Vol. 1 No. 5 Raising Awareness of Cascadian Bioregionalism August 2012 Drafting Cascadia: Mapping the Geography of the Pacifi c Northwest By Adam Rothstein was known successively as New Spain, New Caledonia, New Archangel, New Georgia, and the Columbia District, as control of the Originally Published by The State land was swapped between various powers http://www.thestate.ae/ and corporations with little if any input by When trying to identify the geographical ley1 the people who lived there. After Ernest 4 lines that demarcate geo-political boundaries, Callenbach’s novel Ecotopia was published in everything becomes a bit pseudo-scientifi c. 1975, the counter-cultural elements collecting Boundaries shift depending on where you are in the declining economy of the waning standing, when, and whether you are the person shipbuilding and lumber industries had a holding the weapon, or the person having the design-fi ction script on which to place their weapon held at you. You might be better off environmental aspirations. And just in the past trying to use a crystal than a GPS receiver, year, the local Occupy protests have brought 2 because at least no one could dispute your out the language and fl ag of “Cascadia ” in new subjective impressions of psycho-geography, numbers. The name was invented by David 3 and you would lack the false impressions McCloskey and his Cascadia Institute in 1970. of being shielded by political borders and Today, it is a way of supporting locally-oriented citizenships that ought to save you from being organizing strategies, defending the ecological on the wrong end of techno-politics, before you heritage of the region, and proclaiming are vaporized by a drone-fi red missile. ideological and physical separation from any overbearing government. While it could be argued that the local population’s approval rating of the national government has nowhere to go but up, it seems equally likely that in this political climate, whatever the geography of Cascadia is, it will only become more deeply migration mean that water is no less important ingrained in the psychological landscape. for its quantities. While the vociferous voices of Cascadia 3)Cascadian Subduction Zone – this tectonic articulate its identity as a regionalism spanning area of the region is further away from the every ethic from political, to athletic (the ecosystemic arguments for Cascadia, but is still Cascadian fl ag designed by Alexander Baretich closely linked to a symbolic relationship with “The Doug”, fl ag designed by Alexander Baretich has become the unoffi cial banner of Portland’s Timbers soccer team), to the merely beer- My current terrain is the geographic drinking (see Hopworks Brewery’s relatively exploration known as “Cascadia”, that is slowly decent “Secession Black IPA”), I fi nd four main warming in the (relatively cool, by temperature lines along which the border of this non-state record standards) Northwestern United could be mapped: States. This area of the country was always 1)Bio-regionalism – One of the most often primed for festering secession movements. cited rationales for the general defi nition From the perspective of its history, the area of Cascadia as lower British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and perhaps parts of Idaho and Northern California, is that there are similarities in the ecosystem that make these In This Issue: disparate political entities indispensable from Around Cascadia .............. 5 each other as a whole. This ties in well with the environmentalism lingering from the Ecotopia- Contact List ...................... 12 themed inspirations for Cascadia. 2)The Columbia Watershed – Similar to History of Cascadia .......... 8 the bio-regional argument, this defi nition Interview ............................ 3 incorporates all land that drains into the Columbia River. Other defi nitions add other July in Pictures .................. 7 river watersheds to the Columbia. Water may be cliche as a “life force” in one of the most rain- News ................................... 4 soaked areas of the continent, but local farming initiatives, natural sewage treatment options, Sports .................................. 5 and reliance upon natural cycles such as salmon Continued on page 6 What is Cascadia? Cascadia is the name for bioregion formed east (such as Eastern Washington) should be primarily by British Columbia, Washington and included. Long united by similar indigenous Oregon. cultures, Cascadia was once briefl y a single Defi nitions of the region’s boundaries vary, political unit: the Oregon Territory - shared by but usually include the area between the several nations. Cascade Range and the PacifiWhat c Ocean, and some The regionis has sinceCascadia? been divided into part of the Coast Mountains. Other defi nitions different political jurisdictions, but Cascadia still follow theCascadia boundaries is ofthe existing name subnational for biorgeion Territoryretains a sense- shared of self by identity. several In hisna- book, Nine entities,formed and primarily usually include by British the territory Columbia, of tions.Nations of North America, author Joel Garreau BritishWashington Columbia, and Washington, Oregon. and Oregon, claimed that the Pacifi c Rim region he called The region has since been while othersDefinitions also include of partsthe region's of California, bounda- dividedEcotopia hadinto a differentdifferent culture political from that of Idaho,ries vary, Alaska but and usually Yukon. include the area be- jurisdictions,what he called Thebut EmptyCascadia Quarter still to the east, tweenIn general, the Cascadethe area in Range and around and the Pacific retainsand was a necessarilysense of self different identity. economically In as Ocean, and some part of the Coast Moun- his book Nine Nations of North Cascadia region is more commonly referred well as ecologically. It must be noted that the tains. Other definitions follow the bounda- America,concept of “Ecotopia,”author Joel which Garreau is specifi c in its tories as theof Pacifi existing c Northwest. subnational The area’s entities, biomes and claimed that the Pacific Rim re- andusually ecoregions include are thedistinct territory from surroundingof British Co- gionboundaries, he called does Ecotopia not identically had a matchdif- that of areas.lumbia, The resource-richWashington, Salish and SeaOregon, (or Georgia while ferent“Cascadia,” culture which from varies that in ofits defiwhat nition. Basin)others is sharedalso includebetween Britishparts Columbiaof California, he Thecalled Northwest The Empty is home Quarter to more tothan 15 Idaho, Alaska and Yukon. the east, and was necessarily dif- and Washington, and the Pacifi c temperate million people, along with diminished but still ferent economically as well as rain forests,In comprisinggeneral, the the areaworld’s in largestand around ecologically.impressive numbers It must of be salmon, noted eagles,that grizzly temperatethe Cascadia rain forest region zone, is morestretch commonly along the re- thebears, concept killer whales,of "Ecotopia," and wolves. which It boasts an coastferred from to Alaska as the to California.Pacific Northwest. As this vast areaThe iseconomy specific that in generatesits boundaries, more than does $650 billion area's biomes and ecoregions are distinct not identically match that of hasfrom common surrounding economic areas. concerns The in resource the primary-rich worth of goods and services each year, which sector of industry, it is a matter of debate "Cascadia,"would place Cascadiawhich variesin the topin 20its economies of Salish Sea (or Georgia Basin) is shared be- definition. whethertween theBritish arid rainColumbia shadowed and areas Washington, further the world. and the Pacific temperate rain forests, com- The Northwest is home to prising the world's largest temperate rain more than 15 million people, forestMap zone, drawn stretch by Cynthia along Thomas the oncoast the basisfrom of forestalong data with in Conservation diminished International, but still Ecotrust, and Alaska to California. AsPacifi this c GIS, vast “Coastal area hasTemperate impressive Rain Forests numbers of North ofAmerica,” salmon, Portland, 1995. common economic concernsSee in alsothe Davidprimary D McCloskey eagles, “Cascadia,”grizzly Cascadiabears, Institute,killer Seattle, 1988 sector of industry, it is a matter of debate whales, and wolves. It boasts an whether the arid rain shadowed areas fur- economy that generates more than ther east (such as Eastern Washington) $650 billion worth of goods and should be included. Long united by similar services each year, which would indigenous cultures, Cascadia was once place Cascadia in the top 20 briefly a single political unit: the Oregon economies of the world. Map drawn by Cynthia Thomas on the basis of forest data in Conservation Cascadia Monthly Staff—Join us! International,Finding Ecotrust, us and Pacific online GIS, “Coastal is Temperate easy! Rain Forests of North America,” Portland, 1995. See also David D McCloskey “Cascadia,” Editors: Adam Munson Cascadia Institute, Seattle, 1988 Cascadia Brandon Monthly Letsinger Staff—Join us! Michael Hodges You can always email us at: Editors: AdamVickie Munson Phelps Finding us online is easy! Brandon Letsinger Contributors: MichaelAdam MunsonHodges [email protected] Alex DeVeiteo Contributors: AdamAlexander Munson Baretich You can always Brandon Letsinger Alex DeVeiteo email us at AlexanderNate Jenson Baretich BrandonDana Guthrie Letsinger Martin [email protected] us on Twitter: Masthead:Cascadia