Conservation Northwest

2013 Telling our stories Julia Spencer Development associate, Celebrating heroes julia@conservationnw.org Strong connections When I was young, the woods behind my house in Sequim was a magnificent world…a combination of fragile flowers and mushrooms easily crushed under carefree feet, sturdy moss-covered trees to climb and envision forts in, and fascinating wildlife skittering about. Today I still feel "at home" when surrounded by those outdoor sights, smells, and sounds. My work at Conservation Northwest ensures this world in the wood lives on. Oscar Peters is 9 years old and lives in Minnesota, but he feels a strong connection to Spokane and northeast Washington, where he was born. His older brother, Calvin, was adopted from an orphanage in Dakar, Senegal, and each year the family raises funds to send back to the orphanage. At seven, Oscar felt it was important for him to contribute to something that would also help the place he considers Safe passage home. He saved his chore and present money and decided to donate 10 percent of it to Conservation Northwest. I remember the note that accompanied the donation and the hope it gave me that children today, like me back then, are hungry to save these places we call home. Oscar and Calvin's mom, Jess, reminisced recently while making yet another contribution that Oscar had spearheaded. Though the family has moved to Minnesota, their hearts still reside near Little Vulcan Mountain outside Curlew, where Jess owns land and hopes to return one day. "In Oscar's mind, that place is magical." Supporting Conservation Northwest is one link back home. "I want you to protect the animals," says Oscar, whose favorite animals right now are monkeys, cougars, and prairie dogs. His mother Jess says, "We are fortunate to have a stand of old-growth Doing it right Not three but four Cascades wolverines were documented in 2013 by Conservation Northwest's Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project. A specialized piece of anatomy, a unique behavior, a trick of body chemistry; each may serve splendidly to help an animal prosper in its environment. –Douglas Chadwick, biologist and author Oscar, with his mom and brother. "When I'm in nature, I feel free." sugar maple forest nearby to visit. Going there, several years ago Oscar started saying, 'When I'm in nature, I feel free.'" Experiences like these compel Oscar, me, and others to continue keeping the Northwest wild. By protecting what we've got, we have the ability to recapture that "at home" feeling…and by joining together we make it true. Thank you for inspiring me in this work, Oscar, Calvin, and Jess! Erin Moore Publications manager, erin@conservationnw.org It's below freezing outside, and biking in to work is almost painful. I head upstairs, where it is suddenly, magically, 40 degrees warmer. I marvel at wildlife, who cannot so easily "come in from the cold." Surely we humans should pay homage to wild animals' canny ability to survive: by respecting them, helping them, and giving them a break. The climate is changing and the weather is becoming more chaotic. How will wildlife find the resources and habitat they need? And how will they successfully negotiate the thousands of miles of roads in our state? The fawn standing near a roadkilled doe is not a pretty sight. Traveling in the car that collides with that animal is terrible too. There's something we can do (besides walking and biking more!) that could turn into one of the biggest somethings of our time for connecting habitat. This year, final funding was secured for the first-ever wildlife bridge over I-90. This is great news for wildlife in the Cascades, because wildlife crossings work. Generations of wildlife have used the crossing at Banff National Park and are teaching their young to use it. Huzzah to everyone who supported Conservation Northwest and helped get Washington to this point for a better future for Cascades wildlife. 10 Winter 2014conservationnw.org

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