Environmental and Cultural Preservation Program

Growing Washington believes that a healthy society must preserve the diverse environmental and cultural legacies from which it draws its strength. Growing Washington seeks to foster appreciation of these legacies and ensure their preservation by bringing together Washington 's stakeholders to integrate diverse approaches to community decision-making.

When Aldo Leopold said, "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in" he probably did not realize how accurate Henry David Thoreau's earlier lament, " Thank God, they cannot cut down the clouds" would be for those fighting for environmental and cultural preservation in the 21 st century.

Growing Washington realizes that environmental and cultural preservation challenges rarely have black and white solutions. It is easy to blame a dairy farmer when his or her manure lagoon overflows, drains into a creek, and kills fish. It is not easy, however, to realize that the dairy farmer is simply trying to make a living, and killing fish is not on the planned agenda. It is easy to blame loggers for the destruction of old growth forests. It is not easy, however, to realize that most loggers are just trying to support their families. It is easy to confine Native Americans to reservations or expect their assimilation, and then ask them to forget their past. It is not easy, however, to objectively recognize that while our nation if fighting terrorism now, Natives have been doing so for centuries.

To truly preserve environmental and cultural legacies it is necessary to first realize, like Chief Seattle, that our environment and our culture are connected and that no single issue is completely isolated from the world around it. Selfish environmental extremism is no more commendable than corporate greed. Some things we can do alone, but most accomplishments take teamwork, and teamwork starts with trying to understand and work with, rather than isolate and defeat, one's adversaries.

Learn more about Growing Washington's Environmental and Cultural Preservation Projects .

"The idea of wilderness needs no defense. It only needs more defenders." - Ed Abbey