by Cynthia Wilkerson, The Wilderness Society

As we bid adieu to 2012, it is a good time to celebrate the success and momentum of the past year and to look forward to more progress in 2013 for the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan.

In 2012, our Yakima Basin Conservation Campaign focused its work on raising awareness and support for the Integrated Plan. The Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement came out in March detailing the major components of the Plan. Our collective efforts with the YBIP Implementation Committee resulted in over 15 letters of support or resolutions from in-basin and statewide organizations, as well as in-basin municipalities for the goals, framework and process to move the Integrated Plan forward. We also spent time talking with federal and state decision makers about the broad-based support for the Integrated Plan, the concept of forming a Washington DC Leadership Team of federal agencies, headed up by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, to assist in moving the Plan forward at the federal level.

As 2013 dawns, we are excited to report that the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is already moving into the state legislative session in Olympia. Representatives Chandler, Blake, Warnick, and Tharinger have cosponsored H.B. 1196, requested by the State Department of Ecology. The bill concerns support for the overall Integrated Plan and has its first hearing in the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee next week. We also expect to be working on a Capitol budget request to kick off a major contribution of state funds for the Integrated Plan in this session. Outgoing Governor Chris Gregoire included $20.9 million in funds in her final budget and newly sworn in Governor Jay Inslee clearly expressed his commitment to the Integrated Plan as the number one agricultural jobs priority during his campaign.

The Yakima Basin Conservation Campaign is also looking forward to the next round of discussions at the Watershed Lands Subcommittee to utilize all of the outreach and input we’ve received in 2012 into the refinement of a Lands Package.

More great progress to come and we’ll keep you informed!

By Cynthia Wilkerson – The Wilderness Society

Since the last update, we‘ve been busy building momentum and support for the Integrated Plan and researching some critical aspects and opportunities.

Michael Garrity of American Rivers, traveled to D.C. with partners from the Yakama Nation, county commissions, Washington State Department of Ecology, and farmers to continue to raise awareness of the plan and ask for support for early implementation actions, such as fish passage at Lake Cle Elum and assessment of technical issues with the Bumping and Wymer dams.

Locally, we’re teaming up with this same cross-section of folks to seek endorsements for the framework of the plan.  Key support in the past month has come from the Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce and the Mountains to Sound Greenway.  Another critical development in terms of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan collaboration is that the U.S. Forest Service has formally joined the Integrated Plan’s Work Group.

Finally, we have been making progress with our public lands partners in exploring how to create a robust and balanced lands protection package that protects and restores underlying watershed values, such as wildlife habitat and clean drinking water, and allows for balanced recreation opportunities for a diverse set of users that are compatible with the needs of the forests and rivers.

Stay tuned for further progress and work to protect the Yakima Basin for fish, farms and families continues.

May 10, 2012

By Cynthia Wilkerson, The Wilderness Society

Now that our website it up and running, we’ll be posting monthly updates on Yakima Basin Conservation Campaign highlights. Here’s the first one. We’ll aim to post a new update during the first week of every month.

April & May 2012

April started off with an endorsement of the plan from the City of Ellensburg and this Tuesday, the City of Cle Elum followed suit.  Both cities recognize the need for collaborative solutions to this region’s water needs and the importance of the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan’s goals for their local economies.

Congressman Dave Reichert (R-8), whose current district will shift to include all of Kittitas County beginning in 2013, visited Kittitas County in April. During that visit he was asked about his thoughts on YBIP. He recognized the importance of Yakima Basin Integrated Plan to the county and that he’s getting up to speed on the plan.

We continue meeting with local, state and regional recreation and conservation groups about the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan and Wilderness, Wild and Scenic, and National Recreation Area designation opportunities in the basin. Kittitas County has a Citizen’s Advisory Committee looking specifically at the land use and economic impacts of the lands and rivers protections. As a member of that Committee, I am reviewing their draft report along with some help from an economist at The Wilderness Society – I’ll have more on the report as soon as it’s out.

Finally, we’re proud to have launched this website – yakimaforever.org. Check it out, share it with friends, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and get involved with the Campaign!