Wildlife Preservation
Help Grow Wilderness for Tomorrow
“Where the wild things are is where I am most at home.”–Kim Antieau
Alaska Wildlife Alliance
Founded in 1978, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance is the only group in Alaska solely dedicated to the protection of Alaska’s wildlife. Their mission is the protection of Alaska’s natural wildlife for its intrinsic value as well as for the benefit of present and future generations. The Alliance is your voice for promoting an ecosystem approach to wildlife management that represents the non-consumptive values of wildlife. AWA was founded by Alaskans and depends on the grassroots support and activism of its members. Their site contains some hard hitting videos focused on the continuing fight to ban the aerial hunting of wolves as well as current information on the natural balance between predators and prey animals. They accept donations and have an online gift shop with cool merchandise.
Cohabitats
As the population of Western Washington continues to grow, development expands both within urban cores and semi-rural, suburban areas. Cohabitats is a consulting collective of professionals that collaboratively provide advisory services for conservation development, land planning and design. Through partnerships, they provide a full suite of services for land use including site assessment and planning, restorative landscape planning, green marketing services, and community education for fostering stewardship. They also have a great Resources section.
Conservation Northwest
Since 1989 Conservation Northwest has worked to protect and connect old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia for the benefit of wildlife and people. Conservation Northwest combines outreach, communication, and science with passion and innovation to build coalitions and partnerships with local communities and to implement science-based solutions that conserve wildlife and habitat. This link leads to one of their pages that features the latest wildlife news for the Northwest.
Create A Certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Offered by the National Wildlife Federation, this program is designed to educate everyone on the value of creating sustainable backyard habitats to support wildlife, as well as how to get your community involved and certified. Bring wildlife home! Restoring habitats where commercial and residential development have degraded natural ecosystems can be your way of giving back to wildlife.
Defenders of Wildlife
In 1947, Defenders of Furbearers, the organization that would later become Defenders of Wildlife, was founded. Their mission to protect coyotes and other furred animals from steel-jawed leghold traps and lethal poisons. Their organization has evolved to take on the task of preserving our nation’s native wildlife species and habitats, such as the imperiled wolves.
E/The Environmental Magazine
E/The Environmental Magazine is a bimonthly “clearinghouse” of information, news and resources for people concerned about the environment who want to know “What can I do?” to make a difference. A 13-time Independent Press Awards winner and nominee, E is chock full of everything environmental — from recycling to rainforests, and from the global village to our own backyards. Published by the nonprofit (501-c-3) Earth Action Network, Inc., E is independent of any membership organization and has no agenda to promote except that of our very diverse and dynamic movement as a whole. An excellent resource.
Eagles of the Upper Skagit River
Each winter, hundreds of bald eagles converge in the Upper Skagit River Watershed in Northwestern Washington. They are drawn by the thousands of spawned out salmon along the rivers. The eagles come from as far north as the Yukon and Alaska to enjoy this easy food source. They make up one of the two largest seasonal concentrations of bald eagles in the lower 48 states. The eagle migration peaks mid December to late January.
Environment Washington
Environment Washington is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization. They combines independent research, practical ideas and tough-minded advocacy to overcome the opposition of powerful special interests and win real results for Washington’s environment. Environment Washington draws on 30 years of success in tackling our state’s top environmental problems, including global warming, cleaning up Puget Sound, protections against overfishing, etc.
Friends of Schmitz Park, Alki, WA
Schmitz Park is the last old growth forest in Seattle and is a wonderful wildlife habitat. Friends of Schmitz Park is a group of neighborhood volunteers who are dedicated to the preservation of the park as a natural area. It is the primary community group that helps to maintain the park in accordance with the objectives of the Schmitz Park Management Plan of the Seattle Parks Department. During both monthly and special work parties, volunteers remove non-native invasive plants, plant native species, pick-up litter, improve trails and salvage native plants from development sites.
Mountain Lion Foundation
They believe that the mountain lion is the foremost symbol of our vanishing wilderness. As their habitat disappears, so do their chances for survival. When the mountain lion is in peril so is the other wildlife in its ecosystem. The Mountain Lion Foundation is a nonprofit conservation and education organization dedicated to protecting the mountain lion and their wild habitat to ensure that our wildlife heritage endures for future generations. Their site offers information and video about cougars, FAQ, and safety tips.
You can support them by donations or purchasing gifts from their online store. At their Sacramento, CA office they need volunteers at all levels: internships, office assistance, and committees.
NRDC BioGems
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an environmental action group supported by more than 1 million members and BioGems Defenders nationwide. Our mission is to safeguard the earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. By fighting in court, working through Congress, and mobilizing millions of people worldwide, NRDC has stopped powerful corporate interests from destroying our clean air and water, public lands and wildlife habitats. The NRDC BioGems campaign empowers citizens to take effective online action in defense of our planet’s most endangered wild places.
PAWS Wildlife Center
As the largest wildlife rehabilitation facility in the Pacific Northwest, PAWS provides care for nearly half the wild animals rehabilitated in the state of Washington. Their site has information on what to do if you find a baby mammal or bird that you think is abandoned.
Rainforest Action Network
Environmentalism with teeth. RAN believes that a sustainable world can be created in our lifetime, and that aggressive action must be taken immediately to leave a safe and secure world for our children. Dubbed “some of the most savvy environmental agitators in the business” by the Wall Street Journal, RAN uses hard-hitting markets campaigns to align the policies of multinational corporations with widespread public support for environmental protection. They believe that logging ancient forests for copy paper or destroying an endangered ecosystem for a week’s worth of oil is not just destructive, but outdated and unnecessary.
Sarvey Wildlife Center, Arlington, WA
Sarvey Wildlife Center is located on 5 acres just south of Arlington, Washington and gives thousands of rehabilitating animals a second chance. Two ponds on the east side of the property are secured for recovering deer and waterfowl and the clinic, educational building, eagle flight, and a wide range of caging on the west half of the property. Their goals are to provide wildlife rehabilitation and care, educate and sensitize the public to the needs of wildlife, and expand and share the existing rehabilitation knowledge base. They have strong need for physical and financial volunteers.
The Seattle Audubon Society
Seattle Audubon cultivates and leads a community that values and protects birds and the natural environment. Seattle Audubon envisions a healthy environment in balance with nature, where people enjoy, respect, and care for the natural resources that sustain the community of life. They have a thriving volunteer program, and offer many great educational seminars and field trips.
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club’s members are more than 750,000 of your friends and neighbors. Inspired by nature, they work together to protect our communities and the planet. The Club is America’s oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Get involved locally! The Sierra Club has chapters across the country. Your chapter offers opportunities for hikes and other outings, activism on local and state issues, and much more.
Snow Leopard Trust
Based in Seattle, the Snow Leopard Trust supports conservation of the snow leopards through improving the livelihood of the mountain people who share their habitat. Completely dependent on their livestock for food and income, in the past, poverty often forced the villagers to hunt the snow leopards to prevent attacks on their herds. In exchange for not hunting the leopards, the Trust helps the families earn a living through their traditional felting skills and offer their beautiful handcrafted items for sale. I bought these gorgeous felted pillows which feature snow leopard prints as well as cat toys felted from camels and decorated with yak or horsehair tails. My cats love them! Makes great gifts, too!
Surfrider Foundation USA
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide. They have had many successful campaigns to keep our coastal waters environmentally friendly. The core activities and campaigns that the Surfrider Foundation uses to protect our oceans, waves and beaches fall into the categories of Clean Water, Beach Access, Beach Preservation and Protecting Special Places. Their site has a map where you can click to see what programs are available in your coastal community.
Washington Toxics Coalition
Washington Toxics Coalition protects public health and the environment by eliminating toxic pollution. WTC promotes alternatives, advocates policies, empowers communities, and educates people to create a healthy environment.
The Wilderness Society
The Mission of The Wilderness Society is to deliver to future generations an unspoiled legacy of wild places, with all the precious values they hold: biological diversity; clean air and water; towering forests, rushing rivers, and sage-sweet, silent deserts.
Their programs include protecting the last great American wilderness area, the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, from oil and gas drilling; Staving off logging and road building on 58 million acres of roadless lands; Curbing the abuse of our lands by off-road vehicle users; Protecting wild places within the lower 48 states from rampant oil development.
How to Co-exist with Wildlife
Maintained by PAWS list contains pages of valuable information pertaining to the habits of Pacific Northwest wildlife including coexisting, tips on feeding, and do’s and don’t.
