Environment & Indigenous Culture at the Top of Campaign Platform: Wins
Existential battle ahead to defend all future generations in 2024! ๐๐
Wins for the environment, advancement for earth-centered culture. We present this collection of resources, information & actions for you to connect, support, engage. Also a reminder for the coming year of epic challenge: all of these issues, cultures, organizations & ecosystems are under threat by extremist far-right fascism, in fact are one of the prime targets.
Notice that defendant Trump claimed he would deport & drill โon the first dayโโฆ As with Putin & his minions, the dictators of the world are defenders of weapons, corruption & fossil fuel transactions. The big-money behind the deranged Trump corruption see the writing on the wall: the vast majority & future is for transition & transformation, ending toxic economy of domination & exploitation.
So when we campaign for saving America from fascism, we need to put the environment & Indigenous culture at the top of our priorities, along with womenโs rights, human rights, defending the Constitution. ~ B. ๐ ๐ ๐
Register everybody! https://vote.org
9 Indigenous-led conservation wins and other promising advancements from 2023
In 2023, we witnessed a shift in approach to environmental stewardship and conservation, largely driven by the leadership of Indigenous peoples and Tribal Nations โthe original and longest-serving stewards of the land we call North America. There were also some big steps forward for protection of important cultural sites and Tribal homelands. ย
The health of our lands and waters depends on working collaboratively in ways that honor tribal sovereignty, uphold treaty obligations, embrace Indigenous Knowledge and advance Indigenous priorities.ย ย
Progress from Badger-Two Medicine to Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
Below, we highlight some conservation triumphs and transformative moments of 2023.ย
Oil and gas banned from sacred and culturally significant sites
Continuing to erase harmful and derogatory names on public lands
Steps to restore bison populations with Indigenous Knowledge
Advancing Tribal sovereignty and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Alaskaโs Bristol Bay protected from ruinous mining project
We are thrilled to share the news that the Washington Department of Ecology has designated segments of three river systems as Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs). As our stateโs first-ever ORWs, the designation will protect the Cascade, Green, and Napeequa from any future activities or developments that would degrade water quality, protecting these critical rivers for all, for generations to come.ย Thank you to the hundreds of Washington Wild supporters who sent in comments supporting these new designations over the last two years.
A component of the federal Clean Water Act, ORW designation allows states to identify pristine waterways that constitute an outstanding state resource due to their exceptional water quality, statewide ecological importance, and/or unique recreational value.ย
Over the past two years and throughout an extensive public comment process, Washington Wild has played a leadership role in aย coalition of more than 240 Tribes and local stakeholdersย have supported the proposed ORW designations. The designations were established based on local input so they will not impact private or state timber lands. In addition, to create a more inclusive and just public process for future water quality policymaking in the state, Ecology has also announced a new rule to expand the Tribal consultation requirements to include all Tribes in the state. This change will facilitate greater participation in regulatory decisions and provide an opportunity to elevate tribal interests and values.
Meet Our State's First-Ever 'Outstanding' Rivers!
The Cascade River
149 miles flowing through North Cascades National Park and Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forestย
Photo: Chris Chappell
The Cascade River is aย major tributary of the Skagit River and contributes to one of the most productive strongholds of salmon, steelhead and bull trout in Puget Sound andย provides 30 percent of the freshwaterย that feeds into Puget Sound. As a source of freshwater and chinook salmon, the Cascade is crucial in aiding the recovery of the endangered Southern Resident Orca Whale population.
Additionally, theย City of Anacortesโ drinking waterย & the city of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, comes from the Skagit River (which is fed by the Cascade). Local communities eat salmon caught in the Cascade River and swim, recreate, and earn a living from the river and its tributaries.ย
โThe Cascade River and its watershed are significant to the Tribe, including a historic large fishing village located at the Skagit confluence near modern-day Marblemount. This connection continues today as Upper Skagit Families still reside on the banks of the Cascade River on their historic tribal allotment properties,โ saidย Scott Schuyler, Policy representative for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe.ย โEnsuring that the Cascade River and its benefits to the watershed are protected as an Outstanding Resource Water is a priority for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe.โย โScottย Schuyler, Policy Representative for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe
The Green River
44 miles flowing through Mount St Helens National Monument
The Green River, a main tributary of the North Fork Toutle River in the Cowlitz River Basin, is a shining example of landscape recovery and ecosystem resilience, having rebounded since the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. It is an eligible Wild and Scenic River, a state-designated gene bank for wild steelhead, and provides an excellent and important spawning habitat for endangered salmon. The Green River Valley is prized by locals and tourists alike for its recreational opportunities, including the popular Green River Horse Camp, the Goat Mountain Trail, and the Green River Trail.ย
Photo: Bryn Harding
โAs a hiker, birder, and botanist, I value the Green Riverโs unique landscape, wildlife and native plants recovering from the impacts of the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, and I want to thank the Department of Ecology and Governor Jay Insleeโs administration for designating it as an Outstanding Resource Water at the highest level of protectionโย โSusan Saul, conservation chair of the Vancouver Audubon Societyย
The Napeequa River
35 miles flowing through Glacier Peak Wilderness
Photo: Richard Droker
The Napeequa River is notable for its geologic history and features. Because the Napeequa carves through a narrow, rugged canyon, a variety of ecosystems coexistโglaciers, alpine forests, old-growth forests, meadows, wetlands, and river frontage all sit side-by-side. Due to its remoteness, the river has not been impacted by centuries of human development. Its cold, pristine waters provide critical habitat for species, such as endangered Spring chinook and threatened bull trout. Both the White River and Lake Wenatchee rely on critical inputs from the Napeequa as a major tributary to provide high-quality water and habitat for downstream salmon and trout. The abundance and diversity of species present in the area underline the vital interconnectedness of the river systems.
โAs a small business owner whose livelihood depends on the free-flowing waters of the Wenatchee River, the protection of headwater streams like the Napeequa is important for both my business and my family. Protecting wild waters now before they need to be restored is not only cheaper and easier but also the right thing to do.โย โLance Reif, Owner of Wildwater River Guides in Leavenworth
Every year, Washington is experiencing more and increasingly severe impacts due to climate change. Preserving these important waterways will help mitigate these risks by ensuring that the waters are not impacted by future development or pollution. Washingtonians are thanking Ecology and Governor Jay Inslee for protecting segments of the Cascade, Green, and Napeequa rivers for generations to come.ย ย
Washington Wild
305 N. 83rd St.
Seattle, Washington 98103
206-633-1992
info@wawild.org
Defending wolf reintroduction in Colorado
Late tonight, we received a tremendous bit of news in a new and urgent case we are in to help Colorado wolf reintroduction. Livestock groups requested a restraining order to immediately halt wolf releases planned for as soon as Monday. The court rejected the request citing โ[d]ata submitted to the Court by the Conservation Groups, and not rebutted by Petitioners, demonstrat[ing] that in other states with hundreds or thousands of wolves, predation affects mere fractions of a percent of total livestock populations.โ This is a huge victory, and we're proud to have made a difference. Learn more.
Protecting grizzly bears in Montana and Idaho
More than 60 threatened grizzlies have been killed by trains in Montana and Idaho since 1980. As part of our legal advocacy to protect these bears and help their recovery, we filed a new lawsuit against Burlington Northern Railway Company (BNSF) for operating trains and authorizing use of its tracks in or near grizzly bear recovery zones in those states. After nearly 20 years, numerous documented grizzly deaths, and three more killings just this fall, BNSF still refuses to change its business practices to prevent unnecessary grizzly harm. You can count on us to hold this company accountable to the law and to protect these iconic animals of the western U.S. Learn more.
Girl Rising Community at COP28
Giovanna Romero, Student Ambassador, Mexico
Attendees of this yearโs COP28 climate conference agree that a significant driving force behind the urgent calls for climate action was the vibrant presence of young leaders. In one room, Dr. Mashkur Isa of the youth-led climate organization YOUNGO asked attendees under the age of 35 to raise their hands. Nearly all the hands in the packed auditorium went up! From persuasive speeches to impassioned demonstrations, the young people at COP28 captured the world's attention with fresh perspectives and the moral clarity to insist on more ambitious climate targets.
Among the youth leaders advocating for historic changes were Girl Risingโs Future Rising Fellows and Student Ambassadors. Here's a summary of their experience at COP28:
โThe key takeaway from COP28 is that there is so much to learn from people around the world when it comes to climate change because their lived experience can actually tell us more than just the numbers and charts that show carbon emissions over time. The climate crisis is affecting all of us in ways we donโt actually perceive yet and it needs all of us to take action. I would say that the most important issue is to drive change all-year round, beyond the days when COP is taking place.โ
Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, Future Rising Fellow, Uganda
โClimate change is the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced. Educating girls is a simple and often affordable climate solution. I am a living example of this. My education gave me the knowledge and confidence to create Fridays for Future Uganda. I organize plastic pollution cleanups for Lake Victoria. I go to schools and teach classes on climate issues and have the students come up with local solutions. I hold workshops on making bio briquettes and growing food so that families can have more control of their food security. Education works!"
Selma Bichbich, Future Rising Fellow, Algeria
โThe big takeaway from COP28 for me was how important young people are in making climate policies. I want to tell leaders and everyone in the world that they should listen to young people, especially those from vulnerable communities โ the ones who are directly affected and barely heard. Our ideas and experiences are really important for making effective climate policies. We also need to understand that solving climate issues and making the world more peaceful and fair go hand in hand and everyone should be kept in mind when making such policies, we need to stop making promises and drafting scripts and address them in high-level meetings. We don't want COP100 ย โ we really want to end this soon.โ
Zainab Bie, Student Ambassador, India
โMy message post-COP28 is urgent: Time is running out! We must accelerate towards a just energy transition, leaving no one behind. Active involvement in processes shaping our future is crucial. We must work together, listen to the science, and empower future generations to ensure a sustainable and just future for all.โ
Future Rising Fellowsโ Open Letter to COP28
Ahead of COP28, 10 Future Rising Fellows from the 2023 cohort united in an open letter, addressing key leaders of the climate conference. They asked the world to prioritize climate education, hold wealthy nations accountable for their impact, and ensure gender justice is at the core of climate action plans.
โWe urge you to draw attention to our voices โ ย something we all deserve,โ they said. โWe appeal to you to take urgent measures in the coming four months to support the countries of the Global South. We urge you to prevent the exacerbation of the global and local economic, demographic, and food crises by offering immediate assistance and [prioritizing climate education].โ ย Click here to read the Fellows' full letter.
These young leaders, equipped with their education and a clear sense of justice, are fighting for a more sustainable future for us all.
โWe are on Earth to take care of life. We are on Earth to take care of each other.โ โ Xiye Bastida
Tropical Forests 101: Everything You Need to Know
Tropical forests are richย ecosystemsย located in tropical zones surrounding the equator. They have a dense upper canopy of broad-leafedย treesย and an astonishingly diverse array of animal and plant life.
These forests pack an enormous amount of biodiversity into the six percent of the planetโs land surface they occupy. In fact, 50 percent of known plant and animal species on Earth can be found in their wondrous depths, including ancient trees,ย fungi, two-thirds of allย flowering plants, millions ofย insects, more than a thousandย bird speciesย and hundreds ofย mammal species.
Beluga whales were dubbed โcanaries of the seaโ by early mariners impressed by their complex, song-like communicationย which includes a rich variety of chirps, clicks, and whistles. They are highly social and playful animals, and it is thought they may even have distinct names for each other. While they are not yet endangered globally, some of their sub-populations are. The number of belugas living in the St. Lawrence River in Canada has dwindled to less than 900 from about 10,000 at the turn of the century. Despite a hunting ban and ongoing efforts to protect those who remain, the complex dynamics between human activity and wildlife can make it challenging, especially when we are only able to be sure of the human perspective.ย
But what if we could decipher meaning from the thousands of hours of recorded beluga vocalizations researchers have already collected? How might that help us design better conservation strategies? And what might we learn about how we relate to these wild and ancient cultures?
ย
These questions are at the heart of the work weโve been doing over the past year with PhD candidate and beluga researcherย Jaclyn Aubin in the Mennill lab at the University of Windsor. And theyโre at the heart of so much of the work ESP is doing with our partners as we develop new machine learning applications that can analyze the reams of data being gathered, and start to infer meaning from all the โnoise.โย
The significance of our work is heightened as theย closely watched climate conference in Dubai wraps up, and we become even more keenly aware of the ways in which planetary systems are faltering around us.ย
Over the past year, weโve made important progress in developing the fundamentals that will advance the journey toward a better understanding of animal communications, and are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.ย We want to extend our huge thanks to all the dedicated partners, advisors, and donors who make this work possible. Decoding animal communication is a complex but hugely rewarding challenge and we need all hands on deck!ย
Research Highlights
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Cross-disciplinary partnerships are the critical ingredient in driving forward progress on decoding animal communication. Over the past year weโve developed new partnerships with a number of leading research labsโcheck out how weโre working with them on current projectsย that shed light on the vocalizations of carrion crows, beluga whales, and zebra finches.ย
ESP worked with Experiment.com and the Footprint Coalition to launch a new small grants program for research into AI and interspecies communication in September of this year. Senior AI Researchers Sara Keen and Maddie Cusimano acted as science leads and have supported a number of incredible research projects with up to $10,000 in funding. We canโt wait to see their progress! Stay tuned for new grant opportunities in 2024.
We're Growing!
AI Research Director: Are you a thought leader in AI with a track record leading a world-class research team? We're looking for a seasoned AI Research Directorย to lead our long-term research agenda. This is a rare opportunity to be on the leading edge of AI research and to contribute to changing the way human beings relate to the rest of nature.
ย Also, stay tuned for new roles coming up in early 2024ย including a senior communications role and additional research and engineering positions.
What We're Reading and Listening To
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David Haskell's Sounds Wild and Brokenย This 2022 book by biology professor David Haskellย follows impactful moments in Haskellโs search for the lost and forgotten sounds of the natural world.ย
Soundscapes and deep learning enable tracking biodiversity recovery in tropical forestsย A new method of measuring tropical forest recovery uses bioacoustics and metabarcoding to measure community composition as opposed to species richness.ย
Whatโs the rumpus?ย Scientists have found that temperate forest birds recognize and respond to unfamiliar avian tropical alarm calls across three continents.ย
Roosters do not warn the bird in the mirrorย This study challengesย the classic mirror test through ecological testing and finds that chickens may recognize their mirror images.ย
Culturally determined interspecies communication between humans and honeyguidesย The cross-species communicationย between Honeyguides and honey hunters indicates that coevolution can be cultural as well as genetic.ย
Earth Species Project (ESP) is a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on using AI to decode non-human communication. Learn more at earthspecies.org
Coastal First Nations, Nanwakolas Council and Coast Funds are welcoming the provincial governmentโs announcement of a $60 million investment in support of Indigenous-led marine conservation, stewardship, and sustainable economic development in the Northern Shelf Bioregion, also known as the Great Bear Sea.
Haida Hereditary Chief Frank Brown on Nature Based Solutions and Climate Change for COP28
Weโve been on an incredible journey together over the last twelve months. As 2023 draws to a close, we want to take a moment to look back and celebrate the advances towards Amazon protection and Indigenous rights that we've achieved together!
Here are five crucial achievements your support has made possible:
WINNING A WORLD CHANGING VICTORY IN THE YASUNI
Our efforts helped Ecuadorian citizens attain a historic victory that protects the most biodiverse forest on the planet and sets a global precedent for the democratization of climate politics. 225 oil wells must now be shut down, keeping 726 million barrels of oil in the ground.ย
GETTING LAND BACK IN THE AMAZON
We helped the Siekopai nation secure legal title over 104,000 acres of rainforest in the heart of their ancestral territory. This landmark legal verdict opens the door for other Indigenous nations to title their territories in the most climate critical forests on Earth. ย
LAUNCHING A NEW LAND DEFENSE TRAINING NETWORK
In partnership with diverse Indigenous nations, communities and political organizations, we launched a novel training program for on-the-ground territorial defenders. In 2023 the program trainedย defenders from 24 communities building the skills, tools and regional networks to protect 1 million hectares of forest.
DECOLONIZING EDUCATION ACROSS 16 COMMUNITIES
Weโre weaving innovative intercultural education models with three Indigenous nations to counter racist and neo colonial schooling systems imposed for decades on Indigenous peoples.ย
RESOURCING INDIGENOUS MOVEMENTS
Weโve directed $2 million to Indigenous initiatives and organizations on the frontlines of the climate crisis. ย
And thatโs just a snapshot!
We have a lot to be proud of and a lot more to do! This on-the-ground work is powered by your support. Will you help us keep up the momentum and keep these big wins coming in 2024?
SUSTAIN TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK ACROSS THE UPPER AMAZON
We have a big year ahead of us. In 2024 weโll be holding the Ecuadorian government accountable to kick big oil out of the Yasuni rainforest once and for all, challenging a new wave of oil leases in some of the last standing forests in Ecuador, expanding our partnerships and getting Indigenous lands back in Peru, scaling intercultural education in communities across the Upper Amazon and getting more resources to Indigenous forest defenders on the frontlines. ย ย
The Amazon holds the lungs of our planet, and the health of our shared climate rests on its protection. Our fight for this forest is a fight for our future on Earth.ย
For a big year to come,ย
"We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say that we have lost our connection to nature, we have lost our connection to ourselves." ~ Andy Goldsworthy ๐ ๐ ๐