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Mt Baker from Artist Point in January 2023 Photo by Ned Vasquez
Hint: Photos and text may be easier to enjoy with your phone in the horizontal position! __________
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In This Issue
Conservation Wins to Close 2023!
Vancouver to Portland Rail
Wolverine Protection
Spotted Owl Plan Ecological Overshoot
Walking Mindfully into 2024 __________
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Conservation Wins to Close 2023!
WA Department of Ecology Protects Outstanding Rivers After a multi-year effort by various tribes and multiple organizations (including WA Sierra Club), the Washington Department of Ecology has designated segments of three river systems as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs).
The rivers include the Cascade, Green, and Napeequa. The ORW designation will help to protect these rivers from future degradation, preserving them for generations yet to come.
The Cascade River is a major tributary of the Skagit River and contributes to one of the most productive strongholds of salmon, steelhead and bull trout in Puget Sound. As a source of freshwater and chinook salmon, the Cascade is crucial in aiding the recovery of endangered Southern Resident Orcas.
Brokedown Palace, Bessie Sorts & Other
Whatcom Forests Protected!
On December 18th, RE Sources announced that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) made the decision to permanently preserve hundreds of acres of mature forest in Whatcom County, including the Brokedown Palace Timber Sale along the Middle Fork Nooksack River!
The announcement of 2,000 acres gaining protection statewide also includes 575 acres of forestland in the Lake Whatcom watershed (such as the Bessie Sorts Timber Sale), marking a major win for Bellingham's drinking water.
In aggregate, 650 acres and 6 proposed timber sales have been protected in Whatcom County! This is a historic victory that was only possible because hundreds of RE Sources supporters and community members took action to urge DNR’s leaders to protect these mature forests while they’re still here.
Take Action: Click the button below to access the RE Sources webpage and thank Public Lands Commissioner Hillary Franz for this action and to advocate for a Mature Forest Policy to protect DNR's remaining legacy forests!
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Lower Kenney Creek Preserved
This fall, Whatcom Land Trust worked with the family that lived on (and stewarded) the lower reaches of Kenney Creek for decades to conserve this vital habitat forever.
Kenney Creek flows down through mature forests before connecting to the North Fork of the Nooksack River. Historically, this stream provided habitat for four of the five species of Pacific Salmon in the Salish Sea, as well as migratory and resident trout.
The mouth of Kenney Creek, where it enters the North Fork, has a fish ladder and undersized culvert creating a major barrier for fish passage.
In 2024, Whatcom Land Trust will work with Whatcom County to remove the ladder and culvert and the salmon that return in 2025 will once again be able to swim into Kenney Creek without having to navigate these barriers, for the first time in decades!
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Peering into the Bagley Lakes Basin en route to Artist Point
Photo by Ned Vasquez __________
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Vancouver to Portland Rail
Potential for Progress
Mid-December brought a decision from the Federal Railroad Administration to reject a $200 million funding request for further study of an “ultra-high speed” rail line from Vancouver, B.C. to Seattle and Portland, Oregon.
Instead, Washington received a rail-development grant of $500,000, to fund planning for improvements to the existing Amtrak Cascades line over the next 20 years.
This is good news from an environmental standpoint, as improving the Amtrak Cascades line is a more timely, more efficient, less costly, and simpler way to provide faster and more frequent rail transportation from Vancouver to Portland.
In 2022, the WA legislature set aside $150 million in the state transportation budget to study the ultra-high speed rail option, known as the “Cascadia” line. Consideration should now be given to combining these funds with the federal grant to expedite Amtrak Cascades improvements.
Click the button below to Read More, and please consider asking your state legislators to combine the state allocation to the federal grant to fund improvements in Amtrak Cascades!
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Wolverine Photo Courtesy of Getty Images
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Wolverine Protection
On November 29, after a decade, hundreds of studies, and at least six lawsuits, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed wolverines as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the continental U.S. Unfortunately, there are estimated to be as few as 300 Wolverines remaining in the Northern Rockies, Cascades, and Wallowa Ranges (OR).
Under the ESA listing, wolverines will be largely protected from human-caused threats and a recovery plan will be developed. Conservationists are concerned about two glaring exemptions for “incidental take” - the unintentional (but expected) harm or killing of wolverines ("4(d) rule"). One allows fur trappers to kill or harm wolverines in the course of legally trapping other species; the other covers forest managers conducting fire-prevention activities.
Take Action: Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that you support strong protection and reintroduction for wolverines and that the incidental take rule 4(d) continues to place the remaining vulnerable population at excessive risk of extinction.
Click the button below to submit comments and, on the USFWS webpage, be sure to press the "Submit a Formal Comment" button.
Comments must be received by January 29, 2024.
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Northern Spotted Owl
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images
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Northern Spotted Owls
Northern spotted owls were listed as a threatened species in 1990. In 1994, a federal judge approved the Northwest Forest Plan, to set aside some 24 million acres of old-growth forests on federal land. Despite these measures, the species has continued to decline due to habitat loss related to wildfires and continued logging on unprotected lands. Populations have declined by approximately 75% over the last 20 years.
This decline has also been fueled by the increasing presence of eastern barred owls, who are larger, more aggressive, and more territorial than spotted owls. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now proposing to enlist shooters to kill more than 500,000 barred owls over the next 30 years in the Pacific Northwest to preserve habitat for northern spotted owls.
Take Action: Tell the USFWS, whether or not you agree with their plan to kill barred owls, that the real origins of the decline in northern spotted owls are human-caused habitat degradation and climate change! Comments must be received by January 16.
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North Cascades from Artist Point
Photo by Ned Vasquez __________
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Ecological Overshoot
"Ecological Overshoot", in very simple terms, refers to humanity using the earth's resources more rapidly than they can be replenished.
This concept is rooted in our perceptions of ourselves as separate from nature and underlies so many of our environmental crises, including biodiversity loss and climate change.
Understanding Ecological Overshoot can provide a deeper knowledge of the myriad ways in which we are impacting our planet and potential paths to mitigating our effects.
Learn More: Delve into this important concept by clicking the buttons below.
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Walking Mindfully Into 2024
Mindfulness is the practice of stepping out of our constant internal conversations and being fully present “in the moment”. Sophisticated science, including functional MRI scans, have demonstrated that mindfulness practices actually alter our brain function, producing beneficial effects which include decreased sensations of stress, feeling more settled and centered, and improved concentration.
Mindfulness is commonly practiced in sitting meditation but, as Thich Nhat Hanh describes in his books, Peace Is Every Breath and How To Walk, mindfulness can be practiced throughout our daily lives, including when we are walking.
On your next neighborhood walk or hike in a forest or on a beach, consider breathing in a consistent rhythm, focusing on your breath, and stepping out of your stream of consciousness. You may notice that you become more aware and appreciative of the sights, sounds, smells of your surroundings and you may just feel more renewed when you finish!
Contributed by Ned Vasquez __________
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Canadian Cascades from the Mt. Baker Highway
Photo by Ned Vasquez __________
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Happy New Year from the Mt Baker Group!
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