Olympic Peninsula Tribes, Sportsmen teams, enterprise leaders, and native officers cite advantages to native financial system, clear water, and salmon restoration
Contact: Connie Gallant, Chair, Wild Olympics Marketing campaign: connie@wildolympics.org
Media Assets:
Wild Olympics Media Picture Gallery of The Proposal
Video: Voices from the Wild Olympics
QUILCENE, Wash. (September twenty third, 2021) –The Wild Olympics Coalition cheered a serious bi-partisan vote in Congress yesterday that helped advance essential public lands and rivers laws ahead, together with the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act sponsored by Senator Patty Murray and Consultant Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06), which handed with a variety of different public land payments as an modification to the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act. The Wild Olympics laws would completely shield greater than 126,500 acres of Olympic Nationwide Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their main tributaries – a complete of 464 river miles – as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Designed via intensive group enter to guard historical forests and clear water and improve out of doors recreation, the laws would designate the primary new wilderness within the Olympic Nationwide Forest in practically three a long time and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula.
The bipartisan vote in favor of the laws included robust help from Washington Reps Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith who supported the modification to the NDAA. The Wild Olympics laws was handed by the Home earlier this Spring. The NDAA presents one other alternative to advance the invoice in each Homes of congress. An identical legislative technique was utilized in 2014 by Senators Murray and Cantwell and Representatives Reichert and DelBene to connect laws to increase Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers within the Alpine Lakes and Ilabott Creek, the final main wilderness & wild and scenic payments for WA, which had been handed within the 2014 NDAA.
“As somebody who grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, I realized first-hand that financial progress and environmental safety go hand-in-hand,” mentioned Consultant Kilmer. “Including this sensible, balanced technique to right now’s invoice will assist us shield among the most environmentally delicate locations on the Peninsula. It can additionally guarantee we are able to preserve and develop jobs in our pure useful resource industries and different sectors. I’m grateful for the years-long collaboration to create a proposal that works for people throughout the group – together with Tribes, sportsmen, conservation teams, timber communities, enterprise leaders, shellfish growers, and everybody in-between.”
“Wild Olympics has introduced Washington state households and communities from all walks of life collectively to guard stunning out of doors areas all of us love, and I’m excited to see this invoice proceed to earn bipartisan help,” mentioned Senator Murray. It’s due to the help and enter from Tribes, native residents, companies, shellfish growers, sportsmen, religion leaders, conservation teams, and so many others that this invoice and this effort have come so shut to creating it over the end line—we’ve managed to construct as broad of a coalition as doable to get this achieved. I’m glad Consultant Kilmer is making regular progress on this within the Home, and I’m going to maintain working within the Senate to maintain up this momentum and be sure that we’re in a position to protect these wild and scenic areas on the Olympic Peninsula for present and future generations.”
Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer spent years gathering intensive group enter on the Olympic Peninsula to craft the rigorously balanced laws. It could completely protect historical and mature forests, important salmon habitat, and sources of fresh consuming water for native communities, whereas additionally defending and increasing world-class out of doors recreation alternatives like climbing, tenting, boating, looking, and fishing. No roads can be closed, and trailhead entry wouldn’t be affected.
Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer labored extensively with native and regional timber pursuits to take away any at the moment viable timber base from the proposal to make sure the laws would don’t have any affect on current timber jobs, as confirmed in a 2012 Timber Impression Examine by the revered unbiased Forester Derek Churchill.
Aberdeen Forest Merchandise Guide and Former Timber CEO Roy Nott mentioned in his July tenth 2019 testimony earlier than the Home Pure Assets Committee, “My very own expertise as a CEO and Entrepreneur is that our space’s pure treasures- which give world-class out of doors recreation, clear water and our space’s prime quality of living- are what give us a aggressive edge over different areas in attracting and retaining the gifted folks new firms require. Wilderness and wild and scenic river protections would assist shield and develop the native jobs that rely upon our skill to compete for expertise in opposition to different areas, and they’d improve our recruitment efforts as we work to develop new companies sooner or later. And as a former Timber Business Government, I respect that Senator Murray and Rep Kilmer’s last compromise proposal was scaled-back to make sure it could not affect present timber jobs.”
The Home passage comes on a latest wave of help and new native endorsements rallying behind the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. The brand new additions carry the entire variety of native Olympic Peninsula & Hood Canal area endorsements to greater than 800 endorsers, together with the Quinault, Quileute, Elwha and Jamestown S’Klallam Tribes; over 30 native sportsmen organizations and fishing guides; the mayors of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Ocean Shores and different native elected officers; companies and CEOs; farms and religion leaders; conservation and out of doors recreation teams; and lots of others. Moreover, greater than 12,000 native residents have signed petitions in help.
TESTIMONIALS
James Thomas, President & CEO Thermedia Corp/MasQs (Shelton): “The Wild Olympics laws would assist shield the excellent lifestyle that is a vital purpose folks select to dwell, work and play right here in Mason County with the gorgeous backdrop of the Olympic Mountains in our yard. The traditional forests, wild rivers, and scenic fantastic thing about the Olympics are the muse of our excessive “High quality of Life” that draws guests, entrepreneurs, new residents, and funding in our communities, strengthening our native financial system. In reality, these spectacular public lands had been the ultimate determinant after I selected the Olympic Peninsula as the brand new dwelling for my medical machine manufacturing firm. Greater than ten years later my coronary heart nonetheless sings after I spherical a nook or high a hill and the Olympics come into sight. I applaud Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer for working to guard the Peninsula’s financial future.”
Invoice Taylor, President of Taylor Shellfish Farms (Shelton): “Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer’s Wild Olympics laws will assist shield our state’s shellfish business, together with a whole bunch of shellfishing jobs in Hood Canal alone – and lots of extra in associated industries like processing, transport, and gross sales. It protects the rivers and streams important to the well being of our hatcheries and to the well being and restoration of Puget Sound. Our oyster beds rely upon the clear, chilly, silt-free water that drains off Olympic Nationwide Forest into Hood Canal. Defending these watersheds permits our business to develop, increase and proceed to profit the financial system and ecology of Washington State. We’re grateful for his or her management.”
Fred Rakevich, Retired logger and 49- 12 months veteran of the timber business (Elma): “I’m a retired logger who labored for 50 years within the timber business. I’ve additionally fished and kayaked a lot of the main rivers within the Olympics. I used to be born and raised in Grays Harbor, however have traveled midway world wide. In all my travels, nothing impressed me greater than the pure fantastic thing about the Olympic Mountain Vary and the clear operating waters that start their journey flowing towards the lands beneath. Timber is and all the time can be a part of the Olympic Peninsula’s proud heritage. However our historical forests and wild rivers are the pure legacies we are going to go away to our youngsters and grandchildren. Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer’s invoice protects our pure heritage whereas respecting our timber heritage. I thank them for his or her considerate management, and future generations will thank them too.”
State Consultant Mike Chapman, twenty fourth Legislative District (Port Angeles): “I’ve been very excited in regards to the financial & leisure alternatives Wild Olympics will carry to the Olympic Peninsula. With REI and Patagonia’s help, our nook of the world is now attracting guests from throughout. Wild Olympics is our future, for contemporary air, clear water, pristine forests, and future generations!”
Michelle Sandoval, Port Townsend Mayor (Port Townsend): “This laws will assist completely shield clear consuming water for native Peninsula communities. For instance, one of many locations proposed for Wilderness safety is within the Large Quilcene watershed, which filters the clear, chilly consuming water for the town of Port Townsend. Defending forests and rivers on federal lands upstream protects our investments in salmon habitat and water high quality downstream. We’re grateful for Consultant Kilmer’s and Senator Murray’s assist in defending Port Townsend’s clear water.”
Harriet Reyenga, Impartial realtor for Windermere Actual Property (Port Angeles): “The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act will shield and promote the identical spectacular public lands and prime quality of life which are serving to to drive progress and create native jobs in actual property, development, and lots of different sectors of our financial system right now. Our historical forests, salmon, rivers, and superb landscapes are the north Olympic Peninsula’s aggressive financial benefit over different areas. We must always do all we are able to to guard and promote these pure treasures. The Wild Olympics laws will do each.”
State Consultant Steve Tharinger, twenty fourth Legislative District (Sequim): “It’s straightforward to see and perceive the ecological worth of the Wild Olympics thought, conserving clear and free-flowing rivers, however what is usually missed is the financial worth that sustaining locations like Wild Olympics brings by attracting folks to the particular open air of the Olympic area. I need to thank REI and Patagonia for participating local people leaders like myself to assist design the map, and for recognizing that encouraging folks to get out and benefit from the particular locations within the Wild Olympics proposal brings financial advantages to the communities I signify.”
Douglas Scott, Proprietor of Unique Hikes and The Out of doors Society (Hood Canal): “Outdoors my door, the river, forests and mountains of the Olympic Peninsula beckon me to hike and climb. Within the Northwest nook of the contiguous United States, removed from the hustle and bustle of the massive cities, our glacial-fed rivers, filled with salmon and surrounded by majestic eagles continually encourage thousands and thousands of locals and guests to the area. Every year, over 4 million out of doors recreation fanatics head to the area, hoping to discover a slice of pure magnificence in pristine forests and impossibly attractive river valleys. As an creator, tour information and advocate for the Olympic Peninsula, I’ve witnessed the significance of nature and out of doors recreation within the Pacific Northwest. Due to the help out of doors fanatics from all walks of life, passing the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will assist be sure that much more of the gorgeous surroundings can be protected and accessible for all. I’m proud to Help the Wild Olympics. Come go to and fall in love with the great thing about rainforests, wild rivers, and breathtaking adventures and you’ll too.”
Dave Bailey, Previous President of the Gray Wolf Fly Fishing Membership in Sequim, WA & co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “Individuals assume that as a result of our salmon streams on Olympic Nationwide Forest seem as they’ve all the time been, that they’re protected. Sadly, that’s the furthest factor from the reality. There are decided threats underway to roll again present safeguards and open these delicate spawning streams to small hydropower growth, industrial clear-cutting and extra highway constructing as soon as extra. That’s dangerous for fish, recreation, and sportsmen. This laws is important to protect what we’ve got.”
Casey Weigel, Proprietor & Head Information of Waters West Information Service (Montesano) and member, of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “Via onerous work and our ardour for our rivers and fishing, my spouse and I’ve grown our small enterprise sufficient to have the ability to assist 3 different year-round and seasonal native guides help households, who love fishing simply as a lot as we do. I help the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act as a result of our rivers and our salmon are our lifeblood and, with out them, companies like ours, the native jobs they help, and the {dollars} they carry into our native financial system would dry up. The Wild Olympics proposal would merely make the present safeguards defending our rivers on the Olympic Nationwide Forest everlasting. That’s all it does. It doesn’t change entry or price timber jobs. And if it did, I wouldn’t help it, as a result of my household works within the timber business. There are lots of challenges dealing with our rivers and salmon, with plenty of debate and thousands and thousands of {dollars} spent making an attempt to assist restore clear water and habitat downstream. However one primary, easy piece of the muse we are able to put in place now that received’t price any of us something, is to completely shield the wholesome habitat on the federal lands upstream in opposition to any misguided makes an attempt to develop them sooner or later. That’s why I’m a proud supporter of the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. For Our Future.”
Ashley Nichole Lewis, Dangerous Ash Outside (Tahola) and member, Sportsmen For Wild Olympics: “Conservation for me on the Olympic Peninsula signifies that the following technology and generations to return can come out right here and expertise the way in which that I expertise it and the way in which my grandpa skilled it when he fished out right here and that eternally we all the time have this – what’s wild and what’s the Olympic Peninsula and our tradition right now.”
Contact: Connie Gallant, Chair, Wild Olympics Marketing campaign / connie@wildolympics.org
Wild Olympics Marketing campaign / PO Field 214, Quilcene, WA 98376
