End-of-Year Campaign Raises $100,000 in Defense of Washington’s Wild Legacy

Photo: Brittany Groh

We are so excited to share that our 2022 end-of-year campaign raised $100,000, surpassing our goal and closing out the year in an incredible way. We are deeply humbled and thankful to have earned such amazing community support. You may or may not have heard this about Washington Wild before, but we are a team of just five full-time staff. As such a small nonprofit organization, every dollar truly counts, and the funds we raise go directly to our mission to defend your wild places.

When measuring Washington Wild’s impact, tallying the numbers is a natural place to start; permanently protecting 3 million acres of Wilderness throughout the state, Seattle’s ranking as the #1 major US city in terms of access to Wilderness areas, or building a cross-border coalition of 380+ in defense of the Skagit Headwaters. What is harder to definitively measure, but we believe is where we make some of our most impactful strides, are the relationships we hold onto and the new ones we build. From our Brewshed® Alliance members and corporate partners to our board members and volunteers, it is supporters like you that make the difference. So when we were thinking about the messaging of our 2022 end-of-year campaign, we ran with the theme of ‘Washington’s Wild Legacy’.

If you’re on our email list, you received messages from a diverse group of our community partners and supporters throughout December. But we wanted to share some of their insightful and powerful words with a broader audience. After all, our wild legacy of 43 years and beyond would not be possible without the generosity, passion, and hard work of our entire community.

“One of my favorite things about volunteering with Washington Wild is meeting so many amazing people in our community who truly care about protecting and defending our wild places. And there are A LOT of you! Washington Wild’s network of support is vast and comes from many different people of different ages, backgrounds, and interests in what makes our wild places so special. It’s a treat hearing the excitement that comes from talking to people in our community who want to maintain Washington’s wild legacy for years to come because it will need all of us.” 
—Leilani Balais, WA Volunteer & Supporter

“Our mission is to innovate world-class beverages while cultivating shared success for our employees, partners, and community. We can connect with our consumers by supporting what we jointly value in this world—preserving wild spaces while creating a legacy to ensure future generations will have the same opportunity to enjoy our cherished wilderness. As a group of passionate outdoor enthusiasts, we are honored to support Washington Wild, which puts our resources to work in ways that directly improve our wild spaces!”
—Colin Muir Schilling, CEO of Schilling Cider

“The greatest lesson I’ve learned along the trail is that wild places don’t stay wild by accident. We need stalwarts who will defend and advocate for our forests, rivers, mountains, prairies, and deserts. People who do this work so that we can all thrive. People like the staff and volunteers of Washington Wild. People like you.” 
—Amy Gulick, Author, Photographer, and Conservationist

“I believe that the words “wild legacy” point to our responsibility to try and fix what we have broken and save as much wilderness as we can for future generations. … So, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and pick out a handful of organizations to support. I might not be able to save the world, but I can support those who are. It is not a lot, but it is something, and it really helped me to feel less helpless.”
—Tara Hollins, Seven-year WA Wild Supporter & Monthly Donor

“In what might be the largest single beer collaboration [Save the Snake River Lager] in PNW history, we were a united front in telling our elected officials that now is the time to remove the four lower Snake River Dams. The Brewshed® Alliance is a catalyst for the Washington beer industry to come together to advocate for keeping our ecosystems healthy and protected. Our voices as businesses are compounded when we speak as one.” 
—Brandon Wiley, Beverage Director, Bottleworks

“As small business operators, we embrace the ethos of people and planet over profit. The thing I love the most about the Brewshed® Alliance is that it’s an invitation for everyone involved to embrace this philosophy with like-minded partners. I believe that not only is this a sound business strategy, but more importantly, it’s the right way to do business. And with the immense environmental and social challenges we all face, I wholeheartedly believe it’s the only way going forward.” 
—Ben and Kelsey Curran, Owners of Watershed Pub & Kitchen 

“When it comes to protecting wild places and combating climate change, we are stronger when we work together. [Through an exciting partnership between This Is Indian Country and Washington Wild] and with funding from the BECU Foundation, the Indigenous Climate Impacts Oral History Project will capture traditional knowledge and insight from local tribal elders on the impacts of climate change and what can be done about it. … Although we have already passed certain tipping points with climate change, I believe we can still meet the challenge in important ways if we maximize related public understanding and join forces to defeat it.”   
—Willie Frank III, Chairman, Nisqually Tribe, and Board Member, This Is Indian Country

“When I was asked to lend my voice to Washington Wild’s end-of-year campaign and share why I continue to support them after all these years, my response sounded very familiar to their core messaging: being effective advocates requires bringing together diverse stakeholders and speaking to legislators in a way that single issue approaches do not. Washington Wild has positioned itself to lead such coalitions and has continued to achieve results that benefit us all, with a small, but targeted budget. I feel fortunate that I have been able to help support their efforts for the past 20 years.” 
—Barbara Stein, 20-year WA Wild Supporter

“Being a family business, we see the power in community building and creating lasting partnerships, just as Washington Wild does. Their work on defending the Skagit Headwaters by building a coalition of over 300 diverse voices was truly incredible. It reminded me of our own community building and how that has helped us grow, not only in the Tacoma area, but all over the state. These partnerships, when used properly, can help entire communities strive toward the most desirable versions of themselves.” 
—Quincy Henry, Founder & Owner of Campfire Coffee          

“At MiiR, when we think about wild legacy, we think about leaving behind a place where the next generation can access wild spaces for sustenance, culture, play, education, and connection with the earth and to one another. … we feel strongly that it is the responsibility of those who have the privilege of engaging with our wild places for enjoyment to be the loudest advocates for its preservation—which makes Washington Wild a perfect local organization to support. Their work in building coalitions and bringing power from the community to their work is incredibly unique and impactful.” 
—Devon Richardson, MiiR Giving & Sustainability Manager