Conservation Northwest

NWEA Timeline 1995, changes its name to Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, broadening its mission "to protect and restore wildlands in the Pacific Northwest and support such efforts in BC, bridging science and advocacy, and working with activists, policymakers, and the general public to conserve our natural heritage" 1995, launches a nationwide "Endangered Salmon Adventure," with a 25-footlong fiberglass salmon, to raise awareness about imperiled species and threats to the Endangered Species Act 1995, sues to have hound hunting and bear baiting outlawed in the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone 1996, in a precedent-setting move, NWEA bids on the Thunder Mountain timber salvage sale in the Okanogan National Forest, building public awareness of the Forest Service's money-losing timber sale program 1996, members of Western Washington University's Western Endangered Species Alliance—assisted by NWEA—occupy Rep. Norm Dick's office to protest the Salvage "logging without laws" Rider 1996, helps pass Initiative 655 banning bear baiting and hound hunting of bear, cougars, and bobcats in Washington state 1996, publishes report, "Arid Lands of Eastern Washington: Biology, Ecological Condition, and Conservation Strategies" 1997, helps design the Cispus Adaptive Managment Area plan, protecting old growth and roadless forests in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest 1997, sues to protect lynx under the ESA 1998, reaches precedent-setting agreement with Washington state to raise money to permanently protect state trust lands in the Loomis Forest 1998, with others, sues the Office of the US Trade Representative for violations of National Environmental Policy Act and ESA arising from the Softwood Lumber Agreement between the US and Canada 1998, documents state failures on Forest Practice Rules, filing suit against Washington state to improve environmental safeguards for logging on state and private forest lands continued page 14 12 other groups because of our strategies, and because of executive director Mitch Friedman, an astute thinker and keen strategist. Over the years I've also watched key people in the organization, directors like Joe Scott, Dave Werntz, and Fred Munson, grow to become effective leaders in their own rights. I served on the steering committee during the Loomis Forest Fund campaign. This was at the height of tech boom, and NWEA found a way to bring a whole new kind of person into the battle. We made the Loomis hot as an issue, and the campaign was effective at least partly because it got to be very fashionable to support the forest. And that has been good for the environmental movement. I am passionate about the outdoors anyway, but making the environment work—protecting parks, wild open spaces, and a diversity of wildlife—is great for business. Extractive businesses usually require some form of subsidy to continue to exist. Ethical businesses, however, can profit from environmental protection; it's the only way to look at things. Audubon Richochet After spending 15 years as a full-time forest activist, Bonnie Phillips returned to school two years ago to get her master's degree in environmental studies at The Evergreen State College. She is chair and founding board member of the Olympic Forest Coalition, whose mission is to protect and restore the Olympic Peninsula's forest ecosystem. I first met Mitch Friedman in 1987 when he, along with Dana Lyons and George Draffan, came to Pilchuck Audubon Society's summer educational campout and gave an Earth First! slideshow on the ravages of clearcut logging. Mitch and George swayed us with photos and words, and Dana, of course, with his music. A friendship began. Less than two years later, sometime in early 1989, I found myself sitting in a conference room in a public meeting place in Everett, Washington, with Mitch and others, to discuss the founding of a new organization that would actually tackle the complicated issue of protecting ecosystems. No surprise: Mitch was the driver of this movement and of our new name, the Greater Ecosystem Alliance. 1989 was a pivotal year in the forest protection movement. In February, Judge William Dwyer enjoined all timber sales in spotted owl habitat from being sold; Congress intervened and forced the plaintiffs to release two-thirds of the sale volume under the injunction. Because Pilchuck Audubon was a plaintiff on the lawsuit, we got the job of choosing sales. I turned to Mitch for help. As we went to the offices of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest for information, the agency was leery of why we would want this former Earth First!er with us. Well, we knew—it wasn't just about owls in isolation from the ecosystems where they lived. Cut to a scene in Eugene, Oregon, that November. Two days before plaintiffs had to negotiate a giveaway of timber, over 100 Audubon chapter representatives met to discuss ecosystems (different from the older, but still prevalent view, of choosing "special places" for protection) and Mitch was right there with the major ecosystem white paper, that time representing North Cascades Audubon Society. It didn't take long, of course, for GEA to take hold and be an entity of its own high standing. But I do remember Mitch making his transition from Earth First! to Greater Ecosystem Alliance via Audubon—and we were glad to have him! Northwest Ecosystem Alliance www.ecosystem.org Sally Hewitt 15 years of Northwest Ecosystem Alliance

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