Conservation Northwest has a lot going on. Below you’ll find updates on their summer hiking schedule, supporting Washington’s wolves, Earth Day and more. This is a wonderful non-profit, and you can visit their site HERE and subscribe to receive notices on local events, opportunities to get involved, and become a supporter.

From Jasmine Minbashian, special projects director: Support Washington's Wolves. Northwest wildlife deserve protection from poaching

Washington residents were thrilled to learn this summer that gray wolves had returned, on their own, to the mountains of the North Cascades. Last July, Conservation Northwest helped document and track Washington's only known family of endangered wild wolves, dubbed the "The Lookout Pack." Sadly, we broke the news last week that at least one, possibly two, of the nine wolves in the pack was killed by poachers. Two residents of Twisp are suspected of illegally trapping and shooting two wolves, including one of the pups photographed by Conservation Northwest this summer.

 

This latest news, coming at such a delicate phase of wolf recovery, is just one of a string of recent stories of illegal wildlife killing to come out of Washington State. Please write our elected officials with the message that Washington cares about its endangered wildlife and wants to see the recovery of wolves in our state.

Send a message to Washington's Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell supporting Washington's endangered wildlife.

Your message will be copied to Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, whose district includes north-central and northeast Washington. Let them know that you want to see their leadership to see the wolf poaching case fully prosecuted under the law and sufficient resources provided to wildlife managers to provide for the recovery of wolves in Washington State.

Please also send your message to Governor Chris Gregoire through her online web portal We would like the Governor to be aware of this problem, too, and our concern for Washington's wolves and other wildlife.

Read comments on the incident on our blog for wolves.

Learn more about gray wolves at www.westernwolves.org.

From Crystal Gartner, Outreach Associate, for Conservation Northwest supporters:

1. Used vehicle needed to help with Canada lynx survey this summer.

Do you have a working vehicle that you'd be willing to loan, rent, or donate for the summer? Conservation Northwest will have a graduate student from France interning with us, and we need help finding an economical transportation option for fieldwork travel throughout the Colville National Forest. Your vehicle could play an important important role in the effort to document lynx presence in the Kettle River Range and Selkirk Mountains.

Email Derrick Knowles if you can help: derrick@conservationnw.org

2. Help lead a day hike in the Columbia Highlands!

If you are an experienced hiker, consider assisting a hike leader on one of our public hikes this summer to the splendid wild country of northeast Washington! For years, our wildly popular hikes have brought people together to discover the unique, rugged beauty of the Columbia Highlands and to learn how they can help protect these special places. We have experienced hike leaders for all of our summer hikes but still need volunteers willing to be second in command. You should be in excellent physical condition, willing to commit, rain or shine, and ready to partner with the hike leader for the safety of the group.

June 6 – Elk Creek Falls (4 miles, easy)

June 13 – Thirteenmile Creek Canyon (9 miles, moderate)

July 18 – Hoodoo Canyon (6 miles, moderate)

July 25 – Abercrombie to Hooknose (9 miles, very challenging)

Aug 1 – Hall Mountain (14 miles, very challenging)

Aug 8 – Columbia Mountain Lookout (8 miles, moderate)

Aug 15 – Wapaloosie Mountain (6 miles, challenging

3. Celebrate Earth Day with Conservation Northwest

This year's Earth Day celebration is Saturday, April 26th, at the Riverfront Park Gondola Meadows. You can be a part of the festivities AND help Conservation Northwest by staffing our information booth and inviting people to find out more about our work protecting Northwest wildlife and wild places and how to get involved. We'll provide the water and snacks.

Choose Shift #1 (11:00-2:00) or Shift #2 (2:00-5:00), or hang out all day! Why not bring a friend?

Call Crystal at 509.747.1663 for more information about co-leading any of these hikes.

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