Looking forward
4 Fall 2014 conservationnw.org
Big Picture: Coast to
Cascades and Beyond
VIeW FroM The DIreCTor
Mitch Friedman Executive director,
mitch@conservationnw.org
I want to tell you about the Coast to Cascades region and what locals call Sea to
Sky country—and why it is so important to Conservation Northwest.
Our friends and supporters know (and many share) our history of engagement
in landscapes like the Loomis Forest, the area around Snoqualmie Pass, the grass-
lands of the Okanogan and Similkameen valleys, and the Cascades to Rockies habi-
tat corridor.
• To sustain a lynx population in the North Cascades and the larger Pacific
Northwest, we must protect the core habitat of the area that includes the
Loomis Forest highlands.
• To maintain viable populations of fisher, wolverine, and other species in
Washington's North and Central Cascades, we need to link them together
across the I-90 highway corridor just east of Snoqualmie Pass.
• To support arid-land species such as sharp-tail grouse, badger, and many
others in British Columbia's limited grasslands, we need connect these pop-
ulations to the Columbia Basin via the Okanogan-Similkameen.
• To sustain viable North Cascades populations of grizzly bear, wolverine, and
lynx we need to join them to larger populations and core habitats in the
Rockies. e connection between these two far-separated wild areas is what
motivates our efforts such as the Working for Wildlife Initiative, Columbia
Highlands Initiative, and Mountain Caribou Project.
Knowing the importance of our work to connect the North
Cascades to its south and northeast, you can see why we aim
to connect it also to its northwest, through the Coast to Cas-
cades Grizzly Bear Initiative. e Sea to Sky country of BC is
the heart of this corridor, and grizzly bears are at the heart of
our motivation for conserving this linkage.
Sea to Sky is an ecologically diverse and stunningly beauti-
ful landscape with a rich history and wonderful communities,
including vibrant First Nation cultures. e wild Fraser River,
rich with massive runs of salmon, cuts through the core of it.
Grizzly bears will be much more likely to prosper in the
Washington Cascades if they're connected to healthy popula-
tions in both the northeast (the Rockies) and northwest (the
B.C. Coast and Chilcotin Ranges.) Achieving those healthy
populations and the connections between them is why Con-
servation Northwest exists.
We're working to connect habitat in the North Cascades to the B.C.
Coast Range, the Columbia Highlands, the Rocky Mountains, and
beyond.
"Knowing the importance
of our work to connect
the North Cascades to
its south and northeast,
you can see why we aim
to connect it also to its
northwest, through the
Coast to Cascades Grizzly
Bear Initiative."
Looking forward
