During my 27 years as a teacher, I have witnessed time and again students' joy when they connect scientific content from the classroom to real life investigations in the outdoors. Some of my favorite memories in teaching have been moments watching students gasp at the spectacle of salmon spawning near the Wild Sky Wilderness -- an area I worked with Sen. Patty Murray for nine years to protect.
I worked on that bill because I know that future scientists are born in the outdoors. That is why I am so thankful to Sen. Murray not only for the Wild Sky, but also for co-sponsoring the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Act which, if it passes, will expand opportunities for experiential outdoor learning so drastically needed by today's students.
But future students may not be able to fully benefit from these efforts. Currently, some in Congress are seeking to eliminate or reduce funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which protects lands across the United States. LWCF provides funding for national parks, forests and refuges, as well as state and local parks.
North Puget Sound residents have the LWCF to thank for many of our kids' chances to experience the outdoors close to home. The LWCF has protected some of Washington's most engaging landscapes and wild places, from portions of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and North Cascades National Park to nearby treasures like Deception Pass.
The fund has helped create local parks in Everett like Howarth, Langus Riverfront, and Lions neighborhood park, just to name a few. And the LWCF helped to expand the Wild Sky, protecting the water quality needed by those spawning salmon that so impress my students.
When we conserve forests, natural areas and wildlife habitat, all Washington residents benefit -- especially students. Our parks and natural areas are outdoor classrooms where children learn by using all of their senses: tasting wild berries, smelling the scent of an old cedar forest, and watching with wonder the return of our wild salmon.
But the LWCF, the premier program to safeguard places for our students to experience the outdoors, is in grave danger of being slashed in Congress's 2012 budget. The House has proposed roughly $90 million for the program in 2012, a staggering 90 percent cut from the president's budget.
Without that funding, critical, ready-to-go opportunities will be lost. Critical projects to preserve our heritage in Ebey's Landing and to conserve the North Creek Forest, 24 acres of rich habitat in forests and streams near Bothell, will be lost, among others around the state.
It is important to note that the LWCF doesn't use a penny of taxpayer dollars. Instead, it is funded by offshore lease royalties paid by oil and gas companies. This program is a promise that Congress made to the American people in 1965 to offset the negative effects of offshore drilling.
Fortunately, our senators have rejected the drastic cuts in the House proposal and proposed $350 million in funding for the program this year. Sen. Murray has spoken up in support of the LWCF, and we are very lucky to have her as our champion. In her leadership role in the Senate, Sen. Murray is in a key position to protect outdoor spaces for our kids and grandkids.
Sen. Murray understands that we need to provide opportunities for the next generation to learn and excel, especially in science, by getting outside and discovering the marvels of our natural world. She and Sen. Maria Cantwell, who co-sponsored a bill to fully and permanently fund the LWCF, are champions for our quality of life and our children's. I urge others in Congress to follow their lead and support funding for the LWCF and to pass the No Child Left Inside legislation.
Mike Town has taught high school science for 27 years. Last year he was an Einstein Fellow with the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C., where he researched STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education policy. He has hiked extensively throughout Snohomish County and worked closely with Washington Wild on the passage of the Wild Sky Wilderness Act.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Great news for Alpine Lakes Wilderness additions!
Hip-Hip-Hooray!
We are happy to announce that the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Pratt and
Want to see the impressive land for yourself? Finding a hike is easy to do! Just east of
Hiking Ideas:
Close to I-90, the following trails are popular and accessible. Most of these trails start off outside the proposed Wilderness Additions but quickly enter the proposal, ending at their destinations in the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.
- Talapus Lake Snowshoe (#1039)
- Island Lake – Rainbow Lake (#1009)
- Granite Mountain Snowshoe (#1016)
- Ira Spring Trail – Mason Lake (#1038)
A bit further of a drive, the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail and the Pratt River Connector Trail (#1035) offer magnificent experiences. The Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail is just outside of the Wilderness proposal but entirely within the Wild and
Remember to plan accordingly for your hike! Make sure to bring extra water, proper supplies and check the weather before you leave.
Sarah Gruen is one of Washington Wild's wild lands interns. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in geography in 2010. Sarah can be reached at sarah@wawild.org.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wildlands Report: Snow Peak Trail
Much thanks to volunteer Aaron Theisen for writing this post! Aaron resides in the Columbia Highlands region in the northeastern portion of our beautiful state.
Washington Wild welcomes people to create “Wildland Reports” that chronicle their experiences in National Forests, Roadless Areas, and Wilderness. Find out more information here.
Wildland Report: Snow Peak Trail
Bald-Snow Roadless Area, Colville National Forest
Snow Peak Trail #10 offers a short, but steep, entry into the Colville National Forest’s Bald-Snow Roadless Area, where one can witness the remarkable regeneration of the terrain from the White Mountain Fire, which in 1988 burned over 20,000 acres of forest. Plenty of sunlight and fertile, fire-rejuvenated soil mean a feast of flowers.
The trail begins among scattered old-growth Douglas-fir and Ponderosa pine that escaped the wildfire. Massive spikes of purple lupine grace the open understory. After several quick switchbacks, the route arcs around the southern face of a ridge that juts out from the Kettle Crest.
Although the trail occasionally tunnels through thick stands of Douglas fir and Scouler’s willow, most of the way passes through open forest. To the south stands the pyramidal peak of Bald Mountain, but the dazzling array of wildflowers– buckwheat, lupine, aster, yarrow, paintbrush, hawkweed and others–will likely keep your attention focused on the foreground.
After nearly two miles, the trail gains the ridge, and young trees begin to close ranks among huge hunks of ancient granite. A few minutes of rollercoaster hiking brings you to the intersection with the Kettle Crest Trail, 2.7 steep miles from the trailhead. Ahead lies the steep western flank of Snow Peak, the second-highest peak in the Kettle Range and a wintertime destination for backcountry skiers. To the north and south stand the other peaks of the Kettle Range and 45 miles of world-class wilderness hiking.
Although the Forest Service recommended part of Bald-Snow Roadless Area for Wilderness status in its draft forest plan, the agency left the entire northern half of the roadless area, including Snow Peak itself and the area traversed by Snow Peak Trail, outside the recommended Wilderness boundary. It’d be a shame to leave this beautiful hike and beautiful mountain unprotected.
Driving directions: From Republic, travel east on Highway 20 6.9 miles to Hall Creek Road 99. Follow Hall Creek Road 3.3 miles to Road 100. Turn left on Road 100 and drive 3.5 miles to the trailhead on the right side of the road.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
New Threats to the Endangered Species Act.
The current Congress, especially the House of Representatives, has distinguished itself as one of the most anti-environmental on record. After setting their sights on roadless forest and wilderness protections, exempting our cornerstone environmental laws in the name of border patrol and artificially increasing logging, it appears they are now after endangered species.
The House Natural Resources Committee recently held the first in a series of oversight hearings on the Endangered Species Act , The Committee Chairman, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA04) from eastern Washington, argues that the nearly 40-year old landmark environmental law is broken and needs fixing. In his opening statement to the committee, Hastings states, “of the species listed in the past 38 years, only 20 have been declared recovered. That’s a 1% recovery rate.”
At first blush, one percent is not the picture of success, but consider what the Endangered Species Act really is. It is the emergency room for species on the brink of extinction. Species which have seen their habitat decline by 90% due to logging road building and development, struggle to adapt to effects of global warming or suffer impacts from pollution. These species are in the Intensive Care Unit and are fighting for their lives.
This type of care is by definition expensive and not always successful. It is a last resort. A better approach than changing the Endangered Species Act would be to treat the reasons why species end up on the list in the first place. Healthcare professionals preach preventative medicine like exercise, diet, stress management and regular check ups. Perhaps what we really need to do to protect species and reduce the list of endangered species is to protect and restore wildlife habitat, control pollution, reduce greenhouse emissions and practice sustainable development.
Some of Washington State’s most well-known and iconic animals are endangered; including the local Orca whale, several salmon species, Northern Spotted Owls, and sea otters. There are also hundreds of threatened, endangered, and declining species that find refuge in the roadless and wild areas in Washington State.
While no bill has yet been introduced on changes to the Endangered Species Act, I worry what may be around the corner in this Congress. Legislation has already been introduced that would sell off our public lands, allow construction of military bases in our National Parks and preclude future wilderness designations.
What’s next?
(Read more inside ..)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Op-Ed: Save conservation fund for students
Originally printed at: http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20111126/OPINION03/711269987/-1/OPINION%23Save-conservation-fund-for-our-students
Save conservation fund, for our students
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Becoming Washington Wild
Dear Friends,
For 32 years, the Washington Wilderness Coalition – WWC, as we’ve been affectionately known - has been the leading organization working to protect wilderness in
In recent years, we’ve worked in coalitions to combine the protections of wilderness with
If you have any questions about these changes, please feel free to contact me at kim@wawild.org or 206.633.1992.
Kimberly Adank
Membership & Development Director
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Witnessing Liquid Liberty
Written by Tom Uniack, WWC's conservation director.
I recently had the unique opportunity to bear witness to the emancipation of a river.
For the first time in a century, with the breaching of the massive 125 feet high and 471 feet long Condit Dam, the White Salmon River is now running freely from its source to its mouth at the mighty Columbia River.
An official dam breaching celebration (limited to less than 100 people) was held to observe the decommissioning of the 98-year old Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in southwestern Washington.
I had this great opportunity because Washington Wilderness Coalition was a party to the settlement agreement for the dam decommissioning, which took two decades to be realized. Before the dam was breached, there was a stirring ceremony and traditional singing from Yakama Nation tribal elders, who are eager to see the river return to its former glory and for the eventual return of salmon. The crowd included additional tribal representatives, conservationists, whitewater paddlers, federal and state agency biologists and officials and engineers, and employees working for PacifiCorp Energy who owns and operates the dam.
As a group of us waited in anticipation perhaps 1,000 yards from the dam, warning horns sounded and there was a loud blast as 800 pounds of explosives blew a hole in the bottom of the dam. As a torrent of gray water shot out from the base of the dam turning to a chocolate brown, cheers of joy rose up all around me.
A Dana Lyons song began to course through my head. This beautifully simple song titled Drop of Water, chronicles a river being set free.
Bending down the steel
In a raging that is real
A tearing torrent you can feel
Water rushing to the sea
And now the river is free
It was amazing to see nature return down river after being restrained for so long. Engineers estimated that the reservoir behind the dam would take 6 hours to drain. The river did it in 45 minutes. You can watch the video of the explosion here.
The rest of the dam will come down piece by piece over the next year leaving a renewed legacy for the White Salmon River. Its removal will open 33 miles of habitat for steelhead and 14 miles of habitat for Chinook salmon. One long term fisheries biologist studying salmon on this river says fish could be above the dam as early as March 2012. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have already been moving salmon above the dam this summer and fall to spawn and hope that their offspring will return in later years.
The removal of the Dam will also open up 5 new miles of churning rapids and river canyons for rafters and kayakers to explore. Local rafting businesses like Wet Planet and other businesses in towns like White Salmon will benefit economically in future years.
With two dams on the
Thursday, September 15, 2011
So Long, Terra!
Goodbye to Washington Wilderness Coalition and to all of the wilderness blog followers!
As the summer comes to an end, so does my summer internship with WWC. As the conservation outreach intern, I had the privilege of going to some of the events around
At my first event, Strawberry Festival, I was unsure, quiet, and hardly knew how to answer many of the questions people would ask me. But as the weeks passed and I continued to work with and talk to the awesome WWC employees, my understanding of WWC’s work became clear. Now, I can easily discuss Wild Olympics, WWC’s work in Wild Sky, Wilderness designations, and the
Writing for the Washington Wilderness Coalition blog let me continue to develop my writing skills throughout the summer, while learning about some serious environmental issues. I had no idea legislation like the McCarthy or Bishop bills even existed, or that such extreme anti-environmental laws like that could even be considered. It really opened my eyes to the important work that groups like WWC do to keep our wild lands secure. This internship was a wonderful opportunity to experience environmental activism both in the office and outside with the community, and I hope to work with Washington Wilderness Coalition again in the future. Thank you for everything to Kim, my boss, who paid me in cupcakes!
Terra Miller-Cassman was WWC's exemplary conservation outreach intern this summer. She has done a wonderful job of expanding WWC's outreach efforts throughout western Washington, and will be going on to complete her senior year in UW's environmental studies program. We sincerely appreciate all of her hard work (and tolerance of Kim's bad jokes) and wish her all the best!
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