Contact your legislators today to express your support for orcas and salmon >>

John,

We recently learned that another orca, Mega (L-41), has likely died. With the population at its lowest number in at least 40 years, more action is urgently needed to get the orcas on a path to survival before it’s too late. And right now, in Washington’s Legislature, we have a chance to take a critical next step.

For years, Washington has tried to achieve No Net Loss of habitat as the state grows, but staggering losses continue. Every year across Puget Sound we lose 800 acres of habitat and forest land. Salmon runs have declined by 90% from their historical numbers, leaving fewer fish for communities and endangered Southern Resident orcas. Unfortunately we are losing habitat faster than we can protect and restore it.

We know No Net Loss isn’t working and we are running out of time to protect the home we all share. That’s why we’re working to establish a statewide policy of Net Ecological Gain, ensuring that after we build new projects we leave the condition of habitat better than we found it. Together we can ensure that as the region grows, we protect our shared waters and restore the habitat our communities and salmon need.

Please email your legislators today to show support for the Healthy Habitats, Healthy Orcas bill (HB 2550).

This bill implements one of Governor Inslee’s Orca Recovery Task Force recommendations. Experts across our state are telling us that shifting beyond No Net Loss to Net Ecological Gain is a critical step to protect Puget Sound, orcas, and salmon. Doing so would increase habitat protection by reducing impacts from development, and accelerate restoration of sensitive ecosystems for Southern Resident orcas and their food web.

How would this work in the real world? Here’s one example: if you built a new dock that impacts 100 square feet of kelp, you would need to restore the 100 square feet of kelp lost and go one step further and ensure that you create more beneficial habitat than you took away.

Since we were kids, we’ve all been taught to leave things a little better than we found it. HB 2550 is a first step to help protect salmon runs, help local orcas, and leave Puget Sound better for our kids.

Please contact your legislators today to express your support for orcas and salmon!

Together, we can create a monumental shift in our environmental policies.

Onward,

Rein Attemann
Puget Sound Campaign Manager