FORESTS FOR OUR FUTURE: OLYMPIC

© Aurora Photos RAINFOREST

IRREPLACEABLE A TREASURED HOME SUMMIT TO SEA LANDSCAPE For centuries this region has been To protect and restore this magical place, Towering hemlocks, glacier-fed rivers, home to tribes, each with reservations we must work summit to sea, connecting wetland habitats—these are the hallmarks located at the mouths of the major each piece of the intertwined landscape of the Olympic forests, our state’s coastal Olympic Rainforest rivers. The Quileute, and applying the best science to bring jewel. The landscape is home to temperate Hoh, and Quinault tribes have long them back to health. One of the biggest rainforest, some of the most productive relied on the natural abundance of the challenges is taking young forests, forests on earth, and the largest area for both their livelihood and their those planted after tree harvest, and “Olympic Peninsula communities are intimately tied to the land where forests provide sustenance, jobs, and attract people from around the world.” —Rod Fleck, Forks City Planner specimens of the Pacific Northwest’s culture. Salmon play a special role in creating the best conditions for them to conifer trees including Douglas-fir, tribal life and the area’s rivers host grow into mature, old growth forests. western hemlock, western red cedar, major species including chinook, coho, Ten years of innovation and learning Sitka spruce and mountain hemlock. stealhead and sockeye. The Olympic is allowing us to create a model for The area is renowned for the diversity of Rainforest’s rivers are home to more this process—one that is vital because ecosystems, habitat and wildlife, including than half of the coast’s these forests shade and protect rivers critical populations of the threatened wild salmon, but salmon populations and are integral to the well-being of northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet have dropped 90% from their historic the entire system. We are committed to and bull trout. Overuse, climate change numbers. We are working to restore the Olympic forests and the value they and development have left this treasured the abundant wild salmon that feed the bring including carbon sequestration, landscape in jeopardy and in desperate forest, its wildlife, local communities recreation, jobs, timber, clean water, need of protection and restoration. and tribes, and the economy. salmon and cultural access. © Erika Nortemann © Lauren Owens © Lauren © Keith Lazelle © Keith Tribe CHALLENGES: STRAIT OF JUAN MAP LEGEND DE FUCA Nature Conservancy • Repairing a legacy of damage from Property past logging within critical areas of the landscape LAKE Olympic Rainforest OZETTE CRESCENT • Acting quickly to avoid development, LAKE Priority Salmon River allowing summit to sea corridors of Other River protection • Restoring young-managed Quileute Nation OLYMPIC M O forests along important riparian, QUILLAYUTE L RIVER RAINFOREST O Y wetland and floodplain habitats U M N P T • Assuring community benefits including I A C jobs, sustainable economies and I HOH FOREST RESERVE N Hoh Tribe improved access S • Building resilience to climate change HOH including river and ocean conditions RIVER CLEARWATER impacting salmon FOREST RESERVE PACIFIC OCEAN QUEETS FOREST KEY PARTNERS: QUEETS RESERVE

RIVER LAKE • The Quileute Nation, Hoh Tribe, and Quinault Quinault Indian • Washington Department of Natural Resources Nation • Trust • Washington Sustainable Salmon Partnership QUINAULT • Olympic Natural Resources Center RIVER • City of Forks

FAST FACTS Food $220 million per year spent by regional visitors Community Jobs & 9 species of fish that migrate from Well-being Economy Water rivers to the ocean and back to spawn in their natal streams Habitat & Recreation

210,000 2.2 million gallons per minute of 57% of Washington coast’s wild salmon acres of tribal fresh water – median flows habitat in Olympic Rainforest reservation lands from Hoh, Quinault and Queets/Clearwater rivers, 9,410 acres in the Olympic Rainforest measured by USGS owned by The Nature Conservancy

PART OF A WHOLE Our Olympic forests are the southern anchor of a larger system that continues up the coast through British Columbia to the south edge of Alaska’s panhandle. The Nature Conservancy’s Emerald Edge project works to protect and restore this whole system bringing the temperate rainforest back to health and benefiting the people and cultures that live off this irreplaceable landscape. Learn more at www.WashingtonNature.org/EmeraldEdge.

WashingtonNature.org/Olympics (206) 343-4344 David Rolph, Washington Director of Forest Conservation and Management | [email protected] James Schroeder, Washington Director of Forest Conservation and Partnership | [email protected] © Lauren Owens © Lauren