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Evening highlights include an awards ceremony, online auction, paddle raise, and celebration of our supporters who proudly protect and defend our wild lands and waters.
Scott Schuyler
Policy Representative for the Upper Skagit Tribe
Richard Brocksmith
Executive Director, Skagit Watershed Coalition
Yakima Chief Hops
Grower-owned network of family hop farms
Just over three years ago, Seattle City Light and a handful of conservation and recreation partners reached out to Washington Wild to ask for our help in coordinating a statewide response to an alarming proposal to clearcut log and mine unprotected land between Skagit and Manning Provincial Parks in British Columbia.
Wait — you might ask — why would Washington Wild care about a British Columbia issue? The proposal is situated in the heart of the headwaters of the iconic Skagit River, which spends most of its journey flowing through North Cascade National Park and Skagit County, WA before delivering clean cold water to the Puget Sound. Logging and mining the Skagit Headwaters puts all of us downstream at risk.
Since 2018, Washington Wild has coordinated an international coalition now comprised of over 280 tribes, first nations, local businesses, elected officials, and conservation and recreation groups from British Columbia and Washington State. Over the last three years, the coalition’s efforts have resulted in an announcement to halt future clearcut logging in the Skagit Headwaters by the BC government and generated more than 50 articles and editorials in local news outlets on the logging and mining issue on both sides of the border.
Halting logging was a big win, but there's more work to do. Washington Wild is committed to continuing to lead this winning coalition until the pending mining Permit by Imperial Metals Corporation is denied.
Normally, a mining permit takes just months to be granted. We've generated a loud and growing opposition, and because of that, a decision is still pending two years later. That's good news! But we need your help to keep going. Sustained leadership of a coalition this size takes resources. Your support helps us keep the pressure on the BC Governmenment to do the right thing for the Skagit Headwaters and protect downstream values here in Washington State including clean water, salmon, recovering orca populations, Tribal Treaty Rights, North Cascades National Park, and the health of Puget Sound.
Thank you for your support,
Tom Uniack
Executive Director
Washington Wild is committed to making Wild Night Out 2021 accessible for all attendees. Please reach out to our team with any questions, concerns, or needs prior to Thursday, September 30, 2021. You can reach us at info@wawild.org.