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Message from the Chair
The Council has undertaken a complex challenge: to develop a 30-year strategy for reversing the steady decline of our native plant and wildlife communities. The Council was created with the recognition that these natural ecosystems provide a multitude of services to our citizens. Yet, in spite of the many laudable and often successful efforts in recent years to protect habitat and species, scientists continue to mark steep declines in ecosystem health across our state. Clearly, fresh approaches are needed to blend critical conservation needs with our economic reality and development pressures. Members of the Biodiversity Council are optimistic about potential new models for stewardship of our state’s natural heritage. Washingtonians share a strong sense of place, and we have repeatedly demonstrated our commitment to preserving our state’s unique character. Today we have the opportunity to apply that commitment and our innovative spirit to create a new story about habitat and biodiversity in Washington State, a story that leads us away from one endangered species listing after another and toward more systematic and longer term solutions. As we work to understand the factors involved in the decline of Washington’s biodiversity, and as we test new stewardship models, we want to talk to people involved in and affected by these issues. Our success in developing a robust 30-year biodiversity strategy will rest on how well we listen and learn from diverse perspectives. For the next several months we will be posting documents on this website and hosting listening workshops to further discussion on a variety of topics and issues. Check back for new documents and events and please let us know what you think. We hope to hear from you! Maggie Coon, chair
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