FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 10th, 2019
Wild Olympics Media Picture Gallery of The Proposal
Wild Olympics Invoice Rides Wave of New Native Assist via Home Listening to
New endorsers cite financial progress, clear water, salmon restoration as Consultant Kilmer & native enterprise chief testify
QUILCENE, Wash. (July 10, 2019) The Wild Olympics Coalition at present cheered a listening to within the U.S. Home of Representatives Pure Sources Subcommittee on Nationwide Parks, Forests, and Public Lands of the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (H.R. 2642). The laws was launched by Senator Patty Murray and Consultant Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06) in Could, and would completely defend 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 via in depth neighborhood enter to guard historical forests and clear water and improve outside recreation, the laws would designate the primary new wilderness on Olympic Nationwide Forest in almost three a long time and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula.
It will completely defend important 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 with out closing any roads. The laws has been rigorously crafted via in depth neighborhood enter to make sure the proposal can have no affect on current timber jobs.
Consultant Kilmer Testified at at present’s listening to in help of the laws.
“Rising up on the Olympic Peninsula, I’ve discovered that financial progress and environmental safety go hand in hand,” stated Consultant Kilmer. “I’m proud the Home is lastly working to advance this sensible, balanced technique, that may defend the wildest and most pristine locations on the Peninsula whereas guaranteeing we are able to hold and develop jobs in our pure useful resource industries and different sectors. I’m grateful for the collaboration of native companions – together with Tribes, conservation teams, timber communities, enterprise leaders, shellfish growers, and everybody in-between — to create a proposal that works for our native communities.”
“The Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is a win for the environment, a win for our financial system, and a win for our state,” Senator Murray stated. “I’m proud to champion this invoice to assist protect the Olympic Peninsula’s pristine areas, and I’m excited to proceed working with Consultant Kilmer, in addition to native tribal, enterprise, and neighborhood leaders, to maintain up the momentum to move this invoice in Congress and make sure the preservation of Washington state’s prized rivers, forests, and wild areas for generations to come back.”
The listening to comes on a wave of latest help from over 100 new endorsements from native Olympic Peninsula Tribes, elected officers and companies rallying behind the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. The brand new additions carry the entire variety of native Olympic Peninsula companies, CEOs, elected officers, farms, religion leaders, sportsmen, and conservation and outside recreation teams to greater than 800 endorsers, together with the Quinault, Quileute, Elwha & Jamestown s’Klallam Tribes and the mayors of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, Hoquiam, Aberdeen, Ocean Shores & Elma, amongst many others. The brand new endorsements by native Olympic Peninsula Tribes, enterprise house owners, mayors and metropolis councilmembers from all 4 counties of the Peninsula have been collected during the last 8 months on a sign-on letter addressed to Senator Murray and Rep. Kilmer. Greater than 12,000 native residents have signed petitions in help.
Aberdeen Businessman Roy Nott stated in his testimony in entrance of the Committee at present, “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 proficient folks new corporations require. Wilderness and wild and scenic river protections would assist defend and develop the native jobs that rely on our capacity to compete for expertise in opposition to different areas, and they’d improve our recruitment efforts as we work to develop new companies sooner or later. And as a former Timber Business Government, I recognize that Senator Murray and Rep Kilmer’s remaining compromise proposal was scaled-back to make sure it might not affect present timber jobs.”
The brand new endorsements come after Native Olympic Peninsula Financial Leaders not too long ago introduced a brand new partnership with REI and Patagonia to advertise the Wild Olympics Marketing campaign in REI’s flagship retailer and on-line to encourage their prospects to go to the spectacular Olympic Peninsula. As a part of the partnership, native elected officers from the Olympic Peninsula, the Wild Olympics Marketing campaign, outside recreation teams, REI, and Patagonia unveiled a brand new “Vacation spot Wild Olympics” map, highlighting among the nice recreation locations within the Wild Olympics proposal. The map was designed with in depth enter from native Olympic Peninsula enterprise house owners, financial improvement leaders and native elected officers, who introduced their help for the initiative, calling it a tremendous financial alternative for the Peninsula.
The laws now awaits a mark-up within the full Pure Sources Committee and a listening to within the U.S. Senate Committee on Vitality and Pure Sources.
TESTIMONIALS
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 necessary laws. We consider that it represents a good compromise between probably competing pursuits of preservation, financial use, and recreation. This laws creates 126,600 acres of latest 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, crucial facet of those new designations is the elevated safety for salmon habitat. And we recognize that it expressly acknowledges the elemental 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.”
Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp: Our Tribe urges swift passage of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. As acknowledged within the Northwest Indian Fisheries Fee’s “Treaty Rights at Threat” report, “Salmon restoration is predicated on the essential premise that we are able to defend what habitat stays whereas we restore beforehand degraded habitat circumstances. Sadly important investments in restoration might not be 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 defend among the healthiest, intact salmon habitat left on the Peninsula.
Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Douglas Woodruff Jr. “The Quileute Tribe helps passage of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It represents a well-crafted compromise that gives important protections for fish and wild life habitat and water high quality, whereas additionally respecting the treaty rights and administration prerogatives of the Quileute Tribe. Defending the most effective remaining habitat is crucial as tribal, state and federal governments and residents all through the Olympic area commit hundreds of thousands of {dollars} and incalculable volunteer hours to restoration actions within the face of declining salmon populations, fishing closures, threats to Orcas, and the impacts of local weather change. The present model of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is a major and important step ahead to “defend the most effective,” and the Quileute Tribe urges swift passage of this laws.”
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Chairman Ron Allen: “As acknowledged within the Northwest Indian Fisheries Fee’s “Treaty Rights at Threat” report, “Salmon restoration is predicated on the essential premise that we are able to defend what habitat stays whereas we restore beforehand degraded habitat circumstances. Sadly, important investments in restoration might not be 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 defend among the healthiest, intact salmon habitat left on the Peninsula. It’s our heritage and cultural ideas to guard the lands and waters Nature offers, in addition to the pure assets she sustains. Due to this fact, we do proceed to help and urge swift passage of the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act”
Port Angeles Mayor, Sissi Bruch: “I’m happy to announce my enthusiastic help and the help of a majority of the Port Angeles Metropolis Council for Senator Murray’s and Consultant Kilmer’s Wild Olympics laws, as it’s a sound funding in our future. We be a part of greater than 80 present and former Olympic Peninsula & Hood Canal Area native elected officers calling on Congress to move the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. We perceive that completely defend our historical forests, clear water and World-Class Outside Recreation locations makes strong financial sense. It really works in tandem with our all of our communities’ funding in salmon restoration and safeguards our consuming water and wild corridors for future generations. Our area is blessed with gorgeous surroundings, pristine wilderness areas important to fish and wildlife and enviable range all of which contribute to attracting expert staff to our rural cities, and that’s one thing that we desperately want. We thank Senator Murray & Consultant Kilmer for his or her management!”
Aberdeen Mayor, Erik Larsen: “Aberdeen has a historical past of working forests driving our native financial system. As recreation and tourism proceed to develop, our forests are discovering new work. The brand new Wild Olympics laws proposed by Rep. Kilmer and Sen. Murray has benefited from years of public enter to steadiness the necessity to defend our pure assets with the necessity to defend the roles they help. That’s the reason I’m proud to help the Wild Olympics laws.”
Invoice Taylor, President of Taylor Shellfish Farms (Shelton): “Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer’s Wild Olympics laws will assist defend our state’s shellfish business, together with a whole bunch 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 rely on 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 profit the financial system and ecology of Washington State. We’re grateful for his or her management.”
Ashley Nichole Lewis, Unhealthy Ash Fishing Information Service (Tahola) & member, Sportsmen For Wild Olympics: “Conservation for me on the Olympic Peninsula implies that the subsequent technology and generations to come back can come out right here and expertise the best way that I expertise it and the best way my grandpa skilled it when he fished out right here and that ceaselessly we at all times have this – what’s wild and what’s the Olympic Peninsula and our tradition at present.”
James Thomas, President & CEO Thermedia Corp/MasQs (Shelton): “The Wild Olympics laws would assist defend the excellent lifestyle that is a vital motive folks select to dwell, work and play right here in Mason County with the gorgeous backdrop of the Olympic Mountains in our yard. The traditional forests, wild rivers and scenic great thing about the Olympics are the inspiration of our excessive “High quality of Life” that pulls guests, entrepreneurs, new residents and funding in our communities, strengthening our native financial system. In truth, these spectacular public lands have been the ultimate determinant once I selected the Olympic Peninsula as the brand new residence for my medical system manufacturing firm. Ten years later my coronary heart nonetheless sings once I spherical a nook or prime a hill and the Olympics become visible. I applaud Senator Murray and Consultant Kilmer for working to guard the Peninsula’s financial future.”
Fred Rakevich, Retired logger and forty-nine yr 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 half manner world wide. In all my travels, nothing impressed me greater than the pure great thing about the Olympic Mountain Vary and the clear working waters that start their journey flowing towards the lands under. Timber is and at all times will likely be a part of the Olympic Peninsula’s proud heritage. However our historical forests and wild rivers are the pure legacy we are going to go away to our youngsters 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.”
Casey Weigel, Proprietor & Head Information of Waters West Information Service (Montesano) and member, of Sportsmen for Wild Olympics: “By means of exhausting 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 help households, who love fishing simply as a lot as we do. I help 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 help, 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 Olympic Nationwide Forest everlasting. That’s all it does. It doesn’t change entry or value timber jobs. And if it did, I wouldn’t help it, as a result of my household works within the timber business. There are numerous challenges dealing with our rivers and salmon, with a number of debate and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} spent attempting to assist restore clear water and habitat downstream. However one primary, easy piece of the inspiration we are able to put in place now that received’t value any of us something, is to completely defend 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 carry to the Olympic Peninsula. With REI and Patagonia’s help our nook of the world is now attracting guests from throughout. Wild Olympics is our future, for contemporary air, clear water, pristine forests and future generations!”
Sarah Muszynski, Proprietor, Blue Horizons Paddlesports(Lake Cushman): “As an out of doors recreation enterprise proprietor and an avid outdoorsman, my livelihood and life-style rely on clear, free-flowing rivers. Guests to Olympic Nationwide Park and companies like mine yearly contribute $220 million in native financial advantages and help 2,708 jobs. This financial profit will depend on entry to the prime quality pure assets the Olympic Peninsula is thought for and safety of these assets. Guests from world wide come to expertise the place we name residence. Defending these assets is an funding in our area’s financial future, and the good factor to do.”
Michelle Sandoval, Port Townsend Metropolis Councilor (Port Townsend): “This laws will assist completely defend clear consuming water for native Peninsula communities. For instance, one of many locations proposed for Wilderness safety is within the Large Quilcene watershed, which filters the clear, chilly consuming water for town of Port Townsend. Defending forests and rivers on federal lands upstream protects our investments in salmon habitat and water high quality downstream. We’re grateful for Consultant Kilmer’s and Senator Murray’s assist in defending Port Townsend’s clear water.”
Harriet Reyenga, Unbiased realtor for Windermere Actual Property (Port Angeles): “The Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild & Scenic Rivers Act will defend and promote the identical spectacular public lands and prime quality of life which are serving to to drive progress and create native jobs in actual property, building and lots of different sectors of our financial system at present. Our historical forests, salmon, rivers and wonderful landscapes are the north Olympic Peninsula’s aggressive financial benefit over different areas. We should always do all we are able to 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: “Individuals 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 efforts underway in Congress and the Administration to roll again present safeguards and open these delicate spawning streams to small hydropower improvement, industrial clear-cutting and extra highway constructing as soon as extra. That’s unhealthy for fish, recreation, and sportsmen. This laws is important to protect what we now have.”
Jasmine Dickhoff, Mayor, Metropolis of Hoquiam: “I’m from right here, I grew up right here, and I’m proud to name the Harbor my residence. Harborites are hardy, self-reliant, and we frequently have a unique viewpoint than different communities. We select to dwell with out all of the facilities of big-city life and we achieve this as a result of we like it right here. Lots of of native Peninsula companies, sportsmen organizations & native elected officers like myself are backing Wild Olympics as a result of it embraces that very same satisfaction – our shared love of the land and our want to completely defend probably the most particular elements of our spectacular yard. Nevertheless, as an area elected official involved about our financial future, I consider we should be seizing new financial alternatives whereas taking nice care to not damage our present ones. That’s why it’s necessary to me that Consultant Kilmer & Senator Murray have labored to make sure their remaining proposal received’t damage native timber jobs. It’s additionally why I consider REI and Patagonia’s promotion of Wild Olympics is a validation of certainly one of our necessary new financial benefits.
State Consultant Steve Tharinger, twenty fourth Legislative District (Sequim): “It’s simple to see and perceive the ecological worth of the Wild Olympics concept, conserving clear and free flowing rivers, however what is typically missed is the financial worth that sustaining locations like Wild Olympics brings by attracting folks to the particular open air of the Olympic area. I wish to thank REI and Patagonia for participating local people leaders like myself to assist design the map, and for recognizing that encouraging folks to get out and benefit from the particular locations within the Wild Olympics proposal brings financial advantages to the communities I characterize.”
Mark and Desiree’ Dodson, House owners Westport Marina Cottages(Westport): “We’re one of many a whole bunch of native Peninsula companies backing Wild Olympics as a result of it might defend & promote the identical priceless pure treasures which are cornerstones of our financial system. Our historical temperate rainforests & wild rivers are iconic one-of-kind outside recreation locations that draw guests & new residents from world wide.”
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, filled with salmon and surrounded by majestic eagles continuously encourage hundreds of thousands of locals and guests to the area. Annually, over 4 million outside recreation fans head to the area, hoping to discover a slice of pure magnificence in pristine forests and impossibly beautiful river valleys. As an creator, tour information and advocate for the Olympic Peninsula, I’ve witnessed the significance of nature and outside recreation within the Pacific Northwest. Due to the help outside fans from all walks of life, passing the Wild Olympics Wilderness & Wild and Scenic Rivers Act will assist make sure that much more of the gorgeous surroundings will likely be protected and accessible for all. I’m proud to Assist the Wild Olympics. Come go to and fall in love with the fantastic thing about rainforests, wild rivers and breathtaking adventures and you’ll too.”
Contact: Connie Gallant, Chair, Wild Olympics Marketing campaign / [email protected]
Wild Olympics Marketing campaign PO Field 214, Quilcene, WA 98376
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