Dear Supporter,
I hope you are doing well, and staying safe and healthy indoors.
As we strive to make our digital publications valuable to you in these difficult times, we would love to hear your feedback on how we can improve your reading experience! We've put together a short, 3 minute survey for you to share your thoughts.
After you submit this survey, you will be entered into a giveaway to win a free Sierra Club gift. Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to learn more, or click here. Please enjoy the rest of the issue!
Thanks for all that you do,
Jesse Piedfort
Chapter Director
Washington State Sierra Club |
Queen of the Hill
By Dan Ritzman
(@lastcurlew) Location: Occupied Yakama and np̓əšqʷáw̓səxʷ (Wenatchi) lands
(Mount Stuart, Washington)
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As our communities confront the reality of COVID-19 and a recession, our ability to meet the severe challenge of this moment is hampered by leadership that refuses to be bold, use holistic data, and move beyond the status quo. All of that, of course, is also true of climate change. Here’s how we're tackling both crises:
By Kelsey Hamlin, Volunteer Outreach and Development Coordinator • 742 words / 6 min
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The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on recovering Snake and Columbia River salmon was released on February 28th. Sadly, the DEIS fails to take the bold steps needed to recover our endangered salmon, steelhead, and orca. Sierra Club believes that any comprehensive solution should include Governor Inslee’s key set of principles for a new salmon plan Here's what we're prioritizing:
By Bill Arthur, Vice Chair Conservation Committee • 594 words / 6 min
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Sierra Club was disappointed to learn that fossil fuel construction projects have been deemed “essential” and are being exempt from the critical rules of social distancing. In addition to blatantly flouting the law, this only exacerbates the threats that these workers already bring to communities. Research has shown a direct link between these "man camps" and increased violence against Indigenous women and non-binary people.
Take action now!
By By Victoria Leistman, Dirty Fuels Organizer • 429 words / 3 min
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During this GiveBig season, please help support our work to protect vulnerable families from utility shut-offs and to continue advancing the transition to clean energy in the Pacific Northwest.
Thank you for your generosity!
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Hear from Dr. Osborn about his role as physician and as conservationist during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new Test & Trace initiative his team developed to support indigenous and rural communities across the country. As the pandemic unfolds, here is what you can do to help today:
By John Osborn, Sierra Club’s Upper Columbia River Group Conservation Chair for • 765 words / 6 min
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While native fish populations swim at the brink of extinction and we battle to restore free-flowing rivers around the country, we simply cannot afford to build yet another irresponsible dam in the Northwest. Unfortunately, the latest proposal for damming the Chehalis River is exactly that. Join us in speaking out against this dam!
By Margie Van Cleve, Washington State Sierra Club Conservation Chair • 708 words / 5 min
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Amy Grondin is a commercial fisherman based out of Port Townsend, WA. She is an outspoken advocate for conserving salmon habitat and ensuring these iconic species continue to thrive. When she’s not on her boat, Amy’s days still revolve around salmon: selling her catch, and calling for the protection of one of our most iconic species and restoration of salmon habitat. Learn how COVID-19 is impacting her and the commercial fishing industry.
By Alex Craven, Our Wild America Organizer • 1371 words / 10 min
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Community of Care
Feeling a little isolated? In this time of social distancing, we thought it might be nice to connect with other people statewide, build relationships, and share resources.
We'll be hosting a Zoom call on Friday, May 8th at 4pm. Please join if you'd like!
Friday, May 8, 2020
4 PM – 5:30 PM
Zoom: https://bit.ly/fridaycommunitycare
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Flatten the Curve Vancouver
Join us for a series of online forums to discuss the intersections between the climate and COVID crises. We will discuss potential local solutions that protect lives by addressing the pandemic, while still making the transition to an equitable and just clean energy economy.
• Thursday, May 14th at 6:00PM: Why we need to consider climate change in response to COVID-19
• Thursday, May 21st at 6:00PM: Inequality and Public Health: Supporting Vulnerable Populations
• Thursday, May 28th at 6:00PM: Economic Transformation: A green stimulus and the people's bail out |
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| Washington State Sierra Club Engagement Survey
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Thank you in advance for helping to improve our communications. We would love to hear your thoughts or feedback on how we can improve your experience with the Sierra Club!
GIVEAWAY INFO: The giveaway will end on June 1st, 2020 at 11:59p PST. By taking this survey, you will be entered into a giveaway to win a free Sierra Club gift. Five winners will be drawn at random from the list of survey participants and will be contacted directly via email on June 3rd at 10a PST. (One entry per person.) Thank you for participating! |
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In light of May being Asian American Pacific Islander Month, we wanted to share with you this podcast from Resource Media's Outside Voices.
Host and producer Sarah Shimazaki narrates her experience revisiting Manzanar for the 50th annual pilgrimage. She digs deep to learn how inmates asserted and emphasized their Japanese identity in the gardens, precisely when they were being confined for that very identity.
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Our Reading List:
Now, we have to ask how this happens in the wealthiest nation on earth. How can this inequality have such wide-reaching implications? Well, racial inequality was baked into the recipe of the creation of the United States of America. Inequities in neighborhood resources and the healthcare system are manifestations of this recipe.
A growing movement is calling for more streets in more cities to open for people to safely recreate during the coronavirus pandemic. Here is what some Sierra Club volunteers and staff members had to say on the topic.
Our communities suffer some of the highest rates of COVID-19 risk factors such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. We’re exposed to pollution, have less access to health care, are less wealthy, live without clean water, and experience food insecurity on levels greater than our non-Indigenous counterparts.
Over the last 500 years, colonization weakened Indigenous systems of self-reliance when it came to health care, food, water, and housing, and replaced them with unsupported and underfunded systems that have left us disproportionately unprepared for COVID-19.
Colorlines: Documenting Disparity: The Challenges of Collecting Racial Data on Coronavirus
The state-by-state patchwork approach to collecting and reporting data also has implications for national tallies of something as seemingly straightforward as the number of deaths. Who’s determining the race of people who died when no one can confirm their background? In many cases, it can fall to the coroner or the funeral home to make a guess or abstain from speculating.
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