Category: Movie

Story and Photos by Matt Axling, Yellow Island Steward

I am a terrible swimmer. I sink straight to the bottom of the pool. I avoided swimming lessons my entire life. When I smell the chlorine at my son’s swim lessons, my palms sweat. With all of these factors, it is ironic that I have spent so much of my life on the water.

I am a mediocre biker. What I lack in talent I make up for with effort and silly biking socks. I really love biking to work. The morning commute has put me in a great state of mind as I arrived at various past jobs. And an uphill ride back to my house helps me leave my workday behind and be present for my family when I arrive home. I first started biking to work in Seattle in 1993 when I worked a summer job at a cherry processing factory in Georgetown. Nobody was riding their bikes around Seattle at the time. There were no bike lanes or established bike routes. My shortcuts included cutting through the Kingdome parking lot and the SoDo rail yard. I was hooked.

After accepting the position as steward for Yellow Island for The Nature Conservancy, my bike commuting has taken a back seat. In no way can I complain about my current work commute. I hop in the trusty Yellow Island boat in Friday Harbor, and zip out to Yellow Island in 25 minutes. Traffic consists of pods of orcas blocking my route and the only time I am forced to slow down is when the wind is blowing.

Yellow Island sits in San Juan Channel. 85% of the time, the weather is cooperative and the trip to Yellow is uneventful. The other 15% of the time, you don’t want to be on the water.

The Yellow Island boat was built in the late 1980s in Anacortes. It is a fiberglass landing craft that is good for hauling trash, tools, or people. It has dutifully sat in the water for close to 30 years as various caretakers have navigated their way to and from the island. The boat is powered by an 85hp Tohatsu outboard engine. The engine was purchased on the same day that I was hired four years ago. Since that time, I have put 300 hours of travel time on the engine.

I am very conscious about my boat usage and that 85hp engine has often given me pause. It is easy to see how a motorboat can have an adverse impact on the marine environment. Outboard boat engines are not known for their fuel efficiency. Also a boat traveling through the water at 20 knots and emitting a roar so loud that I wear ear protection are other factors which can impact marine mammals, birds and fish. At times, that engine has seemed incongruous with our mission.

May was Bike to Work Month. This was our second straight Bike to Work Month where we did not participate in bike to work due to COVID. So, in an effort to align my commute with TNC’s mission, to get a little exercise, and to have a spring project to focus on, I decided that May 2021 should be “Row to Work Month.”

THe Right boat

The waters around Yellow Island can be a little dicey. While San Juan Island offers some shelter to Yellow Island from the seasonal SW wind blowing in from the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the currents and wind dynamics of San Juan Channel can be tricky. Kayaking to Yellow Island is something that should only be done under perfect conditions, and if I was going to power myself to Yellow for an entire month, I was going to need a bigger boat.

My mother and uncle were kids who grew up in Ballard. Like most Norwegian immigrants, they have boating in their blood and various derelict boats in their driveways. My mom owns a 14-foot Whitehall rowboat built by Gig Harbor Boatworks. This model boat rows like a dream and is used as an open water rowboat by people traveling through the Inside Passage. The boat was rebuilt by my uncle a few years ago. I hadn’t seen either of them in over a year due to COVID. I scheduled my COVID shot for late April in their hometown as an excuse to go pick up the boat. As I was leaving with the boat in tow, my mom came running out of the house waving a small object and yelling “DON’T FORGET THE PLUG!!!!” I was off to a good start.

Fast forward to the end of May. I have now commuted the entire month out to Yellow using my rowboat. I have rowed about 44 miles during 5 round trips excursions to Yellow.

As I expected, I saw and experienced many beautiful and amazing things by slowing down. I rowed near a pod of orcas which seemed much bigger and waaaaay more intimidating than when I am in my motorboat. I hugged the shoreline and saw guillemots fledging for the first time. I picked up some marine debris which washed up on a rock during a winter storm. When I was hot, I hid in the shadows of San Juan Island, and when I was cold, I rowed in the sun in the middle of the channel. I laughed at my ridiculously slow progress when I was rowing against the current and enjoyed several exciting trips downwind.

What I didn’t expect was how solo rowing for a month would connect me to so many people. Bike commuting has some similar parallels. Simply because you are not behind a windshield, you are forced to interact with everyone in your surroundings. You talk with all kinds of people. I noticed this when I was leading international bike trips in Argentina and Norway with groups of youth. Even though we didn’t share a similar language or culture, the bike would bring people together because it was a common experience.

At the Port of Friday Harbor, my little rowboat soon became a focal point for many people. I received a phone call from somebody who wanted to buy the boat on the spot. People were often gathered around it when I arrived in the morning or waved at me when I was rowing through the port. I soon became known as “the guy who was rowing to Yellow”.

lessons learned from a month of rowing

May is my busiest month of the year on Yellow. The flowers were out and people flock to Yellow to see the progression of blooms.

Due to COVID protocols requiring me to keep my distance from the public, I spent much of the month talking with the public while sitting a safe distance away at my picnic table. With my rowboat tied up to the mooring ball behind me, eventually the conversation would turn to the boat.

“Are you rowing to Yellow? (yup)

“From where?” (Friday Harbor)

“How long does it take?” (Depends on wind and tide but about 1 ½ hrs)

“Aren’t you tired?” (Yes – but in a good way).

“Why are you rowing?”

It was this last question which sparked the most conversation. Yellow Island is indeed a special piece of land. It is unlike anything that exists in Washington and is truly unique. Its conservation value is important, but I think its true power is its ability to connect people to our work. People who come to Yellow aren’t just looking for flowers. They are looking for a connection to the land. The reason I was rowing to Yellow Island changed over the course of the month. What started out as a fun side project, turned into a deeper conversation about ways to do things differently. How the ways we have viewed stewardship, and people’s ability to access our lands needs to evolve and grow and to include more voices. Just like rowing the boat, sometimes we need to slow down and take the time to value the quality and depth of our work and relationships which we are trying to build.

As I write this, I have a few more rowing trips to complete this month. Visitation is quieting down and my busiest month of the year is coming to an end. Signs of summer are in the air: pregnant seals are returning to the island, spotted towhees are singing and the Island’s flowers are going to seed. Rowing back and forth has reminded me to look at our work from all different angles. If we listen and take our time, amazing experiences can be created.

Learn more about Yellow Island

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We’re thrilled to debut a new short video featuring our work in the Taneum watershed with some amazing partners!

Check out the gorgeous scenery and hear from project partners from the Yakama Nation, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, Back Country Horsemen of Washington and more, all sharing their perspective about why the Taneum watershed needs us now.

The 12,000-acre project is up for funding from the Land & Water Conservation Fund this year, but it needs your help to receive the full $14.5 million we need to make it a reality. Help us get the word out by sharing the YouTube link to this video on your social media channel of choice or emailing it to a friend!

The Taneum watershed in the #CentralCascades is an awesome place to play outside – and it’s so much more. Together, we can permanently protect this irreplaceable landscape with #LWCF. Let’s do this!

CLICK TO TWEET

Learn more about reconnecting the Taneum

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Katie Pofahl has joined The Nature Conservancy’s Washington chapter as our Eastern Washington Community Relations Manager with the Climate Resilient Forests and Communities team.

Katie will be focused on working with local communities, partners and leaders to build trust and plan for, design, and implement projects that reflect a broad suite of community needs, such as climate resilience, habitat conservation, forest health, recreation, economic development, and health and safety.

She recently graduated with a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment and brings over ten years of applied conservation. She is a Switzer Fellow, a Wyss Scholar for the Conservation of the American West, and she led the Yale Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration. As part of her studies, Katie worked with The Nature Conservancy’s Sierra Nevada program to develop policy approaches that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire in California while supporting a sustainable forest products industry. She also collaborated with the Rural West Covid Project where she worked to inform public policy across various levels of government to meet the needs of rural West communities struggling with the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.

Before coming to Yale, Katie worked for a land trust in Central California developing innovative community programs that were featured by the Land Trust Alliance and recognized by California State Parks for excellence in collaboration. She also served in public office with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park and District protecting 1,041 acres of habitat from development, including rare forests and working ranchlands, and securing $1.2 million annually for open space preservation.

Katie’s work is focused on enacting transformative land conservation that will enable communities in the West to respond to urgent threats from drought, fire, urban sprawl and climate change. A key aspect of Katie’s approach is to view communities as a solution to critical issues rather than as a problem. Her work increases the pace and scale of land conservation while improving the wellbeing of our communities by using proven approaches that link land conservation to economic vitality, health, justice, and resilience to climate change.

Ask Katie about bike touring – she just rode over 550 miles and 30,000 vertical feet over 15 days in the Southern Rockies! She also loves surfing, snowboarding, and walking slowly in the forest

Banner photo © Tomas Corsini, volunteer photographer.

One year ago today, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in support of the Great American Outdoors Act, marking our country’s biggest conservation funding victory in decades. The bill became law a few weeks later, permanently providing dedicated funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund, which helps communities across the continent protect and improve access to public outdoor spaces large and small.

As we look back at that major bipartisan victory, we’re looking forward to finally celebrating together – in person! Outside! – with many of our partners in the national Land & Water Conservation Fund Coalition, and with our collaborators on a Washington state project close to our hearts: protecting the Taneum watershed.

The Taneum project seeks to permanently protect 12,000 acres of irreplaceable Central Cascades forestland near the headwaters of the Yakima River. An exemplary large-scale LWCF project, reconnecting the “checkerboarded” parcels in this watershed will protect drinking water for the Yakima Valley and preserve critical fish and wildlife habitat while expanding recreation access for the area – popular with hikers, horseback riders, anglers and many others. By transferring these privately owned parcels in to public ownership, we’ll increase management efficiencies and facilitate forest-health treatments to help protect communities from catastrophic wildfire and other climate-change impacts.

Learn about reconnecting the Taneum

The Taneum project wouldn’t be possible without the Great American Outdoors Act, and we’re working hard to secure the substantial LWCF funding needed for this transfer. Meanwhile, we’re also taking time to celebrate the special places across Washington protected by LWCF over the years. Check out the gallery below for a quick virtual trip to a sampling of these treasured spots.

Hidden Lake’s stillness is due in part to LWCF’s federal grant program, which has helped keep North Cascades National Park whole. Photo by Richard Sheibley, USGS, Public Domain.

Migratory snow geese at the Skagit Wildlife Area draw birdwatchers from around the world. This place is protected by LWCF. Photo by Michael McAuliffe.

Access to the Hoh River in Jefferson County was made possible by LWCF. Photo by Bridget Besaw.

Moses Coulee, on the spectacular Columbia Plateau in Douglas County, is protected by LWCF’s federal grant program – and it’s one of The Nature Conservancy’s largest preserves in Washington. Photo by Kit Swartz

Heybrook Lookout Trail, west of Stevens Pass, is in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, one of many National Forests protected by LWCF. Photo by Sony Thomas

Recreational access to the Skagit Wild & Scenic River is protected by LWCF. Photo by Bridget Besaw.

Columnar basalt at Deep Lake in Sun Lakes State Park, Grant County, heaven for geology geeks and boaters of all sorts. Photo by John Marshall.

The spectacular Olympic Mountains are headwaters for many salmon-bearing streams and a bucket-list destination for hikers. The Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park have both benefited from LWCF protection. Photo by John Marshall.

The San Juan Islands offer world-class recreation, thanks in part to access and protection by LWCF. Photo by Joel Rogers.

Recreation on the Puyallup River in Pierce County is accessible to more families thanks to LWCF funding. Photo by Keith Lazelle.

In the North Cascades, campers enjoy the sunset in the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest in Whatcom County, protected by LWCF. Photo by Jacob Hall

Lake Cle Elum is in Wenatchee National Forest, Kittitas County, where we’re working to protect acres of forestland along the Pacific Crest Trail with support from LWCF. Photo by Zoe van Duivenbode

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in Pacific County is protected by LWCF’s federal grant program and is adjacent to our Ellsworth Creek Preserve. Photo by Yoav Daniel Bar-Ness

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The US Senate passed a major bipartisan infrastructure framework today, sending a suite of major investments to the House for its consideration.

By the numbers

$8 billion
for Forest Service and Department of the Interior

$89 million
for the Puget Sound EPA Geographic Program

$172 million
for the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund

$491 million
for NOAA’s Community-based Restoration Grant Program

nearly $500 million
for NOAA’s Coastal Resiliency Grant Program

$1 billion
for a new culvert replacement grant program

$1 billion
for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and pre-disaster mitigation grant programs

$216 million
for a new Tribal Climate Resilience Program

$500 million
for Army Corps of Engineers ecosystem restoration projects

The $1.2 trillion package would fund a wide range of climate, clean energy, natural infrastructure, coastal restoration, forest restoration and resilience priorities. Some highlights that will touch down for people and nature in Washington include:

• More than $150 billion for climate and clean energy. Solutions to lower emissions and help address the climate crisis include significant investments in public transit, reducing transportation sector emissions, accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles, modernizing the grid, advancing carbon capture technologies, and improving energy efficiency.

• Forest resilience programs. The US Forest Service and Department of the Interior will receive much-needed support to increase funding for hazardous fuels removal, Tribal forest protection agreements, the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, state and private forestry, and several new forest programs.

• Natural infrastructure and disaster resilience. Senator Cantwell created a new $1 billion culvert replacement grant program that will bring major funding for fish passage barrier removals to Washington. The bill also includes substantial funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help communities prepare before natural disasters strike, including a new Tribal Climate Resilience Program to fund community relocation planning, design and implementation where needed.

• Habitat restoration. The bill invests in a wide range of water, fish and wildlife habitat programs, increasing funding for EPA’s Puget Sound Geographic Program to $89 million and providing a big boost to the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund and a host of coastal and watershed restoration programs administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the US Forest Service.

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“Our lands and waters are part of America’s infrastructure. Like good roads and bridges, healthy watersheds are critical to the safety and well-being of our families and the economic growth of our communities. This legislation includes game-changing investments in fish passage, community-based habitat restoration, Puget Sound recovery and Pacific salmon habitat restoration. We thank Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray for prioritizing these critical investments in the infrastructure bill and look forward to working with them to ensure it gets to the President’s desk for his signature.”

Email Sen. Murray

Email Sen. Cantwell

Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray each played a key role in securing these historic investments. Send them a message on Twitter or via email to say thanks for for prioritizing these critical programs that will help advance climate solutions in our state while supporting clean water, resilient communities, and healthy forests and fish and wildlife habitats.

Our lands & waters are infrastructure. Thank you @SenatorCantwell & Sen. @PattyMurray for your hard work on the bipartisan #infrastructure package that invests in habitat restoration, healthy watersheds, forest #resilience & more.

CLICK TO TWEET

Next Steps

The work on the infrastructure package isn’t finished yet. Now that it’s cleared the Senate, the bill moves to the House for consideration. Advocates and legislative leaders expect final passage this autumn. After President Biden signs the final bill into law, federal agencies should receive money for local distribution through competitive grant programs in early 2022.

Infrastructure statement from our newsroom

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are advancing a budget reconciliation package today. This will proceed in tandem with the bipartisan infrastructure package, and will include additional climate and conservation investments at the larger scale necessary to address the biodiversity and climate crises.

Stay tuned to this space for updates on both of these historic bills as they move through Congress, and be sure you’re signed up for email updates to be notified of timely advocacy opportunities.

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Banner photo: Tarboo watershed and Dabob Bay by Keith Lazelle.