This past fall, the Coalition has been taking the bird’s eye view on the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), literally. The nonprofit organization LightHawk, which uses guided flights to show the impact of conservation, helped us again this year to facilitate a series of aerial tours showing the difference WWRP has made on the ground in our state.
Representative Derek Stanford and Senator Mark Mullet, soon to be joined by Senator Bruce Dammeier, participated in flights over their districts. Coalition Board Member Charlie Raines guided the flight, describing the historic background of the highlighted projects.
The stunning vistas of areas like Mt. Si, North Creek Forest, and the Carbon River Valley highlighted how conservation often goes hand-in-hand with recreation and helping keep our state a beautiful place to live. The close proximity of urban and suburban communities with conservation land highlighted the many close-to-home recreation opportunities WWRP has helped create and the impact these projects have had in our communities.
As we look at ways WWRP can move forward into the next decade of protecting our state’s best outdoor places and keeping our communities healthy and vibrant, we’re proud to be able to show our state’s leaders the very visible impact your vision and efforts have had on our lands.