Methow Valley Citizens' Council
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MVCC Archive IndexThe Valley VoiceNews from the Methow Valley Citizens Council Spring 1999 |
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Salmon in Olympia: Struggling to survive
by Joseph Bogaard, Campaign for the Northwest The 1999 Washington State legislative session is in full swing, and though many are talking about wild salmon, it remains unclear how the Legislature and Governor Locke will create a healthy future for Washington's wild salmon and clean water in the 21st Century. With Endangered Species Act listings piling up across the state, the federal government is looking for signs that Washington will start to address the needs of our Northwest imperiled icon. However, if the first month of the legislative session is any indication, the battle to restore our wild fish and clean waters has just begun. The past year has been packed with more salmon proposals, press conferences, and stakeholder workshops than ever before. And this year's session has long been anticipated as the forum where our state leaders will either stand behind, or try to abandon, their rhetoric. The Governor introduced his "salmon bill" to the legislature in January. Though the bill contains some good measures, particularly in the area of state water reform, it falls short of the comprehensive, statewide approach needed to recover salmon; the legislative process that it now faces will do nothing to strengthen it. In early February, the bill appeared to have few champions, and scarcely a legislator had glanced at it. So far, it appears that Governor Locke has done little to begin to shepherd the bill through the House or the Senate. The situation is similar in the Legislature, where few have stepped up for Washington's wild fish and clean water. One notable exception is Karen Fraser, chair of the Senate Environmental Quality and Water Resources Committee. Senator Fraser has expressed her commitment to push the Governor's bill, No. 5289, through her committee with the strongest possible recovery language. Campaign for the Northwest, a coalition of statewide conservation organizations, is urging wild fish and clean water advocates to send a strong message to our leaders in Olympia. With the support of local organizations like Methow Valley Citizens' Council, we can send a much-needed message to our Governor and legislators. Make a phone call and send a letter. Tell our elected officials to stand up for real salmon recovery:* Clean up our waters and protect wild salmon habitat.
* Close the legal loopholes and enforce the laws that we already have.
* Pay for wild salmon and clean water recovery.
* Set protection standards based on science, not politics. For more information, call Campaign for the Northwest at 206-447-3329, and check out the People's Pledge for Wild Salmon on the web at:
www.pugetsound.org/c4nw
