Do you enjoy working with others to get things done for conservation? Our Conservation Committee can use your assistance. We depend on volunteers to assist with items on our work plan. By working with other partner organizations and people like you, we’ve played an important role in some incredible things.
Black Hills Audubon Society represents Lewis, Mason, and Thurston counties. All-volunteer-based, our approximately 1300 members share interests in birds and other wildlife, their habitats, and natural history. Our goals are to promote environmental education and recreation, and — this is the main focus of the Conservation Committee — to maintain and protect our ecosystems for future generations.
Our conservation projects are guided by several goals:
- Protect biological diversity and habitats for birds and other wildlife in BHAS area.
- Increase public awareness of political and environmental threats to local habitats and develop new member expertise.
- Reduce risks from and costs associated with climate change by taking action to lower greenhouse gas emissions and implement adaptation strategies.
We meet with county public officials and state legislators, write critiques of land and shoreline development plans to protect wildlife habitat and water quality (contracting for legal and scientific expertise when needed), and collect signatures of individuals and endorsements from like-minded organizations in support of conservation objectives.
Specific projects involve:
- The Skookumchuck Wind Energy Project (support of wind energy to reduce carbon emissions while minimizing harm to birds) which involved direct negotiations with the developer and detailed letters to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Lewis County planning department.
- Management of Maytown Conservation Fund to monitor and protect water levels and critical species in a rare glacial outwash habitat in the rocky prairie area, as well as circulating petitions, seeking endorsements, and contracting for legal opinion and scientific analysis in opposition to a rezone in this area.
- Preparation of science-based statements on the Thurston County Prairie Habitat Conservation Plan that were submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the form of Scoping Comments.
- Submission of extensive recommended code revisions concerning the Shoreline Master Plan update to the Thurston County Planning Commission as well as presentation of public testimony on this issue.
- Sending numerous letters to decision makers, as varied as concern about simulated operations at state parks by the U.S. Navy, a proposed road cutting through LBA woods in Olympia, and support for trail renovation at McLane Natural Area.
- Advocation for 100% carbon-free electricity (passed into law by the state legislature), support for clean fuel standard for transportation (now pending before the state legislature), and support for implementation of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan (now approved by the County, and the cities of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater).
Volunteers with many different talents can participate in this conservation work. Some may feel comfortable writing letters, emails, or making phone calls to public officials; others may prefer to provide oral testimony at public meetings (currently mostly on Zoom). You may like doing background research on issues (there is always material to read). Still others may like to write articles for Echo, the BHAS newsletter, or letters to the editor. You might be comfortable helping to coordinate and build relationships with other conservation organizations.
Whatever your interests and talents, if you would like to be involved with the conservation work of our Audubon chapter, let us know! (Sam Merrill, conservation.chair@nullblackhills-audubon.org)
