Whidbey Environmental Action Network

A Bit Of Earth Day History

On April 22, 1970, CBS News covered the first-ever Earth Day with reports from across the United States. Note: This CBS News program, aired in 1970, includes terminology that adhered to the standards of its time. Video from the CBS archives.

As we leave April, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the political and activist roots of Earth Day and its role in the environmental movement.

Earth Day was initially conceived as a teach-in, modeled after the teach-ins of the anti-Vietnam War movement, by Gaylord Nelson, a then-junior Senator from Wisconsin. Americans had long been concerned about widespread environmental pollution. Then, an oil spill occurred off the coast of Santa Barbara in January 1969, the largest oil spill in the United States at the time. Nelson enlisted activist Denis Hayes to help organize a nationwide event to bring attention to rampant environmental pollution across the country, and Earth Day was born.

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, with rallies and demonstrations taking place in towns and cities across the United States. Watch Walter Cronkite cover the first Earth Day across the nation in a video from the CBS archives.

WATCH REPORT

Note: This CBS News program, aired in 1970, includes terminology that adhered to the standards of its time. It is presented by CBS with minimal edits.

Making Positive Change

With Marianne Edain

image by Linda LaMar of Marianne Edain at Pacific Rim Institute

"We’re all short on time and energy. We need to make the most of what we’ve got."

Marianne Edain

On this episode of Action Hour, Marianne and Amanda demystify the step-by-step process foundational to Marianne’s years of successful environmental activism. Societal problems are complex, government agencies are complex, and local communities that engage with this complexity over and over again are imperative for making lasting change in the world.

Learn how to tackle an issue, share the workload, and keep showing up for each other and our planet.

Available on Spotify, Apple Music, iHeart Radio, and the WEAN website.

LISTEN NOW

SEE PDF

Community Gathers To Learn

About Tribal Treaty Rights

image by Rose Woods of audience members at FISH WAR

screening at Thomas Berry Hall

On April 15, our community gathered together in a packed house at Thomas Berry Hall at the Whidbey Institute to screen FISH WAR.

Thank you so much to the Whidbey Institute for partnering with us on this event and to our panelists for the opportunity to learn about tribal treaty rights and their role in co-managing Washington's salmon.

If you missed the event, you can still view the talkback on our YouTube channel. FISH WAR is currently available to stream on Vimeo, Apple TV, Fandango, and Amazon.

WATCH FILM

WATCH Q&A

BOCC Puts Emergency Development

Moratorium On Mixed-Use RAIDs

Map from Island County website

On April 15, the Board of Island County Commissioners adopted a 12-month emergency moratorium, effective immediately, on development in the Mixed-Use Rural Areas of more Intensive rural Development (RAIDs) zones of Rural Center, Rural Village, and Camano Gateway Village.

A public hearing will be held within 60 days of the adoption of this moratorium. If you have concerns or comments, please attend the public hearing in person or virtually, or provide written comments to commentbocc@islandcountywa.gov or compplan@islandcountywa.gov.

Note: text adapted from Island County newsletter

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Planning Commission

Workshops PBRS Forestry Reform

Image of forest by Carlos Andersen

The Island County Planning Commission met on April 16 to workshop the forestry aspects of the Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS), a tax incentive program designed to encourage landowners to conserve their land for public benefit.

One of the main issues with the PBRS program, identified by Commissioner Andersen during the meeting, is that the state-run Designated Forest Land (DFL) program currently provides a significantly larger tax benefit to landowners than PBRS does, even though Island County likely generates little profit from timber harvest through the DFL program.

The Planning Commission will continue to work on reforming the PBRS forestry program, hopefully resulting in greater clarity within the program, increased visibility for the program as a whole, and more benefits for applicants.

LISTEN TO WORKSHOP

How To Effectively Get

Rid Of Scotch Broom

Image of Scotch broom growing on the Oregon coast by Bob Nichols for USDA

This time of year, all of the fantastic blooms we enjoy start to peek out from under the sleepy ground of winter. Unfortunately, it’s also the time of year that pesky Scotch broom begins to bloom in the Pacific Northwest. From April to June, you can expect to see this pretty, but highly invasive, plant popping up everywhere.

In our blog, WEAN founder Steve Erickson outlines his time-tested method for managing this difficult weed. Hint: it takes repetition, dedication, and time.

READ BLOG

Note: WEAN has weed wrenches. If you'd like to borrow a weed wrench, email engage@whidbeyenvironment.org.

Scientists Study Oxygen Levels

Around Coupeville Wharf

Image of Coupeville Wharf by Joe Mabel

Low dissolved oxygen levels put aquatic life in Puget Sound at risk – but not everywhere. A combination of careful monitoring efforts and powerful computer models is now enabling scientists to identify which areas of our regional waters are most prone to low oxygen levels, when, and why. "Researchers zero in on low-oxygen areas of concern in Puget Sound" is part of a series of reports funded by King County about the quest to define healthy oxygen levels in Puget Sound.

From Salish Sea Currents Magazine

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Power Our Work This Spring

Our spring appeal is underway. Help us raise $45,000 to power our work.

GIVE NOW

From EarthJustice: Protect Forests From Massive Expansion Of Logging

Image of a mountain lion in Siuslaw National Forest by David Herasimtshuk

President Trump signed an executive order that seeks to ramp up logging, including clear-cutting, across federal forests. This order aims to increase timber production, erode Endangered Species Act protections, and increase targets for timber offered for sale annually.

We need you to defend the forest protections we have fought so hard for and tell the administration that you oppose increased logging in our federal forests and weakening of environmental protections.

SEND LETTER

From WCA: Save Salmon From Extinction

Image of salmon from Washington Conservation Action

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation are re-evaluating how Columbia and Snake River dams are managed in a new supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS). They are accepting public comment until May 9th, 2025.

Please personalize your comments and include why removing the four Lower Snake River dams and salmon recovery is important to you.

SEND LETTER

From EarthJustice: Protect The Great Lakes From A Dangerous Pipeline

Image by David Ruck for EarthJustice

For more than seven decades, the Line 5 oil pipeline has been carrying oil and gas from western Canada to eastern Canada by taking a shortcut through the Great Lakes. Now, Canadian pipeline company Enbridge wants to dig a tunnel below the lakebed to lock in another century of fossil fuel profits.

At the direction of President Trump, the Army Corps of Engineers is fast-tracking federal permits for the pipeline tunnel replacement — but the State of Michigan can still stop its construction.

We need your help to urge Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer to reject this permit and protect our Great Lakes!

SEND LETTER

From Endangered Species Coalition: Tell Congress To Reject Attacks On Gray Wolves

Image of wolf from Endangered Species Coalition

Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) put forth legislation that would kick wolves off of the endangered species list from coast-to-coast and allow states to set hunting and trapping seasons. It would even prevent courts from reviewing the action.

Most worryingly, this bill is often included in annual, must-pass bills as a "poison pill rider." Recent anti-wolf riders have been removed from must-pass bills in the final negotiations - thanks to pressure from wolf advocates.

Please contact your representative and ask that they oppose bills to strip protections for wolves.

SEND LETTER

Words What We're Reading on image of lichen

Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquake Could Be Even Worse Than Feared, From NBC News

Activate Climate’s ‘Silent Majority’ To Supercharge Action, Experts Say, From The Guardian

WA Prepares To Defend Climate Policies Against Trump’s Latest Order, From The Seattle Times

In Florida, Skyrocketing Insurance Rates Test Resolve Of Homeowners In Risky Areas, From Inside Climate News

First Layers Of Soil To Be Laid On 101 Freeway Wildlife Crossing, The World’s Largest, From Los Angeles Times

Packaging Waste Disposal Becoming Responsibility of Manufacturers, Retailers, From Marten Law

State And Local Climate Laws Draw Federal Scrutiny, From Marten Law

NOAA Probationers Endure Insults Piled Atop Injuries, From PEER

The Secret Legacy Of Tidal Beavers, From Salish Sea Currents Magazine

Trump Takes A Major Step Toward Seabed Mining In International Waters, From The New York Times

Discuss Great Lakes With WEAN, June 3

Join WEAN's book club discussion of Dan Egan's The Death and Life of the Great Lakes.

When: June 3 at 4:30 pm

Where: via Zoom

From Kicking Gas: Sign Up For Subsidies, Deadline May 21

Washington’s Kicking Gas campaign has announced a May 21 deadline to get in on up to $10,000 in subsidies for home electrification appliances in Island and Snohomish Counties.

ATTEND SESSION

Attend Build Wildfire Resilience, May 13

Join Whidbey Island Conservation District Forester Collin McAvinchey on an exploration of how to develop fire-resilient landscapes around your home.

When: May 13 at 4 pm

Where: Oak Harbor Library

LEARN MORE

Regional News

Where Environmental Bills Stand In WA State Legislature

Image from Washington Conservation Action

The legislative session in Olympia closed on April 27, 2025. The final budget included some environmental wins, hard-fought by members of the Environmental Priorities Coalition, such as the preservation of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). And because of consistent advocacy statewide, The Recycling Reform Act (SB 5284) and The Sewage Spill Right-to-Know Act (HB 1670) both passed the legislature this session.

The final step is for Governor Furguson to sign these priority bills into law.

Send a letter to Governor Ferguson urging him to finish the job and sign HB 1670 and SB 5284 into law.

SEND LETTER

How The Forest Service Is Cutting Forest Protections

To Boost Logging In The Pacific Northwest

Image of ponderosa pine stand in Deschutes National Forest taken in 1995 for the US Forest Service

For 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) has been slowly but steadily reversing the damage caused by extensive and reckless clear-cutting that eliminated the vast old-growth forests that once blanketed the Pacific Northwest. The NWFP recognized the need to protect and restore mature and old-growth forests for species like the Northern Spotted Owl, which depend on these forests for their survival. These protections also helped restore watersheds and improve water quality, benefiting aquatic species and drinking water supplies.

In February 2023, the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service ordered a 33% increase in the agency's "timber target," which is the amount of trees that staff are pressured and expected to sell for logging each year. The Forest Service has identified the Pacific Northwest as one of the regions the agency is planning to "have the greatest increase in total timber volume sold" in order to meet the increased timber target, and that it is pursuing "updating land management plans" like the Northwest Forest Plan to do just that.

In November 2024, the Forest Service announced its proposal to amend the NWFP for the first time since it was approved thirty years ago. If approved in its current form, the proposed amendment would substantially weaken existing protections for mature and old-growth forests at the same time the agency is in the process of increasing logging on our National Forests.

Text above and StoryMap below by Ryan Talbott for WildEarth Guardians

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