Let the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife know that you value wolves and their positive effect on ecosystems and wish to see their recovery to Washington's wildlife and habitat. The wolves will thank you for ensuring a wild future for our corner of the world! Click here to learn more about how you can help, talking points & how to submit written comments!

Sierra Club members in Washington State care passionately about protecting the Northern Gray Wolf, an endangered species that faces extinction from human predators. Our Fall 2009 edition of the Cascade Crest included a postcard for members to fill out and return for our use in organizing for the public comment period of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife regarding their draft policy on Gray Wolf management for our state. Soon we will deliver your postcards to the WDFW. The postcard response has been extraordinary, send in yours today! We have posted comments from some of the postcards at the end of this article. To acquaint yourself with some background on the Gray Wolf, some important “talking points” for speaking publicly at the public hearings, and other pertinent materials.

High Tension over Big Timber, by Christine MacDonald

Late in 2007, storm-driven rains in southwestern Washington sent floodwater, mud, and tons of logging debris crashing into homes and farmland downstream of the Chehalis River. Numerous landslides destroyed wide swaths of mountain habitat, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage, and downed an estimated 140,000 truckloads of timber — much of it on land owned by the Weyerhaeuser Company, the state's largest private timberland owner.

In the storm's aftermath, the state senate summoned timber industry executives to Seattle and grilled them about their logging practices. And when election season arrived in fall 2008, Doug Sutherland, the state commissioner of public lands, a Republican with campaign finance ties to logging companies, was swept from office. He was replaced by Democrat Peter Goldmark, who railed against Weyerhaeuser for clear-cutting that many believe had exacerbated — if not caused — the disaster.

Click here to read the entire article in Architecture week!

Temporary closure goes into effect November 2

OLYMPIA — The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be giving extra attention to state trust lands in the Reiter Foothills Forest in southeastern Snohomish County this fall, winter, and spring. DNR staff and volunteers will be restoring damaged habitat, beginning construction on new trail systems, and working to improve public safety.  To accomplish these goals, DNR will temporarily close the Reiter Foothills area to everything but foot traffic beginning November 2. The closure will allow restoration work to proceed more effectively. At the same time, DNR will be working with volunteers to locate trails that are fun, challenging, and environmentally sustainable, with low maintenance.

By Stan Moffett, Water and Salmon Committee

In 2005, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna declared that livestock producers could use unlimited quantities of groundwater, with no permit required. The result, four years later, is that water availability is becoming a big problem in certain areas of the state.

The lower Yakima Valley and Pasco areas are particularly attractive to livestock producers because of their lax zoning laws and arid climate. Family farmers are being displaced as mega-dairies and industrial-size feedlots move in, raising thousands of cattle in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. These require more water than has ever been used here before, but thanks to McKenna’s opinion, this does not concern them.

Help us to make Washington a coal free state by phasing out the TransAlta coal plant, which is responsible for 20% of our electricity.

The TransAlta coal plant is the largest source of global warming pollution in the state. It's the largest source of toxic mercury pollution, which is especially dangerous to children and future mothers, and is also responsible for haze pollution which destroys the beauty of 12 wilderness areas, including Mt. Rainier.    WE CAN DO BETTER.    We can replace coal with clean, renewable forms of energy like wind, solar and efficiency that will create jobs and reduce global warming.   Washington can be a national leader on clean energy. Over the next several months, we will be turning the heat up on Governor Gregoire, urging her to be a leader in getting us off our dirty coal habit.   We can make Washington coal free, but we can’t do it without your help. Click here to take action to make Washington a coal-free state.