AmAlps Presentation at preview of Irate Birdwatcher

Tom Hammond of N3C gave a 10 minute presentation before the movie The Irate Birdwatcher last night to the Issaquah Alps Trails Club. It was a smashing success. He brought 20 American Alps brochures, but there were upwards of 100 people there! Every person wanted one, and they were gone in minutes. Tom reports "They invited N3C back to do a full presentation!"

"The movie The Irate Birdwatcher is the best thing that could happen to the American Alps initiative. It is a wonderful movie with strong messages of conservation, and coupled with a brief American Alps presentation, gets people fired up, and gives them a place to direct the energy generated by the movie -- to American Alps," Tom says. The movie's "...like Ken Burns multiplied by 1,000."

To all of us who wondered where North Cascades Park was in the Burns series, the release of this film couldn't be better timed!

The next showing of the movie is at The Mountaineers in Seattle next Wednesday at 7pm!

www.crestpictures.com/irate_birdwatcher/

Your Chance to Help Recover Wolves in Washington State!

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is now taking public comments on the latest draft of their Wolf Conservation and Management Plan. Please attend one of these public meetings:




Oct. 6th Clarkston - Walla Walla Community College Lecture Hall
Oct. 7th Spokane - Spokane Valley Center Place
Oct. 8th Colville - N.E. WA Fairgrounds Ag-Trade Center
Oct. 21st Richland - Pacific NW National Laboratory Auditorium
Oct. 22nd Yakima - Red Lion Hotel—Yakima Center
Oct. 28th Vancouver - Water Resources Education Center
Oct. 29th Aberdeen - Rotary Log Pavilion
Nov. 2nd Seattle - REI Seattle Flagship Store (222 Yale Ave. N.)
Nov. 4th Mt. Vernon - Cottontree Inn Convention Center
Nov. 5th Sequim - Guy Cole Convention Center, Carrie Blake Park
Nov. 9th Omak - Okanogan County Fairgrounds Agriplex
Nov. 10th Wenatchee - Chelan County PUD Auditorium

The latest draft of the Washington State Wolf Conservation and Management Plan still includes conservation goals that are far below those needed to assure a genetically viable wolf population recovery in Washington State. Ramping up control actions (i.e., shooting) and perhaps even allowing hunting when we reach only 15 successful breeding pairs in the state is a recipe for disaster. Prepare your comments using the following bullet points, access more detailed comments through the The Wild Cascades, or contact Jim Davis for the latest on how to respond to the state plan. Encourage WDFW to:

+ Support a more focused and transparent scientific process, conducted by qualified biologists.
+ Delay setting of conservation goals for wolf recovery until adequate scientific information is available to do it right.
+ Implement the moving or translocation of wolves to appropriate wilderness habitat within the state.
+ Emphasize non-lethal techniques for management, such as the use of guard animals and predator deterrent fencing.
+ Invest in programs that educate citizens about wolf ecology and the beneficial role they play in northwest ecosystems.

North Cascades Conservation Update for October 2009.pdf

The Irate Birdwatcher

The Irate Birdwatcher
Wednesday, November 4
7 pm @ The Mountaineers Building,

7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle
FREE FILM EVENT

Harvey Manning, a Pacific Northwest writer and legendary conservationist, used his words and actions to open up people's eyes to nature's beauty and to urge them to save it. The Irate Birdwatcher is a film inspired by the written works of Manning, with a focus on wilderness preservation. Manning was the voice of a dedicated band of hikers and climbers who sought to create North Cascades National Park and other wilderness areas. In partnership with Ira Spring, he guided northwest hikers to the lessons and pleasures of the great outdoors through the “100 Hikes” series published by Mountaineers Books.

Join us to celebrate the vision and dedication of a true legend - Harvey Manning. This is a free screening and all are welcome to attend.

Completing the Park: The American Alps Legacy Project

"Where's my Park?"

Oddly enough, most visitors to the North Cascades never actually enter the North Cascades National Park. The North Cascades Highway stays within the Ross Lake National Recreation Area and the scenic highway corridor to the east, which is outside the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The only car-accessible area of the park is along the upper Cascade River Road leading to the Cascade Pass trailhead.

The beautiful 30-mile scenic Highway 20 corridor from Ross Lake to Early Winters did not receive the long-term protection from development that comes with park designation. Important lowlands, like the Cascade River valley, were excluded from the park. Several pristine valleys including Thunder and Big Beaver Creeks were designated as part of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area, instead of park.

Upper Snowy Lake (above) marks one of the true headwaters of the Skagit River in the US. Just beyond, the snowfields below Mt. Hardy mark the true headwaters of the Methow River--a critical area by any measure. The entire area is unprotected.

VISIT:
www.americanalps.org
www.northcascades.org

Welcome to the new N3C Blog!

Welcome aboard the new blog for North Cascades Conservation Council (N3C) and our American Alps Legacy Project initiative! More to come...