Conservation Northwest

news nwea news in brief Northwest Ecosystem Alliance and Defenders of Wildlife went to federal court June 3 in an effort to prevent the extinction of the North Cascades population of grizzly bears. The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the western Washington grizzly population could be as low as five animals. "Extinction is often a quiet process that occurs in a remote valley with no fanfare or announcement. We don't intend to sit on our hands while the only remaining population of West Coast grizzlies in the lower 48 quietly disappears from the face of the Earth," says Joe Scott of NWEA. The lawsuit charges that the Interior Department has not implemented the North Cascades Recovery Chapter which was completed in 1997. The Recovery Chapter is the roadmap by which the US Fish and Wildlife Service accomplishes grizzly recovery in the North Cascades ecosystem, which is one of six official grizzly bear "recovery zones." Marbled murrelet populations still declining In May a panel of leading scientists reported that the marbled murrelet, a small seabird that nests in old-growth forests along the Pacific Coast, might be gone from Washington, Oregon, and California in a few decades. The scientists maintain that all the factors causing the murrelet to be listed as a "threatened" species in 1992 are still driving it rapidly toward extinction. More than a quarter million acres of murrelet oldgrowth nesting habitat has been destroyed by logging over the last decade; 80% of the habitat destruction occurred on state and private lands. Nest predation, oil spills, and gill netting also continue to harm murrelets. After the timber industry questioned the new findings and attacked the scientists as biased and unworthy, the Bush administration decided to delay a decision on whether the murrelet should retain federal protections. That decision is now due in August. I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition After The Cascades Conservation Partnership concludes at the end of this year, its advocacy efforts will live on as the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition works toward a proposed I-90 upgrade between Hyak and Easton. Core groups in this effort include some of the steering committee groups of The Partnership, and among the growing number of endorsing organizations are the Nature Conservancy of Washington, 4 Northwest Ecosystem Alliance Grizzly. John Hechtel Saving grizzly bears Outdoor Research, and Defenders of Wildlife. NWEA is administering the coalition. The case for excellent wildlife passage on this stretch of I-90 is easy to make, as it's an extension of the arguments for strategic land acquisitions we've made since the launch of The Partnership. Cascades wildlife populations must stay connected to remain viable, and the Snoqualmie Pass area is the narrow part of the hourglass—special treatment is required. The tremendous public and private investment in habitat north and south of the freeway over the last few years reinforces the call to do right by wildlife while making travel safer and more efficient for people. The Washington State Department of Transportation will release a draft environmental impact statement in September. To be notified of public hearings and other opportunities to comment, or to request a static-cling I-90 Wildlife Bridges window decal, contact Jen Watkins at 206.675.9747 x203. The web site is www.i90wildlifebridges.org. The Cascades Conservation Partnership has raised $72 million to date, protecting checkerboard lands in the Central Cascades. Appropriations bills for land acquisition for next year have been stalled by Congress's delay in resolving overall budget numbers. The Washington State delegation continues to hear from supporters, who are urging a $3.4 million appropriation to acquire the four remaining squaremile sections under option near Salmon la Sac. —David Atcheson is director of The Partnership Lake Whatcom Plan tabled until September In early April the Board of Natural Resources (BNR) tabled a decision on how much logging to allow on the 15,707 acres of state forest land in the Lake Whatcom watershed. Numerous officials from Whatcom County and Bellingham, including Sen. Harriet Spanel, Mayor Mark Asmundson, County Executive Pete Kremen, County Council Chair Dan McShane, and School Board member Elaine Lynch, asked the BNR to protect Lake Whatcom by eliminating logging and road building on unstable slopes and by giving authority to the proposed Lake Whatcom Interjurisdictional Committee of citizens and technical experts hired by local governments to review state logging sales around the lake. BNR members expressed concern about reduced revenues and about a possible precedent set by this case; but the Bellingham Herald came out with a strong editorial in support of www.ecosystem.org

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