100 More Businesses & CEOs Announce Support for Wild Olympics
More than 100 new businesses and CEOs on the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas announced their support for the Wild Olympics legislation. They cite the quality of life on the Olympic Peninsula as a driving force behind economic growth and job creation in the local economy, and understand that the Wild Olympics legislation would protect that […]
Dam proposed for South Fork Skykomish Would Be Economic Loser
A new economic study of the controversial Sunset Falls Dam on Washington’s South Fork of the Skykomish River, reveals the power generated at the proposed site would cost 2.3 times more than the Snohomish County Public Utility District (SnoPUD) estimates. Rocky Mountain Econometrics (RME), an economic, business and energy consulting firm in Boise, Idaho, evaluated […]
New National Monument Designated for San Juan Islands
President Obama formally designated the San Juan Island National Monument, which protects 970 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) managed lands on Patos, Lopez, and surrounding Islands. These areas are being protected for their cultural and historical values and their natural beauty. Washington Wild has been working to highlight similar gems around the state […]
Forest Service Approves Exploratory Drilling Near Mount St. Helens
The Gifford Pinchot National Forest authorized plans to explore for minerals near Mount St. Helens. Ascot Resources Ltd., a mining company based in Canada, applied to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and USFS to conduct exploratory drilling on approximately 900 acres of land, 217 acres of which they own a 50% interest. The exploratory […]
Supreme Court Upholds Roadless Rule
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal that challenged the legality of the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule. This action, by the highest court in the land, effectively ends a legal battle that began in 2001, and upholds the national Roadless Area Conservation Rule. After both the 9th and 10th Circuit Court of […]
New Wilderness in Washington – Thunder Creek
Washington State welcomed its newest Wilderness addition to the Stephen M. Mather Wilderness this month – 3,559 acres within the Ross Lake National Recreation Area known as Thunder Creek. Thunder Creek was originally identified for designation as “Potential Wilderness” in the Washington Parks Wilderness Act of 1988 because of its wilderness character, but with an […]
Watershed Restoration near Wild Sky Wilderness Approved
The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest approved a proposal to decommission and remove 10 miles of old decaying logging roads located adjacent to the Wild Sky Wilderness. These roads no longer provide recreational access but pose aquatic risks to the Harlan Creek watershed. Washington Wild, along with three other organizations, submitted comments on the Environmental Assessment […]
Wild Sky Becomes First New Wilderness in 24 Years
On May 8, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Wild Sky Wilderness Act as part of the Consolidated Natural Resources Act of 2008, creating the first new national forest wilderness area in Washington State in more than 20 years. Washington Wild and other conservation organizations praised Congressman Larsen and Senator Murray for their unwavering […]
