Leadership Letters
Jasmine Vilar
Federal Funding: Because You Asked

TLC’s Board President Kate Vanskike addresses questions about federal funding impacts.

Federal Funding: Because You Asked

Sustainability Action Subcommittee

Sustainability Action Subcommittee

By Maggie Gates

The Sustainability Action Subcommittee (SAS) is a group of appointed community members who care about the greater Spokane community and want to see it thrive. City Council created the SAS in early 2019 in order to focus on issues surrounding climate change and its effects on Spokane and the region. Lands Council staff members Mike, Chelsea, and Maggie all serve on the SAS in various committees that align with our goals. Through this work, The Lands Council is pushing for on-the-ground action for sustainability and climate resilience.

Our Disappearing Roadless Areas

Our Disappearing Roadless Areas

By Mike Petersen

The U.S. Department of Agriculture just announced a final Alaska Roadless Rule that exempts the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 provision that prohibited road construction, road reconstruction, and timber harvests in roadless areas. The Tongass National Forest is the largest remaining intact temperate rainforest in the world. 17 million acres in size and home to over 400 species of wildlife, it's also one of the rarest ecosystems in the world.

Wolf Delisting Update

Wolf Delisting Update

Groups Challenge Trump Admin Removal of Endangered Species Protections in Lower 48

Today, the Trump administration will announce its decision to prematurely remove endangered species protections for wolves in the lower 48 states, in violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The most recent data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its state partners show an estimated 4,400 wolves inhabit the western Great Lakes states, but only 108 wolves in Washington state, 158 in Oregon, and a scant 15 in California. These numbers lay the groundwork for a legal challenge planned by a coalition of Western conservation groups.