Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative

OFCO is proud to announce an important new program to address troubled watersheds on our public lands. We approached the state's Department of Ecology (DOE) in December 2006 regarding our concerns of Clean Water Act violations on Olympic National Forest and elsewhere in Washington.

With the enthusiastic backing of DOE Director Jay Manning and Governor Chris Gregoire, we're off to a great start. Called the Washington Watershed Restoration Initiative, our ambitious 10-year goal is to secure funding for a $300 million backlog --growing dramatically each year-- of road problems desperately needing repair to keep our water clean and protect salmon runs. This entails road decommissioning, stabilization, and fish passage. The Regional Office of the U.S. Forest Service states that two-thirds of the financial backlog is on rivers that flow into Puget Sound. On the Olympic Peninsula, this includes the Strait of Juan de Fuca through Hood Canal. We expect that three-quarters of the entire state's national forest road problems are located on the Olympic (in its entirety) and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie national forests alone.

Eleven other environmental organizations have partnered with us in this important effort: The Wilderness Society, Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Mountaineers, Wildlands CPR, Pacific Rivers Council, Wild Fish Conservancy, American Whitewater, North Cascades Conservation Council, Pilchuck Audubon Society, Alpine Lakes Protection Society and Washington Wilderness Coalition. Read the latest news about this initiative here.

Contact Bonnie Phillips for additional information.