08/31/05 An example of cooperative conservation

08/31/05 An example of cooperative conservation

The White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation officially wraps up today after two previous days of dialogue and examples of how such a practice can work between coalitions of diverse interests. The Pacific Northwest has been prominently displayed during the Conference as an area where cooperative conservation can and does work. One example is work done by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and others to restore water year round to the Walla Walla River in Washington and Oregon. As a result, not only is there water available for returning Chinook salmon populations, but irrigation water for ag producers and landowners. Another has been the work done by the Nisqually River Task Force in Western Washington State. This coalition has been in working together for twenty years on issues pertaining to timber harvest, land use, species recovery, and the balance of water for man and for fish. David Troutt is Chair of the Nisqually River Council. He explains the Task Force's approach. TROUTT: We want to preserve not only our natural landscape in this region, but also the local based economies that have grown up here alongside the salmon and the deer and the elk. And respect our agricultural and timber communities and the small cities that are located within the watershed and help them develop in a way that`s consistent with our vision of a healthy sustainable watershed. And it is that joint effort that has led the Nisqually River Task Force to receive some recognition over this past week in a big way. In addition to their presentation before the Conference, none other than U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton paid a visit to the Nisqually River watershed late last week. But it is not just about the collaborative efforts of the Task Force. Their recognition comes in part because of two components. One is education. The Nisqually River Education Program was formed fifteen years ago to teach students grades K through 12 on the importance of watershed based conservation. TROUTT: So we`ve raised the level of citizenry in the watershed to the point where a vast majority of the folks that live in our watershed, and there`s over 40,000 people total that live, play and enjoy this watershed, have a pretty good understanding of what it is and what we`re trying to accomplish. And that is complimented by action, specifically efforts by the Nisqually Tribe to establish a salmon recovery plan immediately after Chinook were placed on the Endangered Species List.
Previous Report08/30/05 C.C.C. - back to the future
Next Report09/01/05 Soil surveys on the web