Since 2008 I have devoted 25% of my earnings in the month of December to Conservation Northwest. I'm going back to this great cause again for December 2012.
One of Conservation Northwest’s projects is near and dear to me: The preservation of the Columbia Highlands north of my home in Eastern Washington.
The CNW website says—
Between the Cascades and Rocky Mountains, northeast Washington’s Columbia Highlands is a rare Northwest landscape where the mystique of the American West lives on. Wildlands teem with abundant and diverse wildlife and locally owned timber mills provide family-wage jobs and wood products. Historic valley-bottom ranches maintain habitat and open space ... The Columbia Highlands include diverse habitat sustaining rich wildlife, from imperiled wolverine, grizzly bears and caribou to populations of elk, moose, whitetail and mule deer, bighorn sheep, and dozens of species of migratory birds and other native species.
You may notice the mention of timber and ranching right in there with wild animals: CNW works to build bridges between what were formerly seen as divergent camps. In an era when so much gridlock is caused by all-or-nothing politics, CNW has managed to forge ahead with their environmental goals by building coalitions.
This summer I got back to the Columbia Highlands, camping at Trout Lake and hiking to Emerald Lake in Hoodoo Canyon. Between one lake and the other you pass impressive rock formations, cross through mini climate zones alternating between lush cedar and drier ponderosa pine groves and see spectacular views of pristine forests. All through my visit to the area I was struck by the diversity of plant life, and the vastness of the wild areas.
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| Trout Lake from the trail |
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‘Nature’s Jenga’ as a friend said
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It was a spectacular trip. Every trip I've taken in the Columbia Highlands has been spectacular. Conservation Northwest is working to keep it this way.
Then there is the grizzly bear. If you know me, you know bears have been my favorite animal since I was a child.
No, I did not see a grizzly on my trip, but a few...a very few live in Washington and British Columbia. Washington is one of the only states where recovery of this endangered species is even possible. Grizzlies need large areas of remote wilderness to survive, and they face certain extinction if we do not act to protect their habitat.
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| Conservation Northwest photo |
There needs to be wilderness big enough for the grizzly bear. The grizzly’s survival is a surrogate for the health of the entire ecosystem. Conservation Northwest works hard for grizzly bear habitat and restoration...the reason I came to them in the first place.
Please help me support this great organization by your purchase from denisebrain during the month of December, with 25% going to Conservation Northwest.
Don’t forget: Vintage clothing is recycling, and in December, shopping at denisebrain does even more for the environment!
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| My hat for hiking |
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| ...and one of the vintage hats for sale in my Etsy shop |
1 comment:
Thank you so very much, Maggie, for helping the wilds and wild critters!
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