Everyone enjoys a good book! Photo: Bryn Fluharty

Join in the Conversation

It is imperative that we combat this issue and get kids, families and individuals outside. We want to hear what you think! Join in the conversation by commenting below. The following are discussion points to help guide you through the conversation. Don’t feel held to these questions, however–share your thoughts and feelings about the book and this important issue.

• Louv talks about the dilemma of limited time that many children face today. One child talks about balancing piano lessons, homework and soccer practice which leaves them two to three hours in a weekend for free play (p118). Homework and other activities outside of school are important for children but so is unstructured play outside. Should parents reduce time on these other activities in favor of unstructured outdoor play? Organized sports get kids outside, do you think is this sufficient or do they need unstructured play as discussed by the author?
• Many environmentalists throughout history and today cite time out in nature as a major factor in leading them to be environmentalists. With today’s children spending less and less time outside many worry that the environmentalist is becoming ‘endangered’ (pp149-151). Louv argues that, ‘If children do not attach to the land, they will not reap the psychological and spiritual benefits they can glean from nature, nor will they feel a long term commitment to the environment, to the place’ (p157). Do you think that people will still fight for the environment and be stewards of the planet if they do not have the experiences of getting out into nature? How have your own experiences in nature impacted the way that you view the environment?
• Part V of the book discusses the importance of environmental education in the schools. Organizations like the National Wildlife Federation work to educate and inspire school children on environmental issues through programs such as EcoSchools USA. These programs fill gaps in established curriculum in schools where children can learn about environmental issues that face their community and the planet. Did you experience environmental education when you were young? If so how did this impact your connection to and understanding of nature?

The separation of children and nature is one that the National Wildlife Federation takes seriously. We are working hard to get kids, families and individuals outside through programs such as the upcoming Great American Backyard Campout. Another program, EcoSchools USA helps get environmental education into schools throughout the US.

May’s Book

The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli

Food for Thought

• Do you hunt or fish? How have these experiences impacted how you connect with nature and wildlife?
• From backyard vegetable gardens to hunting and angling our food can offer unique and powerful experiences in nature. How does the food that you eat connect you to the planet?

Possible Terminals in Washington and Oregon Photo: Dan Aguayo/The Oregonian

Letter from the Governor

Governor Kitzhaber has officially asked the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the projects. The EIS would look at the possible impacts from the projects on the health of the environment and communities of the Pacific Northwest.

There are a number of concerns that the governor outlines in his letter. There would be an increase in barges along the Columbia. There is also the possibility of water pollution from the coal dust as well as the possibility of spills while transporting the coal. Coal dust emissions at the facilities and during transport is an additional issue as well as emissions from mercury, diesel, ozone and other green house gases which will only help fuel climate change. The trains that would carry the coal would be up to a mile and a half long and would cause significant delays for those trying to cross the tracks. This is of particular concern for emergency vehicles which could see significant delays in getting to their destination.

Impacts could also be seen in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, a 292,500-acre tract that stretches the length of the Columbia Gorge. This region offers many recreational opportunities like fishing, biking, hiking, water activities and more. The economy in cities such as Moiser, OR is dependent upon tourism brought in by the recreational opportunities from the Gorge. Cities like Moiser will be affected by the coal terminals, which will have a significant impact on the tourism industry in this area.

The Dark Side of the Light Bulb

In the face of climate change Washington is moving away from dirty energy like coal and towards renewable energy like wind. Photo: Bryn Fluharty

Due to the harmful properties of coal the discussion is turning toward renewable energy, including wind and solar here in the U.S. While we are starting to move towards a cleaner future within our borders, we are still one of the leading producers and exporters of coal in the world. Any coal shipped through these terminals will be burned in Asia, which will in turn have an impact on pollution levels here in the Pacific Northwest and will help continue to drive climate change, two issues addressed by the governor in his letter.

Thank You for Your Support

Thanks to the support of Governor Kitzhaber, local communities and other concerned citizens we are moving forward in fighting for our right to a healthy environment and thriving communities. Want to join in the conversation and learn more about this important issue? Check out Power Past Coal for more information and upcoming events in your area! Let us know what you think!

GiveBIG May 2nd - The Seattle Foundation

Mark Your Calendar

On May 2nd you have the opportunity to maximize your donation to the National Wildlife Federation by donating through the Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG program. GiveBIG is a one day opportunity to donate to Seattle area nonprofits including the National Wildlife Federation. When you donate through GiveBig we receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds, making your donation go further. All you have to do is make a donation online anytime on the second of May to the National Wildlife Federation!

When you make your donation you are automatically entered into a drawing to win an additional $1,000 to the National Wildlife Federation.

Opportunity is Knocking

By donating you have the opportunity to help us continue some of your favorite programs and campaigns. We work hard to protect our wildlife and wild places for today and future generations in offices around the country, including right here in Seattle! Here at the Pacific Regional Center we work on some of the most pressing issues in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii and Alaska.

Staff at the Pacific Regional Center - Photo: National Wildlife Federation Pacific Regional Center

Protecting Floodplain Habitat in Puget Sound

Floodplains are critical habitat for many of the endangered salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest and are swiftly disappearing under rapidly expanding development. This development threatens the endangered salmon and the orcas that feed on them and puts people in harm’s way. We are working to find ways to help protect and restore these floodplains for the health of the salmon and orcas and the safety of local communities.

Creating Climate-Resilient Communities

Water is one of the most important natural resources on the planet. Here in Washington State our increasing population and Climate Change are putting more and more stress on this already stressed resource which is critical for wildlife and people. We are working with a broad coalition to find balanced solutions to water demands in Eastern Washington to find solutions to this pressing issue.

Be Out There

Today’s children are spending less and less time in the out of doors and more time plugged in inside. Our Be Out There campaign uses education, conservation and advocacy to help unplug kids and get them back outside. Programs include the Great American Backyard Campout, Ranger Rick, Eco-Schools, Gardening for Wildlife, National Wildlife Week and more!

Train tracks already run along the Columbia. Tracks like these would carry the coal laden trains along the river. Photo: Bryn Fluharty

Having lived in both Washington and Oregon I have many fond memories of the Columbia River. As a child I spent many a vacation paddling along its banks with my brother and scrambling along high cliffs which the river has carved out over a millennia. Recently, I have marveled at its beauty while crossing into Oregon and hiking and climbing through the scrub-land at its banks. I now fear that a new threat from the coal industry will compromise this area and spoil it for future generations.

A Growing Threat

This new threat comes from Arch Coal and Peabody Energy, who want to ship millions of tons of dirty coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and bring it to terminals in Washington and Oregon. Open bed trains full of coal and up to a mile-and-a-half long would wind their way along the Columbia each day on their way to ports along the Oregon and Washington Coast. These trains would leave trails of coal dust in their wake. This dust would settle over our lands and into our lungs causing health problems for local communities and the environment.

Port of Morrow

A serine evening on the Columbia in the Tri Cities, just upstream from the Port of Morrow. Photo: Bryn Fluharty

The coal dust and diesel pollution from the trains are the main concerns. Coal dust from the trains settles on the water, soil and vegetation, harming species like endangered salmon. The salmon runs that are dependent upon the Columbia River are already endangered by habitat loss and would be further stressed from this pollution. Coal dust can have significant impacts on human health as well: lung damage, aggravation of existing respiratory diseases such as asthma, pneumoconiosis, bronchitis and emphysema are all possible results of breathing coal dust.

The Port of Morrow is only the first of the at least six proposed projects, all of which would have similar impacts to our region. If implemented these projects would scar this area, compromising the water and the air of an area that is part of our regional heritage.

Moving Forward

We must take a stand against coal and tell our decision makers that they must stop these projects and promote a healthy environment and healthy communities. If you live in Oregon please contact Governor Kitzhaber and tell him that you do not want dirty coal brought through your communities or you can Take Action through the National Wildlife Federation. You can also learn more about these projects and their possible impacts by attending the rally in Portland – May 7th, 12pm in Pioneer Square, featuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The glaciers on Mt. Adams are quickly retreating due to climate change Photo: Bryn Fluharty

Water Water Everywhere

According to the Department of Ecology’s Washington State’s Integrated Climate Response Strategy, increases in winter runoff and precipitation and more intense precipitation will lead to more severe flooding in the winter months. For many rivers, this will mean an increase of the magnitude of the 100-year flood under natural conditions. These events are predicted to increase by 20 to 30 percent by 2040, which will put more people in danger and stress our existing flood control systems, such as dams, levees and dykes.

Predictions for Increases in Flooding Under Two Climate Scenarios. Source: Tohver and Hamlet 2010

The Salmon Connection

Climate change will impact salmon by changing the stream flow, changing and decreasing habitat and increasing water temperatures. Exposure to severe floods is predicted to cause an increase in mortality for the eggs and juvenile fish of fall- and winter-spawning fish. These populations include Chinook, coho, chum, sockeye salmon, and bull trout.

Climate change will also result in a significant loss of salmon habitat. By 2090, potential losses in Oregon and Idaho will exceed 40 percent, and will top 22 percent in Washington. Floodplains—essential habitat for salmon—are already degraded, with 71% of Washington State’s floodplains in poor condition. Development continues in these sensitive areas, degrading what little floodplain habitat is left. National Wildlife Federation recognizes this loss of habitat as an important and pressing issue. We have taken the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to court over the impacts of the National Flood Insurance Program on salmon runs in Puget Sound.

It is imperative that we protect existing habitat and restore degraded habitat in order to help save our salmon and help protect against the impacts of climate change. If we do not we will lose a part of our natural history and culture. We have the opportunity to change and must act.

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

Please use the following questions to guide you through a discussion of the book, which you can join by sharing your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.

• The Forest Service plays a central role in the book with dedicated members of the service giving everything to try to prevent the fire and minimize the damage once it had begun. Today much of the work done by the forest service is focused on fighting wildfires. Have we learned from the Big Burn or are we following a similar path? How should Climate Change factor into this?
• Profiting off of timber from the forests is a central issue in the book. Should the forests be managed for profit from timber or preserved? Is there a middle ground? How should we factor in other benefits such as carbon sequestration, water quality and recreation?
• Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and John Muir talked about the inspirational landscapes and forests of the West that lead them to lives dedicated to conservation. Is exposure to the outdoors a necessary element to conservation and if so what are the implications of today’s youth being removed from nature?
• Did we learn from the fire? Are there any parallels between what Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot were fighting against and what modern conservationists face today?

Thank you for joining in our book club, we look forward to discussing these books with you!

April’s Book

The Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

Discussion: May 4th

Here are a couple of things to think about while reading the book:

• Do you see that children in your own life are removed from nature?
• What experiences in your childhood impacted how you feel about nature?

The National Wildlife Federation is dedicated to reconnecting kids and families to nature through our Be Out There campaign.

A Child in the Woods

The author at age 3 at Mt. Rainier National Park.

At home in Seattle my family read books and magazines like Ranger Rick, dissected owl pellets and went to museums to learn about wildlife. Trips to our local parks became an adventure in discovery. I learned that to soften the blow of a stinging nettle one only has to rub sword fern on the affected area, or that licking a banana slug makes your tongue go numb (I tried this a couple of times).

It was these first formative experiences that have continued my love and passion for the natural world. I still marvel at the sight of mountains, feel my heart skip a beat while walking through the forest and sit in wonder at the majesty of our free and open spaces. It has also lead me to pursue a career in conservation so that I can help protect these amazing places not only for myself but for future generations as well.

The author 25 years later on top of Mt. Rainier, having just completed her MA in Environmental Policy.

A Child Removed

The wild play that I experienced is far different from the world experienced by today’s children. On average, American children spend four to seven minutes each day on unstructured outdoor play, in contrast to the more than seven hours spent in front of an electronic screen. This removal from the natural world causes many to see the outdoors as a separate, unknown and frightening space that they do not enter into.

A connection to nature is imperative for the future of conservation and for the health of our children. It was my connection to nature that spurred my passion for conservation. Without this connection I worry that these issues will be overlooked by a generation who does not know of their importance in our lives and world.

A Way Forward

The good news is we are starting to recognize this problem more and more. In April of 2010, President Barack Obama introduced America’s Great Outdoors, a program that aims to help better connect children and families to the great outdoors.

Organizations like the National Wildlife Federation are also working hard to get kids outside. Our Be Out There campaign helps connect kids and families with nature. If you are in the Seattle area on April 7th please join us for our Be Out There event — Get to Know Your Wild Neighbors!

At first the rains come as a light drizzle, tapping out a soothing melody on rooftops and windowpanes. Soon the tempo quickens to a loud drum beat of impending danger. As the rain falls harder and harder the river begins to swell, slowly creeping up its banks. Even the levees that have been constructed to shelter communities from floods are not immune to the growing threat and soon water begins to spill into the land around the river. At one point this land was left free for flooding but then people began to develop along the river. Levees were built and vegetation removed which destroyed the natural processes of the river. With out the natural protection offered from the floodplain the water begins to swirl into the basements and living rooms of the houses. Furniture, family heirlooms, floors and walls are submerged by the flood waters as the residents have to evacuate in a hurry.

This is a scene that is played out over and over again throughout the years and across watersheds. Many homes were insured through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which provides subsidized flood insurance for those living in floodplains. The insurance makes it possible for people to rebuild in the same location after a flood. These rebuilt homes only continue to put their owners in danger from floods and negatively impact salmon. As of 2011 Washington state has had 833 repeatedly flooded homes(those that have been flooded three times or more) and cost tax payers $71 million in insurance claims.

A Possible Way Out

When people are flooded out of their homes it takes an emotional and financial toll on the families, many of which were unaware of the extent of danger that living in these areas presents. The FEMA buy out program is a long and complex process that offers the possibility of moving people out of floodplains and restoring the floodplain, helping people and wildlife. This video shows firsthand accounts of flood victims’ experiences with flooding and using the buyout program.

Bad for People and Wildlife

Developing in floodplains puts people in danger and destroys critical habitat for endangered salmon runs in the Puget Sound region. It is for this reason that the National Wildlife Federation is involved in a lawsuit against FEMA. Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) no federal agency can take actions that harm an ESA listed species. By promoting development in floodplains FEMA is violating the ESA and threatening endangered salmon runs and the orcas which rely on salmon for their primary food source.

Moving Forward

Instead of continuing to bail people out of flooded properties FEMA should make it easier for people to move out of the floodplain and to higher, safer ground. This is of particular importance in the face of Climate Change which will cause an increase in extreme events such as flooding. Properties that they do ensure should be safe for people and wildlife.

Click here to view the embedded video.

National Flood Safety Awareness Week

Turn Around Don't Drown poster - National Weather Service

Flooding — a Necessary Disaster

When left to their natural state flooding is an essential part of any river system, providing habitat for wildlife such as salmon and other fish, caring nutrient rich silt onto the floodplain and creating natural meanders in the river channel. Rivers today have been encroached upon by human development with buildings, homes and roads spilling in and filling up the floodplain. The once naturally flowing rivers are then channelized and maintained through levees and dykes which provide a barrier between these areas and the river and provides a false sense of security for those living, working, and traveling in these areas. Development in floodplains harms people and wildlife. If we stop development in floodplains and begin to restore these areas to their natural state we remove ourselves from the problem by giving rivers the space they need and helping to protect people and wildlife.

Flooding and Wildlife

The National Wildlife Federation has filed numerous lawsuits against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for using the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP) to subsidize and subsequently promote development in floodplains which negatively impacts Endangered Species such as salmon and orcas in Puget Sound and eight endangered species including Key deer in the Florida Keys among others. Development in floodplains harms wildlife and people. By promoting development in floodplains FEMA is providing not only the means but the need to travel in flood prone areas for work or home. Smart development in regards to floodplains can reduce this danger and can help restore habitat for wildlife.

Everyone loves a good book! Photo by: Bryn Fluharty

On the first Friday of each month, we’ll publish our thoughts on the book. This will include some general observations and some thoughts on how the book’s themes fit into NWF’s overall mission. We then hope you’ll join in the discussion using the comments section of the blog to share your own thoughts about the book.

We’ll select works from hard-hitting environmental authors and include fictional tales that interweave their stories with ecological themes — books that engage and challenge us. We will choose cutting edge environmental books as well as books that talk about people’s connection to nature and the environment. We also plan to bring in guests who will discuss their work in the environmental literature field, to create an opportunity for you to interact with the authors themselves.

We look forward to discovering many new adventures in nature (and books!) with all of you!

April’s Book: The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

By 1910 the Forest Service was a mere 5 years old and comprised of a few scattered and poorly paid and respected foresters. That particular summer brought with it unusually dry weather which set the stage for what would be the nation’s largest forest fire in history.

In The Big Burn, Egan skillfully leads the reader through the Roosevelt years, introducing characters such as Gifford Pinchot, Roosevelt’s collaborator in creating the Forest Service and its first chief forester. From here the story delves into the social and political atmosphere that nearly ended the Forest Service. It then reaches the summer of 1910 and a blaze that will stretch across most of the West, reducing whole towns to embers and leaving a dramatic mark on the nation’s history and the way that we approach conservation.

Discussion: Friday April 6, 2012

On Friday April 6 we will begin our discussion of The Big Burn.

Food for Thought:
1. What themes in the book are still at play today (mining, forestry management…) and what can we take from this story and apply it to conservation today?
2. How does the fire impact conservation today (or does it impact conservation today)?

We’ll also post our second book, which we’ll discuss in May. For now, use the comments section here if you have any questions, or let us know if you have suggestions for books we can feature in the future.