Olympic Peninsula Tribes, Sportsmen teams, enterprise leaders, and native officers cite advantages to native financial system, clear water, and salmon restoration as invoice advances farther in Senate than ever earlier than.
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. (Dec 14th, 2023) – In the present day the Wild Olympics Coalition cheered a significant milestone for the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act sponsored by Senator Patty Murray and Consultant Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06) because it was voted out of the total Senate Vitality and Pure Assets Committee for the primary time within the invoice’s historical past. With a robust basis of broad native assist and the steadfast efforts of the 2 Congressional leaders, the invoice has made regular progress every successive Congress. Final 12 months the invoice handed the Home with bipartisan assist and superior farther than ever earlier than within the Senate. In the present day’s Committee vote completes a key step within the Congressional course of in direction of it turning into regulation. 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 by in depth neighborhood enter to guard historic forests and salmon streams and improve outside recreation, the laws would designate the primary new wilderness within the Olympic Nationwide Forest in practically 4 many years and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula.
“The Olympic Peninsula is dwelling to a few of the most breathtaking landscapes anddiverse ecosystems in your complete nation, and we have now to struggle to do every little thing we will to guard them,” mentioned Senator Murray. “Our invoice would protect the sweetness and the wealthy pure assets that make the Wild Olympics so treasured to individuals from all walks of life, and be certain that future generations have the chance to expertise the Wild Olympics as we do in the present day. It took years of effort and collaboration amongst advocates, sportsmen,Tribes, native leaders, and so many others to get to the place we’re in the present day—passing Wild Olympics by Committee is a huge win,and our job now could be to maintain up the momentum and get this invoice to President Biden’s desk.”
“As somebody who grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, I realized firsthand that financial progress and environmental safety go hand in hand,” mentioned Rep. Kilmer. “I’m heartened to see the Senate Vitality and Pure Assets Committee think about this sensible, balanced technique that can shield the wildest and most pristine locations on the Olympic Peninsula whereas guaranteeing we will preserve and develop jobs in our pure useful resource industries and different sectors. And I’m grateful for the years-long collaboration to create a proposal that works for folk throughout the neighborhood – together with Tribes, sportsmen, conservation teams, timber communities, enterprise leaders, shellfish growers, and everybody in between.”
(Photograph Credit score: John Gussman)
Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer spent years gathering in depth neighborhood enter on the Olympic Peninsula to craft the fastidiously balanced laws. It might completely protect historic and mature forests, crucial salmon habitat, and sources of fresh consuming water for native communities, whereas additionally defending and increasing world-class outside recreation alternatives like mountaineering, tenting, boating, looking, and fishing. No roads could 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 Marketing consultant 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 offer world-class outside 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 individuals new firms require. Wilderness and wild and scenic river protections would assist shield and develop the native jobs that depend upon our means to compete for expertise in opposition to different areas, and they might improve our recruitment efforts as we work to develop new companies sooner or later. And as a former Timber Business Government, I admire that Senator Murray and Rep Kilmer’s ultimate compromise proposal was scaled-back to make sure it will not affect present timber jobs.”
The invoice’s progress in Congress comes on a latest wave of assist and new native endorsements rallying behind the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. The brand new additions convey 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 outside recreation teams; and lots of others. Moreover, greater than 12,000 native residents have signed petitions in assist.
TESTIMONIALS
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Chairman Ron Allen: “As said within the Northwest Indian Fisheries Fee’s “Treaty Rights at Threat” report, “Salmon restoration is predicated on the essential premise that we will shield what habitat stays whereas we restore beforehand degraded habitat situations. Sadly, vital investments in restoration is probably not realized as a result of the speed of habitat loss continues to outpace restoration. The ensuing internet decline in habitat demonstrates the federal authorities’s failure to guard the Tribes’ treaty-reserved rights.” In an period the place we’re witnessing unprecedented rollbacks of environmental safeguards on federal public lands, the Wild Olympics laws would completely shield a few of the healthiest, intact salmon habitat left on the Peninsula. It’s our heritage and cultural rules to guard the lands and waters Nature supplies, in addition to the pure assets she sustains. Due to this fact, we do proceed to assist and urge swift passage of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.”
Decrease Elwha Klallam Tribe Chairwoman, Frances Charles: “The Decrease Elwha Klallam Tribe (“Decrease Elwha”) strongly helps the proposed Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and appreciates Sen. Murray’s and Rep. Kilmer’s sponsorship of this essential laws. We imagine that it represents a good compromise between doubtlessly competing pursuits of preservation, financial use, and recreation. This laws creates 126,600 acres of recent wilderness and nineteen new wild and scenic rivers designations within the Olympic Nationwide Forest, the Olympic Nationwide Park and Washington State Division of Pure Useful resource-managed land. For Decrease Elwha, an important side of those new designations is the elevated safety for salmon habitat. And we admire that it expressly acknowledges the basic pursuits and experience of all treaty tribes within the restoration of fish habitat. This is a vital complement to our ongoing successes, together with our federal and State companions, in restoring Elwha River fisheries within the aftermath of dam elimination.”
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 lots of 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 depend upon the clear, chilly, silt-free water that drains off Olympic Nationwide Forest into Hood Canal. Defending these watersheds permits our business to develop, develop and proceed to learn the financial system and ecology of Washington State. We’re grateful for his or her management.”
Ashley Nichole Lewis, Unhealthy Ash Outdoor (Tahola), Sportsmen For Wild Olympics and Member of the Quinault Indian Nation: “Wild Olympics protects the Olympic Peninsula’s historic forests, free-flowing rivers and salmon streams for the longer term,” Nichole Lewis pressured. “It’ll shield fishing, boating and looking entry with out closing any roads, nevertheless it additionally completely protects a few of the final wholesome upstream salmon and steelhead habitat left on the peninsula.”
State Consultant Steve Tharinger, twenty fourth Legislative District (Sequim): “It’s straightforward to see and perceive the ecological worth of the Wild Olympics concept, conserving clear and free-flowing rivers, however what is usually missed is the financial worth that sustaining locations like Wild Olympics brings by attracting individuals to the particular outdoor of the Olympic area. I wish to thank REI and Patagonia for partaking area people leaders like myself to assist design the map, and for recognizing that encouraging individuals to get out and benefit from the particular locations within the Wild Olympics proposal brings financial advantages to the communities I characterize.”
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 all over the world. In all my travels, nothing impressed me greater than the pure fantastic thing about the Olympic Mountain Vary and the clear working waters that start their journey flowing towards the lands beneath. Timber is and at all times shall be a part of the Olympic Peninsula’s proud heritage. However our historic forests and wild rivers are the pure legacies we’ll depart to our kids 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.”
James Thomas, President & CEO Thermedia Corp/MasQs (Shelton): “The Wild Olympics laws would assist shield the excellent lifestyle that is a vital cause individuals select to reside, work and play right here in Mason County with the beautiful 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 actual fact, these spectacular public lands had been the ultimate determinant after I selected the Olympic Peninsula as the brand new dwelling for my medical system manufacturing firm. Years later my coronary heart nonetheless sings after I spherical a nook or high a hill and the Olympics become visible. I applaud Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer for working to guard the Peninsula’s financial future.”
Casey Weigel, Proprietor & Head Information of Waters West Information Service (Montesano) and member, of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “By means of 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 assist households, who love fishing simply as a lot as we do. I assist 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 assist, 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 assist it, as a result of my household works within the timber business. There are a lot of challenges dealing with our rivers and salmon, with a lot of debate and tens of millions of {dollars} spent attempting to assist restore clear water and habitat downstream. However one fundamental, easy piece of the muse we will put in place now that gained’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.”
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 convey to the Olympic Peninsula. With REI and Patagonia’s assist, our nook of the world is now attracting guests from throughout. Wild Olympics is our future, for recent air, clear water, pristine forests, and future generations!”
Harriet Reyenga, Unbiased 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 might be serving to to drive progress and create native jobs in actual property, building, and lots of different sectors of our financial system in the present day. Our historic forests, salmon, rivers, and superb landscapes are the north Olympic Peninsula’s aggressive financial benefit over different areas. We should always do all we will to guard and promote these pure treasures. The Wild Olympics laws will do each.”
Dave Bailey, Previous President of the Gray Wolf Fly Fishing Membership in Sequim, WA & co-founder of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “Folks assume that as a result of our salmon streams on Olympic Nationwide Forest seem as they’ve at all times been, that they’re secure. 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 improvement, industrial clear-cutting and extra street constructing as soon as extra. That’s unhealthy for fish, sport, and sportsmen. This laws is crucial to protect what we have now.”
Douglas Scott, Proprietor of Unique Hikes and The Outside 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, stuffed with salmon and surrounded by majestic eagles consistently encourage tens of millions of locals and guests to the area. Every year, over 4 million outside recreation lovers head to the area, hoping to discover a slice of pure magnificence in pristine forests and impossibly attractive river valleys. As an writer, tour information and advocate for the Olympic Peninsula, I’ve witnessed the significance of nature and outside recreation within the Pacific Northwest. Because of the assist outside lovers from all walks of life, passing the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will assist be certain that much more of the beautiful surroundings shall be protected and accessible for all. I’m proud to Assist 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.”
Republican Former Washington U.S. Senator and Washington Governor Daniel J. Evans: “The Olympic Peninsula is my favourite panorama within the state and I’m glad to assist the efforts of the Wild Olympics Marketing campaign. Their native outreach efforts have resulted in laws that might add to the Wilderness areas on Olympic Nationwide Forest designated 30 years in the past and shield the primary ever Wild & Scenic Rivers on the Olympic Peninsula. The Wild Olympics invoice has additionally taken nice care to protect and improve leisure entry to the areas it’s defending. By not impacting entry roads or trailheads, it can retain entry and spotlight these wild locations to people who’re prone to be energetic supporters of defending the wilderness expertise.”
Republican Former Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro: “The laws is a marvel of civic involvement, compromise and lodging. In an unprecedented nod to native communities, the lawmakers carried out their multiyear public course of virtually solely throughout the 4 counties of the peninsula, giving on a regular basis residents a significant voice in shaping the laws. The inclusive course of introduced former adversaries collectively. Backed by each conservationists and representatives of the timber business, the plan supplies everlasting, sturdy safety for historic forests and rivers whereas guaranteeing no timber jobs are misplaced. It impacts solely areas on Olympic Nationwide Forest already off-limits to logging underneath present Forest Service guidelines, making these safeguards everlasting.”
Contact: Connie Gallant, Chair, Wild Olympics Marketing campaign / connie@wildolympics.org
Wild Olympics Marketing campaign / PO Field 214, Quilcene, WA 98376
