Indigenous people aren’t waiting for government to act to restore salmon to the Upper Columbia River, they’re taking the lead. By Chase Gunnell, Communications Director Last weekend, our Executive Director Mitch Friedman had the honor of participating in a Salmon Ceremony at Kettle Falls (presently covered by the reservoir of Lake Roosevelt) with members of … Continued
Just as an old-growth tree serves as the ecological backbone of a resilient forest, a strong emotional foundation can help people get through hard times. By Tiana Luke, Colville Forest Lead Much of my work as part of the Forest Field Team centers on ecological resilience. Whether that is increasing ecological resilience—so wildfires burn within … Continued
The San Poil project on the Colville National Forest falls short on its forest and aquatic restoration objectives and threatens to reduce wilderness quality lands. By Tiana Luke, Colville Forest Lead, Northeast Washington Forest Coalition Board Member The San Poil project on the Colville National Forest near Republic, Washington, aims to restore the forest and … Continued
Working toward permanent protections for northeast Washington’s wildest roadless forests, particularly the crest of the Kettle Range You may have heard of the Columbia Highlands Initiative, which we’ve recently rebooted as our Colville Wild campaign. You can also find more information here. THANK YOU to everyone who has followed this effort, some background on our … Continued
Getting to know our Forest Field Program and its place in the landscape and community of northeast Washington. BY KEIKO BETCHER, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH ASSOCIATE, AND MATTHEW BROUWER, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR As two staffers based in Conservation Northwest’s Seattle headquarters, it’s not often that we get the chance to spend time enjoying the landscapes we work … Continued
In our continued push for wilderness protections in northeast Washington, we made several objections to the Forest’s final management plan. by Tiana Luke, Conservation Associate, Colville Forest Field Staff The 15-year process of updating the Colville National Forest Management Plan is coming to its culmination. We have been striving since 2004 to help forge a … Continued
Our Chewelah and Deer Park field staffers and colleagues from the Northeast Washington Forest Coalition had the pleasure of showing representatives from the offices of Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Patty Murray around the Columbia Highlands this week! We hiked some incredible trails while talking about wolves, range riders, Get Out Fest, and the need for more protected wilderness on the … Continued
The revised Plan recommends wilderness protections for only three areas, leaving most quality lands without permanent protection. By Tiana Luke, CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE, COLVILLE FOREST FIELD STAFF Last week, the Colville National Forest released its Revised Forest Plan after 15 years of work to update the guidelines by which our public lands are managed for wilderness, wildlife, … Continued
An update on the Northeast Washington Forestry Coalition from our Forest Field Program. BY TIANA LUKE, CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE and COLVILLE FOREST FIELD STAFF While divisiveness grows rampant in many parts of the world, there’s still a place in the northeastern corner of Washington state where those of different viewpoints work together to promote each other’s … Continued
Update on Colville National Forest Plan BY TIANA LUKE, CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE and COLVILLE FOREST FIELD STAFF The current Forest Plan on the Colville National Forest has been in place just a year longer than Conservation Northwest has been “Keeping the Northwest wild”, and we’ve been actively involved in its update from the beginning. National Forests … Continued