on a lawsuit challenging highly disruptive industrial shellfish operations in Washington. In this case, CFS and Coalition to Protect Puget Sound allege that the U.S. Army Corps (USACE) failed to properly consider the potential risks before reissuing the nationwide permit for commercial shellfish activities in January 2021, in violation of the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Endangered Species Act. In addition, USACE has authorized over 400 commercial shellfish operations without any public notice or environment review. Consequently, these operations have significant adverse, effects on Washington’s local environment and wildlife. In this webinar, Kristina will provide an overview of USACE’s shellfish permitting requirements, as well as the ongoing litigation challenging USACE’s unlawful shellfish permitting actions. She will also share some insights from this legal work and potential opportunities for future advocacy.
Filed under: Environmental Activism, environmental education, Environmental Protection, Events, Olympic Peninsula | Comments Off on EVENT: Join Protect the Peninsula’s Future for its 49th Year Celebration (Virtual)
Fascinating 30 minute audio segment on the BBC about whether mass protests help promote the public to action on climate change. Answer? Not likely. Why? Politics and our modern social media are altering the very reality of people. Political hallucination as I would call it. Check it out.
“As pandemic restrictions ease in many places, street protests are starting up again. But what happens when the public takes climate action into their own hands, from sticking themselves to diggers to bunking off school? Mass protests and demonstrations can be an effective way to gain media attention but do they lead to lasting change?”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct3kjk
Filed under: Environmental Activism | Tagged: protest | 1 Comment »
Please join Center for Sustainable Economy, Center for Responsible Forestry, and the Emergency Conservation Committee PNW on September 17th, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the Port Townsend Community Center (right next to Farmers Market) for a panel discussion on the climate impacts of industrial logging activities and what decision makers at the federal, state, and local level can do to scale up climate smart alternatives that represent a win-win-win for climate, communities, and workers. More information about the event can be found here. Please share the event on Facebook here. The panel will feature former Commissioner of Public Lands (2009-2017) Peter Goldmark, Dr. John Talberth, and Jessica Randall speaking about the scientific and economic case for protecting Olympic forests for their climate benefits and what strategies are in play to accomplish that goal. A lively discussion will follow, so please be prepared to share ideas on what you think needs to happen. See you then!
Filed under: Environmental Activism, environmental education, Events | 2 Comments »
