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Washington Water Watch
March 2017
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Help ensure clean and flowing waters in Washington State by making a gift to CELP!
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You Can Also Give to CELP Through Planned Gifts!
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You may make a donation to the Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) through your will or living trust.
You can also name Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) as the beneficiary of your IRA, SEP-IRA, 401(k), 403(b) or other retirement plan assets, which can have significant estate tax advantages.
Learn More Here |
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May 10
Give BIG
CELP will once again be participating in the Seattle Foundation's Give BIG day on
Wednesday, May 10th. Stay tuned for information on how you can plan a gift to CELP and join Seattle's largest community giving day of the year!
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May 13 & 14
Paddle the Hanford Reach
This May, CELP Board Member and experienced paddler John Roskelley will lead two guided kayak tours of the Hanford Reach section of the Columbia River.
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SAVE THE DATE:
June 15
Celebrate Water
5:30-7:30 pm
Ivar's Salmon House
CELP's annual fundraising event will be held on Thursday, June 15th. This year we will be honoring
John Osborn with the Ralph W Johnson Water Hero Award.
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Spring Brings New Challenges
Dear Friends of CELP -
Spring is finally here, and it should be a time to celebrate. But these are not ordinary times; Washington's waters are in imminent danger. The Trump Administration has begun dismantling the EPA, slashing funding to clean up Puget Sound, and rolling back clean water rules that protect the drinking water for millions. Congress has proposed eliminating the Endangered Species Act and the Stream Protection Rule. These attacks
could lead to the extinction of Pacific Salmon in Washington State that
would devastate our economy and the tribes that rely on salmon. We are already seeing the effect of reduced salmon populations - this past September, beloved Pacific Northwest matriarch orca whale "Granny" died, an event that has partially been attributed to the decline in salmon (specifically Chinook) in the Columbia River basin.
Here in Washington State, s
ome of Washington's anti-conservation Senators and Representatives are pushing legislation that would allow new domestic wells to impair instream flows and other senior water users.
The Legislative Session is winding down now, but CELP continues to be in Olympia fighting those bills that would harm our rivers and streams and the fish and wildlife that rely on them, and promote sustainable water use.
In this issue, you'll find our 2016 Annual Report, a wrap-up of the Winter Waters Event in Spokane, an introduction to our new board member Patrick Williams, a new installment of our ongoing series "Voices for Water" with Coeur d'Alene Tribal Chairman James Allan, an update on CELP's upcoming events, and more.
Now more than ever, CELP work is to
be there to defend our
freshwater resources
and ensure wise and sustainable water management for future generations, but we can't do it alone. Your tax deductible gift to CELP today will help us continue to fight for clean abundant water for Washington State.
Trish
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Methow River
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Trish Rolfe
Executive Director
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Thank You for Attending Winter Waters!
T
hank you to everyone who attended Winter Waters in Spokane on March 10th. We raised over $5,000 for CELP and the Sierra
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Spokane Tribe members Greg Abrahamson and Glenn Ford welcome attendees
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Club Upper Columbia River Group, an
d honored the Coeur d'Alene Tribe with the Watershed Heroes Award.
It was a wonderful evening filled with fantastic food, conversation, and a touching ceremony with beautiful words from members of the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene Tribes, and Reverend Martin Wells.
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe was presented with the Watershed Heroes Award in recognition of the Tribe's leadership in protecting Coeur d'Alene Lake, and restoring the basin's waters contaminated with mining and smelting wastes.
Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors, volunteers, and attendees for making this such a special and successful event!
Below are some links from the event:
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CELP's 2016 Annual Report
2016 was a big year for CELP. Take a look at our
2016 Annual Report to read about all of our accomplishments in the courts, legislature, and Washington's watersheds that you - CELP's members and volunteers - made possible!
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Meet Patrick Williams - CELP's Newest Board Member
Patrick is a Seattle-based attorney with a solo practice dedicated to environmental, land use law, and water law. His litigation experience includes challenges to land use decisions and water right permits. Prior to opening his practice in 2009, Patrick was staff attorney for the Center for Environmental Law and Policy for three years. During that time he worked on water policy issues including rule making and oversight. Patrick joined CELP's Board of Directors in February.
We asked Patrick some questions about how he became passionate about protecting Washington's waters, and his connection CELP:
What's your first memory of being aware of water conservation?
My first memory of water conservation was growing up outside of Denver
and our neighborhood was put on a water restriction program. It didn't
amount to much, but we could only use water for outside uses on certain
days. As a young kid it opened my eyes to the fact that water didn't just
endlessly come out of the tap and that proper management was required if
it
was to be sustained.
How did you first become aware of and involved with CELP?
I moved to Seattle in 2005 and after passing the Washington state bar exam I began to look for a job. I focused on environmental law in law school and so I was hoping to work in an environmental non-profit. I found CELP and asked if I could volunteer. They fortunately said yes and after a few months an opening for staff attorney opened up and I was offered the position, which I happily accepted.
What do you wish people knew about CELP or water conservation in general?
I would like people to know of CELP's amazing and significant history of water resource protection in the state. CELP has a long history of scoring important victories for water resource protection in Washington and I think people should be more aware of the work CELP and its staff have done.
What's your personal philosophy on what should be done about water conservation?
My personal philosophy on water conservation is a simple one: If Washington wants to maintain its rivers, streams, and aquifers and have continued development then wise long-term management of the resource is the only way. Short-term solutions and reactionary policies will not solve the issue of maintaining Washington's water resources.
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| Chief James Allan, Chairman, Coeur d'Alene Tribe |
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Voices for Water: Chief James Allan, Chairman, Coeur d'Alene Tribe
This interview between John Osborn and Chief James Allan took place in Plummer, Idaho, at tribal headquarters of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe
on the morning of February 14, 2017, in preparation for honoring the Coeur d'Alene Tribe with the Watershed Heroes Award
on March 10, 2017.
John Osborn (JO): Would you begin by describing for us: who is the Coeur d'Alene Tribe?
We recognize that the Tribe has been living along Coeur d'Alene Lake from time immemorial. But tell us more about the Coeur d'Alene people.
Chairman Allan: That is a good question: who are the Coeur d'Alenes? You have to go back to our namesake. When the trappers came here and traded with us, the French have a name for us: Coeur d'Alene. "Coeur d'Alene" means shrewd traders. The Coeur d'Alene people have always been smart, astute business people. You can look back at our history, we wanted to make sure we got a fair shake. From the time our ancestors were here at the lake until now, we remain a major player in the region because that's who we are.
In our own language, we are the
Schitsu'umsh, which means "those who are found here." We have always been here and we always will be here. Our people have always lived in this area and we have always had close ties to the lake. The lake is central to our identity and our livelihood even today, that's why we work so hard to protect it.
We are also honest people. Throughout history and still today, when people deal with the Coeur d'Alenes, people get what they saw. That was honesty.
We place our focus on our tribal people and the future. That's who I think the Coeur d'Alene people are.
JO: Tell us about yourself, and your responsibilities as Tribal Chairman?
Chairman Allan: I'm the oldest of six siblings from a household of a single mom who raised us. I'm the first in my family to go to college. Within my family there were expectations of me to carry on for my family. So that's who I am. I'm from here. I was born and raised here. I'm nobody special. I'm just here to do my best for my family and for my people.
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 Paddle the Hanford Reach with World Famous Adventurer and CELP Board Member John Roskelley!
Go on a kayaking adventure to benefit the environment! This May, CELP Board Member and renowned mountaineer and paddler, John Roskelley, will be leading two kayak tours of the Hanford Reach segment of the Columbia River to benefit CELP. The Hanford Reach is the last non-tidal, free-flowing section of the Columbia River in the United States. The tour will launch at 9 a.m., and take paddlers 19 miles from Vernita Bridge to the White Bluffs WDFW Boat Launch. Depending on the speed of the water, the trip will take five to six hours.
Kayaks, paddles, and life jackets provided. Some paddling experience required.
Limited spots available on Saturday, May 13th or Sunday, May 14th.
*Spots are limited for this event and tickets are expected to sell out fast*
T
ickets are $150 per person. All proceeds will benefit the Center for Environmental Law & Policy's work to protect Washington's rivers and streams.
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The Enloe Dam on the
Similkameen River |
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Speak up for the Similkameen River and the ratepayers of Okanogan County!
Despite opposition from many local residents and PUD ratepayers over the projected losses from the project, the Okanogan County PUD is planning to restart power generation at Enloe Dam on the Similkameen River. The State Capital Projects Advisory Review Board is now considering whether to grant approval for the PUD to move forward with its design/build process for construction of the new hydro facilities. However, the hearing on this project will be held at 9:00 AM on April 27 at the Carpenter's Facility in Kent, WA, several hours' drive from the citizens who would be asked to pay for the project. The PUD's customers deserve the opportunity to attend the hearing and to participate in the discussion.
There are real financial issues surrounding this project. There is no need for the small amount of electricity that would be produced, and it is a money loser: the cost to generate power would be much higher than the market rate for electricity. The PUD's ratepayers could pay higher electric bills far into the future to pay for construction and operation. Even worse, the project's costs will far exceed the initial estimate and are still rising - current estimates are more than 50 million dollars.
The Similkameen River represents hundreds of miles of potential habitat for fish, including salmon and Pacific Lamprey. Re-electrifying Enloe Dam makes no economic sense, and would ensure that this habitat will be inaccessible for many decades into the future.
Please tell the Board to hold a hearing in Okanogan County, and to require a full, transparent and honest estimate of the project's actual cost and how it would affect the PUD's electric rates.
You can submit your comments to the Board at:
Project Review Committee
c/o Talia Baker/Nancy Deakins
Department of Enterprise Services
Post Office Box 41476
Olympia, WA 98504-1476
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| Thanks for taking the time to read Washington Water Watch! Thanks to your help, CELP has accomplished much but, as you can see, more needs to be done. You can support our work by making a donation online here, or mailing a check to: 85 S Washington St #301, Seattle, WA 98104 |
The Center for Environmental Law & Policy is a statewide organization whose mission is to protect, preserve and restore Washington's waters through education, policy reform, agency advocacy, and public interest litigation.
If you care about a future with water, please become a
CELP member
today!
You can reach us at:
206-829-8299 or
email us
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