Conservation Northwest protects and connects old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the British Columbia Rockies, vital to a healthy future for us, our children, and wildlife. Since 1989, Conservation Northwest has worke
Issue link: http://conservationnw.uberflip.com/i/712956
Keeping the Northwest wild Summer 2016 11 Hikers enjoy a day on Abercrombie Mountain. The wild roadless areas of the Colville National Forest provide vital habitat for wildlife as well as cherished wild areas for hikers and other recreationists. Photo: Craig Romano Protecting the core For over a decade we've worked to permanently protect the wildlands of the Co- lumbia Highlands. This region is especially important because it connects the Cascades and the Rockies for animals on the move, like Canada lynx. Hikers, skiers, hunters, and others also find splendor and solitude here, providing important economic ben- efits for local communities. Now there's a new opportunity to desig- nate much needed wilderness in northeast Washington, including on the wild Kettle Crest at the core of the Columbia Highlands. The Colville National Forest recently took comments on proposals for its Land and Re- source Management Plan Revision. We're urging the Forest to recommend wilderness designation for these roadless areas: Pro- fanity, Bald Snow, Hoodoo, Abercrombie- Hooknose, Salmo-Priest Adjacent, Thirteen- mile, and Quartzite. Along with the plan's other provisions, these designations offer the right balance of conservation, recre- ation, forestry and other forest uses. We're also urging Senator Maria Cantwell to champion permanent protections for this special corner of our state. Now is the time to protect northeast Washington wilderness for future generations of people and wild- life. Stay tuned for updates as this effort progresses! Northeast Washington's Columbia Highlands region and the roadless areas of the Colville National Forest that we are working to protect as wilderness. Map: Amelia Tiedemann picking expedition, or what wildlife was spotted that day. (Most exciting : black bears and moose. Not worth mention- ing : white-tailed deer.) Hikes with my dad almost always turn into wildflower hunts for lady slipper orchids or balsam- root, and my grandmother keeps a con- stant eagle eye out for antler sheds. e Columbia Highlands are special, not just to me but in their very nature. ey're one of the widest swaths of unde- veloped land in Washington, providing ample habitat for wildlife, and creating all kinds of recreational and economic opportunities for hunters, anglers, hikers, loggers, and other forest users. ey hold a slew of mountain lakes and river val- leys, miles and miles of trails, and varying ecosystems. e Columbia Highlands and the Colville National Forest, which makes up the bulk of the highlands, are more than big enough for people, wildlife and wilderness. Life is slower there, and peaceful. I think about it oen as I'm sit- ting in traffic in Seattle. Yet only three percent of the Colville National Forest is protected as designat- ed wilderness; the national average for wilderness on a national forest is 19 per- cent. Compare those two numbers and it becomes clear that we have work to do on the Colville National Forest. Designating even a fraction of the beautiful, wild places on the Colville National Forest as wilderness still leaves plenty of room for woodcutting, ORV and mountain bike riding, and other activities that forest users value, while providing a balance for ecological and wildlife health. And our health, too. We need wild places to venture into, and we're lucky enough to have them right now in northeast Washington. But that isn't a guarantee for the future unless we do something to protect them perma- nently. I want my children to be able to spend time in the Columbia Highlands, just as I did, and know that landscape has supported generations of fam- ily before them. I want the Columbia Highlands to be there for them, and for future generations of people who call it home. I know I'm not alone in this sentiment, and because of that, we need better protections of this unique corner of Washington. e upper right corner of our state feels like a different world compared to the hustle and bustle of the Puget Sound area. A priority of people who live in northeast Washington seems to be a ubiquitous one—not to live close to na- ture but to live in the heart of it. e Co- lumbia Highlands offer a special sense of quiet wildness, whether you're a visitor or lucky enough to call it home. Let's keep the Columbia Highlands wild, now and forever. Editor's Note: Alaina hails from Kettle Falls, in the heart of the Columbia High- lands. She grew up working and playing on the Colville National Forest. She es- pecially enjoys backpacking in the Aber- crombie Roadless Area. Northeast Washington wilderness