February 2008

In this issue

	Olympia needs to hear from YOU
	Puget Sound seeks new voices
	Restoring our public forests
	March 15 field trip to Dabob Bay
	Online resources for the Friends

About the Friends

The Friends of Our Natural Heritage is a group of citizens throughout Washington state who provide a voice for conservation. By taking simple steps to educate officials and community leaders about the value of our state's natural heritage, Friends are helping to safeguard and restore some of the most ecologically valuable lands and waters remaining in Washington. Stay involved - and invite your friends to join the Friends!

For more information about the program or to sign up, visit our Web site or contact Jeff Compton at The Nature Conservancy: (206) 343-4345, ext. 384 or jcompton@tnc.org.

Olympia needs to hear from YOU

Speak up today - you'll be glad you did!

The 2008 Legislative session is well underway in Olympia, and momentum is building behind the environmental community's four Priorities for a Healthy Washington. But lawmakers are hesitant to budget any money this year. They need to hear from you why these programs matter.

We appreciate that Olympia is cautious about new spending. But the four established Priorities this year have great potential benefits for native species, for habitats and for people across the state. These great ideas include protecting trees in our cities, getting local produce to schools, and promoting climate change solutions while also creating jobs in Washington.

  
Please contact your reps today and ask them to support these four worthy bills and the funding to make them work. Let's make sure we don't miss this opportunity to improve the health of our state.

To learn more about these four worthy proposals, visit the Priorities for a Healthy Washington web site.

To find out who represents you in Olympia, go to:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
  

Thanks for getting involved!

Puget Sound seeks new voices

Join the chorus!

The Puget Sound Partnership was established by the Governor and Legislature to work with communities and stakeholders to develop a plan for restoring and protecting Puget Sound. A broad coalition of conservation and environmental stakeholders has come together to try and influence this process - so that the resulting plan (an "Action Agenda" due by September 2008) will be the strongest it can be. The Nature Conservancy is participating in and supporting this important process in several ways.

The Partnership has scheduled its first round of workshops and public conversations. Meetings will take place all over the Sound area from February 26 through March 7. Your voice now could help ensure that the "Action Agenda" ultimately includes serious, meaningful protections for our native species.
  

Read a helpful fact sheet from our friends at People for Puget Sound about these meetings and why you should participate. This sheet has meeting details and more background about why this opportunity is not to be missed.

Questions? Don't hesitate to contact Jeff Compton at jcompton@tnc.org for more information.

Restoring our public forests

Ask Congress to make our forests healthy again.

The Nature Conservancy urges Congress to pass the Forest Landscape Restoration Act of 2008. This legislation would enable sustainable solutions to critical forest health problems facing our nation - solutions such as thinning small trees, reducing fire fuels and restoring ecological conditions.

Tell Washington, D.C. what you think. If you are concerned about the health, protection and sustainable management of our national forests, this is a perfect time to call or write to Congress and urge them to do the right thing.

Both of Washington's Senators have co-sponsored the Senate version of the Forest Landscape Restoration Act. A House version has recently been introduced.
  

We've put together a press release that explains what this legislation would do and why the Conservancy supports it. We've included links to more information about the Conservancy's work on forest health, as well as a Q&A with our south central Washington state program director. Please read it and see what you think.
  

If you would like to help make sure this proposal becomes law, call or write to thank your Senators and ask your Represenatives to support the bill. You can find out who they are and how to reach them on our Action Page.

March 15 field trip to Dabob Bay

There is still space on our March 15 visit to Dabob Bay on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, near Quilcene. Private and public entities are engaged in the effort to preserve this area and restore the forested uplands, the shoreline and the marine habitats in the bay. The Nature Conservancy acquired a shoreline parcel there last summer (read the press release).

Our local host will be dedicated Dabob area advocate Peter Bahls of the Northwest Watershed Institute. This will be a casual outing. We will visit a restoration project and a nearby county park while discussing the opportunities and challenges of preserving and restoring this coastal gem and other similar places.

WHAT: Friends field trip
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 10:30am
WHERE: Dabob Bay

  
Please write to jcompton@tnc.org (or call 206-343-4345 ext. 345) to RSVP or with questions.
  

     (photo of Dabob Bay by Keith Lazelle)

Online resources for the Friends

There is a section of The Nature Conservancy's web site dedicated to the Friends of Our Natural Heritage. There we post more information about our public priorities, links for finding officials, and other information to help you speak up for nature.
  

Friends quiz: Who is the Conservancy's south central Washington program director. Hint: She is based in Yakima.
  

Go to nature.org/washington/friends and bookmark the page for easy reference. Your feedback is most welcome.