Conservation Northwest

Mitch Friedman Executive director, mitch@conservationnw.org View from the Director Forging ahead Much has been said of the stubborn persistence of Bill Iffrig, the older Snohomish County man who, after being knocked down by a bomb blast, got back to his feet and finished the Boston Marathon. His resilience is a great metaphor for responding to incomprehensible acts of terror. But from what example do we draw when responding to the breakdown in American politics? Conservation Northwest launched our Columbia Highlands Initiative eight years ago with a goal of engaging so effectively in northeastern Washington communities—and collaboratively developing a balanced land use proposal for the entire Colville National Forest—that the wilderness component of our vision would be signed by President Bush. We understood this was a lofty ambition but believed then and now it was the best way to accommodate both the national interest, protecting the grandeur of the Kettle Crest, and the local interest, producing logs and jobs in a sustainable way. We also saw a compelling need to develop new science and methods for restoring to resilience expansive areas of abused forest. While we didn't gain wilderness protection for the Kettles and Selkirks, we did achieve other success. Our partnership with major local timber companies and the Forest Service produced more than thirty successful high quality restoration and forestry projects—all without controversy. We advanced a land use proposal for the Columbia Highlands that had a stronger base in science and greater degree of mainstream support from the community than any other wilderness-inclusive proposal in the Interior American West. Our efforts were lauded by the Secretary of Agriculture and many others. In the half-century since The Wilderness Act was passed in 1964, countless proposals have been introduced and enacted with less merit and less local support than our blueprint for the Colville National Forest. Apparently here the threshold for Congressional action was higher, perhaps needing a veritable consensus of all stakeholders. We never quite won over the most conservative ranchers or the motorized recreationists. By mid-2009, as national trends saw rural Americans moving farther right and the new presence of wolves in the area heightened tensions, our goal slipped farther from reach. Now, in the morass that is today's United States Congress, we can't even get to the starting line. Conservation Northwest is not giving up on wilderness in the Columbia Highlands but neither will we waste your hard-earned money on a goose chase. For now our efforts are more effectively refocused on two things, not just in the Columbia Highlands, but across much of our geography: showing that Washington can coexist with wolves and making real progress with forest restoration, wildlife recovery, and habitat connectivity in the places we still can. Bill Iffrig only needed to move forward another few feet to reach his finish line; we have a much longer race ahead to keep the Northwest wild. But our progress is real, meaningful, and determined, even if we occasionally get knocked down. When a better day arrives for American politics and Congressional leadership, the gems of the Columbia Highlands will still be prime for wilderness designation. Mitch Friedman atop Mount Stewart in the new Lake Whatcom watershed park. Jackie Branz Our progress for keeping the Northwest wild is real, meaningful, and determined, even if we occasionally get knocked down. The way forward Our pilot project in 2012 with a Stevens County ranch family was a shining success for wolf conflict avoidance. Other Conservation Northwest successes include: • Groundbreaking forest restoration work on the Colville National Forest • Conservation easements on working ranchlands critical to connected habitat for wildlife • Wildlife bridges on Interstate 90 and elsewhere helping wildlife to move safely across busy highways • A new 8,800-acre watershed park just outside of Bellingham, Washington

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