Number: 1995-07
WHEREAS, the National Wildlife Federation is committed to the protection of viable ecosystems; and
WHEREAS, the North Cascades ecosystem extends from the Snoqualmie River in Washington State north to the Fraser River in British Columbia, from the Columbia River in eastern Washington to the Puget Sound; and
WHEREAS, the public land within the North Cascades ecosystem is managed by multiple resource agencies in the United States and across the Canadian border, with different management objectives; and,
WHEREAS, federal public land within the North Cascades ecosystem on the US side consists of the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas, administered by the Department of the Interior, the Mt Baker- Snoqualmie, Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests, administered by the Department of Agriculture; public land in British Columbia includes Manning and Cathedral Provincial Parks, Skagit and Cascade Provincial Recreation Areas administered by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks and crown lands administered by the Ministry of Forests; and
WHEREAS, the Pacific Northwest provides a high quality of life due to its proximity to natural resource-related recreation, making the region along the Puget Sound and Georgia Straits (current population 3.5 million) among the fastest growing areas in North America, thereby placing increasing demands on the North Cascades ecosystem for resource extraction and recreation opportunities; and
WHEREAS, the North Cascades ecosystem is home to important animal populations including depleted wild salmon stocks and anadromous trout runs and the most viable lynx population in the lower 48 states; and
WHEREAS, growing support for international protection includes 15 grassroots environmental and education organizations in British Columbia and Washington, who have obtained endorsements from a broad constituency including, but not limited to, the Greater Church Council of Seattle (400 congregations), local chapters of the Audubon Society, Interfaith Council of Washington, Washington Environmental Council (over 100 environmental member organizations); and
WHEREAS, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, has expressed strong interest in the concept of international protection for the North Cascades ecosystem and in British Columbia a significant expansion of protected areas is currently underway; and
WHEREAS, past international cooperation in this region successfully blocked the renegotiation of the proposed High Ross Dam for 80 years which would have flooded thousands of acres of pristine wilderness in the Skagit River Valley on both sides of the border; and
WHEREAS, the core of the proposed protected area already exists as National Parks and National Recreation Areas in the US (surrounding Forest Service lands would act as a buffer) and would form the basis for an ecosystem management approach based on the principles of conservation biology; and
WHEREAS, no state or private lands, or additional federal, provincial, or crown lands are included in the proposal; and
WHEREAS, economics based on resource extraction and related jobs are currently declining due to diminishing resources and the need for alternative sustainable economics is apparent; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of international protection (international park and special management area) cooperatively managed by different agencies within the United States and Canada will protect a significant Northwest ecosystem and act as a blueprint for other international protection efforts vital to sustaining transboundary ecosystems;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in its Annual Meeting assembled March 18-20, 1995 in Washington, D.C., calls on the governments of the United States and Canada to recognize the international importance of the North Cascades ecosystem and to protect, and where necessary restore the natural values that sustain the spiritual, recreational, cultural, educational and biological needs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls on the governments of the United States and Canada to establish a system of coordinated cooperative management of human use of the resources among all public agencies that administer lands within the ecosystem; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports the concept of a core protected area (International Park or some other appropriate term) within the North Cascades ecosystem, consisting of the North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas, the US side, to remain under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service and to cooperate with the governments of Canada to accomplish the same objectives on the British Columbia side of the ecosystem; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports the concept of a special management area (or some other appropriate term) within the North Cascades ecosystem consisting on the United States side of Forest Service lands to provide a buffer around the core park, to remain under the jurisdiction of the US Forest Service, on which recreation including hunting, sport fishing as well as limited resource extraction may occur providing that the overall viability of the ecosystem is maintained, and to cooperate with the governments of Canada to accomplish the same objectives on the British Columbia side of the ecosystem; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports additional protection and restoration of the primary river systems, which provide critical salmon and anadromous trout spawning habitat and connect the North Cascades ecosystem with Puget Sound and Georgia Straits; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls on the government of the United States to provide planning and support for a transition to alternative and sustainable economies in communities in the United States that now depend on resources extracted from the North Cascades ecosystem and to cooperate with the governments of Canada to accomplish the same objectives on the British Columbia side of the ecosystem.