A backyard connection point for People of Color and allies founded in community and admiration for the outdoors By Kurt Hellmann, Advocacy Associate The Refuge Outdoor Festival is a multi-day combination of workshops and activities meant to bring People of Color (POC) together to share, learn and connect in nature. Painting, music, bird watching, biking, … Continued
Restoring iconic big cats to wildlands we’ve long worked to protect, connect and restore. By Mitch Friedman, Executive Director I was honored last Saturday to be present when Timxw, a 28 lb male Canada lynx, was released into the freshly snowed forest at the northern end of the Reservation of the Colville Confederated Tribes, near the south end of the Kettle River Mountain Range in Ferry County. The door … Continued
Diverse stakeholder group met throughout 2021 to discuss the emerging issue of electric-powered bicycle access on Washington’s public lands BY KURT HELLMANN, ADVOCACY ASSOCIATE AND WILDLIFE-RECREATION COEXISTENCE PROGRAM LEAD Electric-powered bicycles (e-bikes) are a rapidly growing form of recreation in the outdoors. While great for carbon-free transit up steep city streets, where else can e-bikers … Continued
Our attorneys argued before WA’s Supreme Court that State Forests must be managed “for all the people” By Paula Swedeen, Policy Director In a case decades in the making, on Thursday our attorneys argued before the State Supreme Court that Washington’s State Forests must be managed “for all the people”, as our State Constitution directs. You can … Continued
We believe that DNR forest management should be guided by actions that result in long-term ecological health, mitigate climate change, and support sustainable economic contributions to the state as a whole and to local communities. By Paula Swedeen, Ph.D., Policy Director Conservation Northwest, along with our co-plaintiffs Washington Environmental Council, the Olympic Forest Coalition, and … Continued
Leadership at WDFW and its Commission must ensure that differences go to respectful dialogue so that decisions have resiliency over decades. Change must move us forward without leaving anyone behind. BY JEN SYROWITZ, CONSERVATION PROGRAM MANAGER I just returned from a soul-filling upland bird hunt on a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) area … Continued
We’ve reached our fundraising goal for the Cascades to Rockies Capital Campaign! By Mitch Friedman, Executive Director I am thrilled to share that with your donations we’ve reached our fundraising goal for the Cascades to Rockies Capital Campaign! We’ve wired the funds into escrow and will close on the property by the end of this week. … Continued
Conservation Northwest staff weigh in on U.S. Forest Service fire suppression fuelbreak tactics in the Methow Valley By Dave Werntz, Science and Conservation Director Nothing really prepares you for it. Even after everyone had seen the loaded log trucks for weeks—one after another, day after day—hauling down Twisp River road with big fat old trees … Continued
In recognition of World Rivers Day, learn about our work in the Chehalis Basin and watch a free viewing of Chehalis: A Watershed Moment By Brian Stewart, Cascades to Olympics Program Coordinator World Rivers Day, which was September 26, 2021, is a day used to highlight the importance of rivers, and encourages stewardship and conservation … Continued
State acquisition of TransAlta property in Lewis County offers opportunity for public land access and wildlife habitat By Brian Stewart Over the last few months we have heard the opinions and fears of prominent Lewis County residents rejecting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s proposed land acquisition of the degraded TransAlta Centralia Mine property. … Continued