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THE WILD CASCADES THE JOURNAL OF THE NORTH CASCADES CONSERVATION COUNCIL WINTER 2006–2007 Remembering Harvey Manning 925–2006 Join us March 23: NCCC Celebrates 50 Years, 1957–2007 THE WILD CASCADES • Winter 2006–2007 he North Cascades Conservation TCouncil was formed in 957 “To pro- tect and preserve the North Cascades’ sce- nic, scientific, recreational, educational, and wilderness values.” Continuing this mission, NCCC keeps government officials, THE WILD CASCADES Winter 2006–2007 environmental organizations, and the gen- eral public informed about issues affecting the Greater North Cascades Ecosystem. In This Issue Action is pursued through legislative, legal, and public participation channels to protect the lands, waters, plants and 3 The President’s Report — MARC BARDSLEY wildlife. Over the past third of a century the 4 Where the Cascades Meet the Sea — KEN WILCOX NCCC has led or participated in campaigns to create the North Cascades National Park 6 Remembering Harvey Manning, 925–2006 Complex, Glacier Peak Wilderness, and other units of the National Wilderness 9 The Elderly Birdwatchers Hiking & Griping Society, 968–2006 — TED System from the W.O. Douglas Wilderness BECK AND PAT GOLDSWORTHY north to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness, the Chelan- 10 Annual Summer Outings of the Elderly Birdwatchers Hiking & Griping Sawtooth Wilderness and others. Among its most dramatic victories has been work- Society — TED BECK AND PAT GOLDSWORTHY ing with British Columbia allies to block the raising of Ross Dam, which would have 14 Prospects Brighten for Wild Sky Passage — RICK MCGUIRE drowned Big Beaver Valley. 16 Predator Conservation in the North Cascades — JIM DAVIS, Conserva- tion Partnership Center MEMBERSHIP 18 USFS Salvage Logging Plan: 2800 Acres — TOM HAMMOND The NCCC is supported by member dues and private donations. These support 19 Proposed Radio Upgrades Threaten Park and National Forest Integrity publication of The Wild Cascades and lob- — TOM HAMMOND bying activities. (NCCC is a non-tax-deduct- ible 50(c)4 organization.) Membership Remembering Karen Fant — NORM WINN, The Mountaineer dues for one year are: $0 Low income/student 20 50–Year Celebration of North Cascades Conservation Council Invitation $20 Regular —You’re Invited! — KEN WILCOX $25 Family $50 Contributing COVER: $00 Patron Surrounded by lupine, Harvey Manning rests in the Goat Rocks. $000 Sustaining A one-time life membership dues payment — LARRY HANSON is $500. The Wild Cascades Journal of the North Cascades Conservation Council The North Cascades Foundation, a 50(c)3 organization, supports the NCCC’s EDITORS: Betty Manning and Carolyn McConnell nonpolitical efforts. Donations are tax-de- ductible. Please make your check(s) out EDITORIAL BOARD: Tom Hammond and Rick McGuire to the organization of your choice. The Printing by EcoGraphics Foundation can be reached through NCCC mailing address: The Wild Cascades is published three times a year (Spring, Summer/Fall, Winter). NCCC members receive this journal. Address letters, comments, send articles to: North Cascades Conservation Council P.O. Box 95980 The Wild Cascades Editor University Station North Cascades Conservation Council Seattle, WA 9845-2980 University Station, Seattle, WA 9845-2980 NCCC Website www.northcascades.org The Wild Cascades is printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink. 2 THE WILD CASCADES • Winter 2006–2007 NCCC Board President Marc Bardsley Founded in 957 Board Chairman SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Patrick Goldsworthy Vice President Charles Ehlert The President’s Report Winter 2006–2007 Treasurer Tom Brucker Not long after I became president of this organization, Harvey Manning began Secretary sending me letters on a wide variety of subjects that seemed to have just popped Phil Zalesky into his head. He wrote these letters to people with his museum-quality manual typewriter on the back of envelopes or the blank side of bills and junk mail. He pushed the envelope on recycling. Often my letter would be a smudged Bruce Barnbaum carbon of something that had gone to some other NCCC member. Despite the Jim Davis lack of sophisticated media presentations, the content of these letters was fas- cinating. The topics were often rambling but never boring communiqués that Polly Dyer could be on virtually any subject, from trails to national politics. I could never John Edwards understand why an author of Harvey’s stature would use his time to bring me up to speed on the latest things racing through his mind. At first I thought he Dave Fluharty wanted me to somehow take action on these matters. But then, I realized — I didn’t have a clue. And that was what he was trying to tell me. Karl Forsgaard With Harvey’s passing, I have spent a lot of time reviewing our relationship. Kevin Geraghty He was not really interested in what I could do about some administration’s policies or how we could raise money for a particular project. What Harvey Tom Hammond had in mind, it seems, was to force me and others to think out of the box on Phil Leatherman issues of far more importance than the latest skirmish with the Forest Service or whoever. I think that he was establishing a legacy for the radical thinking Conway Leovy that was always his forte. He was a guy who was able to see the big picture, figure out what the long-range approach should be, and then articulate his Betty Manning message in written form. It is unlikely that there will ever be another one like Carolyn McConnell Harvey, able to use Shakespeare, the Classics, and his own wit to cut a pompous bureaucrat down to size. The best we can hope for is a core group of people Rick McGuire with the will to stay on the cutting edge of the movement. When I look back on Thom Peters the truly important things Harvey was able to accomplish with his typewriter and attitude, it makes me more determined than ever to do what I can to carry Ken Wilcox on with the same spirit. If only a few of us had his way with words. Laura Zalesky From now on, let’s all think in the same vein as the ubiquitous bumper stick- ers adored by faith-based believers. WWHD — What Would Harvey Do? THE WILD CASCADES • Winter 2006–2007 3 Where the Cascades Meet the Sea BY KEN WILCOX n the Summer 2006 issue of The Wild Cas- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife region for marbled murrelets, a threatened cades, Harvey Manning shared a concise land, and 4,800 acres of DNR land on that seabird that nests only in big old trees, most Ihistory of land protection on state lands, gem known as Blanchard Mountain. There of which are far inland (where most of the meager as it is, and advised us all to “Take a are also a few thousand acres of private forest remaining old growth is). look at the 2006 map of public land owner- land, some with relatively high ecological and Migrating raptors, turkey vultures, and a ship in the state.” And then, he said, “Do a bit recreational values. Some of the latter could host of neotropical migrant birds like warblers of dreaming.” be acquired to complete a more perfect whole. and flycatchers use the area for nesting or If you look at that map carefully, you find In total, it’s a 10,000-acre wild place. feeding. Once, while munching lunch atop that on the coast just south of Bellingham By comparison, the DNR’s West Tiger a spectacular hundred-foot-high sandstone lies what may be the finest opportunity in Mountain Natural Resources Conservation cliff on the Raptor Ridge Trail, we watched the greater Puget Sound region for that bit Area extends across 4,500 acres, or roughly ravens, vultures, eagles, red-tails, and marsh of dreaming. half of the 10,000-acre “preserve” known as hawks fly over while a pygmy owl tooted at The area is best known as the Chuckanut the Issaquah Alps. Adjacent to that, another us from behind. Mountains, and it includes a 4,800-acre for- 10,000-acre block of DNR land is managed There is much prime habitat here for est on Blanchard Mountain that is managed primarily for timber. If we had that much western toads, a species that has declined by the Washington Department of Natural DNR land at Blanchard, we could probably precipitously over the past decade. A sensi- Resources (DNR). This coastal urban wildland tolerate chain saws buzzing across two-thirds tive bat species spends its winter hibernation covers nearly ten thousand acres and lies of it. But we don’t. It’s 4,800 acres and it’s all hanging out in caves and crevices at the base of smack between two of the state’s fastest grow- special. It needs to be saved. As various maps Blanchard’s 300-foot high cliffs. We have rare ing population centers — Mount Vernon-Bur- and an hour or two of study make clear, there moths and butterflies here, as well as rubber lington and Bellingham. It’s the kind of place is nothing else on the entire east shore of the boas and alligator lizards. A rare cougar or that other medium or large cities in America greater Puget Sound region that even comes black bear is known to ramble through. Eager would die for if they knew what we had. Think close to what we have here. beavers have helped engineer an extensive Issaquah Alps on the sea. It’s that good. Geographically and geologically, the matrix of ponds linked to numerous natural In one contiguous block of wannabe future Chuckanuts are anomalous: the only place lakes and wetlands. ancient forest, there are almost 1,500 acres of in the Cascade Range, from Canada to There are rare plant communities, car- city and county parkland, 2,800 acres of state northern California, where the foothills of nivorous plants, an extremely rare lichen, and park (Larrabee), a couple hundred acres of the mountains extend all the way to the sea.

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