2005 issue #2 bird's eye view newsletter washington audubon society

8/8/2019 2005 Issue #2 Bird's Eye View Newsletter Washington Audubon Society

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2005 Legislative Newsletter Issue 2—January 21, 200

Happy New Year from Audubon Washington's Policy

Office in Olympia! Birds EyeView (BEV) keeps Washington's

25 Audubon chapters and 22,000 members informed about legislation effecting birds, other

wildlife and their habitat.Subscribe today to receive

every issue of BEV throughout the legislative session.

UPDATE: Audubon's 2005 Legislative Priorities

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Audubon Priorities Update-2

Priorities for a HealthyWashingtonPage 3-4

Governor Locke's BudgetPage 5-6

Other Issues and PrioritiesPage 7

CAO TrainingsPage 7

Hot Tips for Leg. AdvocacyPage 8

Lobby Day RegistrationPage 9

Audubon Washington works in partnership

with 25 independent Audubon Chapters to

establish our legislative priorities. Last June,

we established the following priorities, which

we monitoring closely. Here are the initial

actions regarding each of these priorities.

Operating/Capital Budgets

Audubon's budget requests range from beachsafety and enforcement funding to capital budgetrequests for two environmental learning centers.Turn to page 5 for Audubon's detailed budgetrequests and an analysis of the outgoinggovernor's budget proposal.

Aggregates/gravel MiningWe continue our dialogue with the Department of

Natural Resources (DNR) regarding budgetrequests for their surface mining program andchanges to the Surface Mining Reclamation Act(RCW 78.44). We are educating our peers about

the gravel mining issues that concern citizensacross the state and finding some common groundwith mining industry representatives.

DNR's Aggregate Mapping Budget Request-- Support DNR requested funds and staff to implement astatewide aggregate resource inventory andmapping project. The outgoing governor did notinclude this request in his proposed budget. Wewill work with DNR and the mining industry tosecure these funds because it will provide acritical scientific tool for county and city

planners, gravel miners and concerned citizenswhen local jurisdictions revise their Comprehensive Plans, establishing Mineral Landsof Long Term Significance, as required under theGrowth Management Act.

HB 1118 - Concerns Removing gravel from waterways to reduceimpact of flooding This bill would enable the legislative authority of any county to remove gravel from streams or other watercourses when it is deemed by thecounty legislative authority to be beneficial to

reduce the impact of potential flooding. Thecounty legislative authority must first contact Department of Fish and Wildlife for a suggestof when gravel removal would have the minimimpact on aquatic life.

Audubon does not advocate for environmenta protections that trump public safety. Howeve

this bill would allow counties to change thehydrogeologic regime within rivers and streamwithout any environmental review or evaluatiof the impacts to adjacent wetlands and ripariaareas--critical bird habitats. Provisions to redimpact to aquatic species (e.g. salmon) are

provided only as recommendations from theDepartment of Fish and Wildlife and the counis merely encouraged to follow these.

Amendments that provide assurances for habi protection will be necessary before Audubon csupport this bill.

Wetlands State Aquatic Lands Pilot Mitigation Bank -- Support We support the Department of Natural Resour(DNR) proposal for a pilot mitigation bank onsate-owned aquatic lands to restore degradedwetland and shorebird habitat. Bills will be

proposed soon. Working with Wetnet, our wetlands advisory committee, we have furnishDNR with bill language that ensures a successmitigation bank.

Developers will be able to buy credits from thmitigation bank to offset impacts that their

projects have. This will support much-neededhabitat improvements and restoration on DNRaquatic lands, while providing easy and efficiemitigation processes for some developers.

Ecology's Wetland Mitigation Banking Pilot(RCW 90.84) -- Support & Fund Audubon, with Wetnet's help, has in the pastinfluenced and supported Department of Ecology's Wetland Mitigation Banking Pilot R(RCW 90.84). In the first week of session



Audubon Washington’sBirds Eye View January 21, 2005 of

Ecology briefed the House Natural Resources, Ecology and ParksCommittee. While Ecology reported that six bank projects had beenselected and are undergoing technical review, they suggested thatcurrent funding does not adequately address local outreach andeducation needs, nor does it cover local processes for reviewingproposals. Audubon will track this issue and support fundingrequests to address this shortfall.

ForestsCertified State Forest Pilot -- Support Building on momentum from bills we worked on last year,Representative Kelli Linville (D-Bellingham) is eager to champion asustainable forest certification pilot project on state trust lands.

Similar in concept to the bill Linville ran last year, this legislationwould arrange for third party certification of some working stateforest, and establish evaluation and reporting schedules that wouldappraise how the forest practices, habitat and revenues connected tothese forests were effected. The conservation community, buildersand lumber retailers argue that the niche marketing of sustainablecertified state forests will increase overall revenues from state trustlands while increasing the environmental protections andsustainability of these lands.

Audubon has teamed up with Seattle Audubon Society, WashingtonEnvironmental Council and others to advance this agenda. We hope

to identify a willing pilot project in the coming weeks. We will keepyou posted.

Protect Old Growth on State Lands -- Support Meanwhile, Representative Sam Hunt (D-22) is expected tointroduce a bill to protect all remaining old growth stands withinDNR managed state trust lands. We are supportive of this becauseold growth is critical habitat for certain at-risk species that cannotadapt to younger stands, or the build environments. More to come.

Growth Management Act (GMA)Audubon will work hard to ensure the integrity of the GrowthManagement Act, and support improvements advocated by the GMA

working group, a consensus-oriented consortium of builders,farmers, planners, local jurisdictions and conservation organizations.

At least two bills are anticipated from the GMA work group. Onethat clarifies what “best available science” (BAS) means, or lookslike. The working group has not been successful in efforts to defineBAS, so they are trying to further clarify GMA by providingguidance for understanding what a comprehensive plan with, or without, BAS looks like, and what to do if BAS is not available or used.

The other bill is a comprehensive plan updates bill that will adjustthe schedule for counties and cities to update their comprehensive

plans. It has become apparent that implementing the GMA iscosting counties and cities millions of dollars that, with other capacity and workload issues, are forcing local jurisdictions to mistheir deadlines. This bill will adjust the schedule to accommodatethe needs of local counties. The GMA work group is looking at

provisions for incentives for counties/cities to use BAS in their comprehensive plan revisions so that they can get relief, and skiptheir next revision cycle, saving critical resources.

We will track these bills and will likely support any GMA bills proposed by the entire GMA work group. We will also ensure tha

there are no rollbacks to the GMA.

HB1023 -- OpposeCritical area regulation under GMA for tsunami resistant

structuresThis bill provides an exemption for tsunami resistant structures,allowing them to be built in critical areas, specifically geologicallyhazardous areas. The intent of the bill is to ensure that there areadequate safety structures for citizens who reside on hard to evacuareas like the Long Beach Peninsula. It is not necessary at this timto exempt such structures from critical area development regulatio

The Long Beach Peninsula has ample areas that are not critical arwhere such structures could be built. We are concerned that thiscould set a bad precedent for establishing other exemptions fromCritical Area Ordinances. Therefore we will oppose this bill untilthe bill proponents can clearly demonstrate that building adequatesafety structures requires statutory changes.

UPDATE: Audubon's 2005 Legislative Priorities cont.

WHAT YOUCAN DO:

Call the legislative hotlineand ask your legislators to:

* read Bird’s Eye View* support your areas of concern

* support Audubon WA’s legislative priorities

1-800-562-6000




Priorities for a Healthy Washington

“Priorities for a Healthy Washington” may be a phrase you have heard recently. It is the environmental community’s 2005 legislative

priorities. The public overwhelmingly supports protections for people's health and this place we call home, and our elected leaders arestarting to respond. Working together, we can create a model for the nation and a true legacy for generations to come. The 2005 prioritie

are: Cleaner Cars – Cleaner Air, Sustainable and Efficient Green Buildings, Sound Solutions: Saving Hood Canal and Puget

Sound, and Banning Toxic Flame Retardants.

Cleaner Cars – Cleaner Air

Cars are part of our daily life, but automobile emissions aretaking a toll on our health and our environment. Automobiles are thenumber one source of Washington's air pollution.

Clean car standards will reducetoxic and global warming

emissions from autos by giving Washingtonians cleaner car choices. With these standards, all new cars sold in Washingtonafter 2008 will emit less toxic air pollution, while saving on fuelcosts and starting to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

How this relates to birds and habitat:Helps wildlife by reducing global warming pollutionThe new clean car standards are expected to reduce globalwarming pollution from new cars by roughly 30% by 2016.Unchecked climate disruption is a major threat to Washington’s

economy and environment. Washington and Oregon’s Cascadesnowpack – which drives our power, water, agriculture, andhabitat systems – is projected to decline by 59% by the 2050swithout swift action.

Helps wildlife by improving air qualityClean car standards also reduce smog-forming pollution. Withsome areas in Washington nearly out of compliance with clean air laws and an urgent need to reduce global warming pollution, our air resources are finite. Transportation causes more than half of the pollution.

The Legislation:

Sponsored by Senator Rockefeller (D-23) andRepresentative Murray (D-43)This bill will be introduced within the next week. It will adoptCalifornia's stronger auto emission (clean car) standards byrequiring new cars and trucks delivered to Washington produceless toxic pollution and global warming pollution. The standardswould apply to auto manufacturers, not individual vehicles or owners. Seven Northeastern states - New York, New Jersey andmost of New England - have already adopted these clean car standards.

Sustainable and Efficient Green

Buildings

The buildings where we work andgo to school matter—to our economy, our environment, our health, and our productivity. High

performance green buildings savemoney by using energy and water more efficiently and by creatinghealthier, more productive working environments thanconventional buildings.

In the U.S., buildings account for approximately one-third of outotal energy consumption, two-thirds of our electricity use, andone-eighth of our water consumption. A survey of 99 green

buildings in the U.S. found that on average they use 30% lessenergy than comparable conventional buildings. Given howmany resources our buildings use, making them more efficientcan have significant benefits for people and our environment.

How this relates to birds and habitat:Cleaner air and water and healthier forests for wildlifeThese focus on increased water and energy efficiency. Therebyincreasing the amount of water available to wildlife andimproving the quality of the water that is used by these

buildings. The Energy efficiencies, reduces toxics in the air,reducing global warming emissions, helping to curb the climatedestabilization that is beginning to impact bird migration andnesting patterns.

The Legislation:

Sponsored by Senator Poulsen (D-34) andRepresentative Dunshee (D-44)

HB 1272 was introduced this week and will require new stateagency and higher education buildings 5,000 square feet andlarger, as well as significant remodels, to achieve a LEED Silvecertification. The requirements for K-12 school buildings will b

phased in over time, and schools can choose between the LEEDSilver certification and a local rating system tailored to schoolsWe will also build on previous capital budget investments in K12 high performance green buildings.



Sound Solutions: SavingHood Canal and Puget Sound

Imagine the future Puget Sound as a barren sea, where dead fish routinelywash ashore, recreational andcommercial fishing are shut down, andthe water is so polluted that kids nolonger safely play on the beach.

Unfortunately, this is a current reality for Hood Canal and other partsof Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits. Hood Canal, historicallyhome to diverse wildlife and valuable fisheries, is now home to a

"dead zone." And Hood Canal is simply the alarm bell to wake us upto a Puget Sound suffering from poorly planned development andpollution. The good news is that it is not too late to reverse this trend.

How this relates to birds and habitat:More productive marine food chainProtection and restoration of Hood Canal and Puget Sound havedirect links with wildlife conservation. Restoration of dissolvedoxygen levels will result in a more productive marine food chain.This in turn will lead to higher densities of marine plants,invertebrates, and small fish, which are the food source for dozens of bird species—loons, grebes, cormorants, herons, swans, geese,ducks, gulls, terns, plovers, sandpipers, kingfishers, and seabirds

such as the threatened Marbled Murrelet. This food chain also feedssalmon, which are a major food source for ospreys and eagles.

The Legislation:Septic Bill Sponsored by Senator Spanel (D-40) andRepresentative Hunt (D-22)This legislation enhances authority to control on-site septic systems.It should provide clear authority for the state to regulate on-siteseptic pollution as well as provide new tools to help local authoritiesdevelop solutions. In areas of special concern, local governmentsshould develop enhanced programs approved by the state. Septicsystems in these areas should be inspected and maintained on a

regular basis.

Land Use Bill Sponsored by Senator Kline (D-37) andRepresentative Upthegrove (D-33)Strengthening protections for watersheds and water quality aroundPuget Sound. The State needs to establish clear water qualityobjectives and provide adequate direction to local governments aboutstrategies to control stormwater and other sources of non-pointpollution, particularly including measures to limit conversion of working forestlands. Additionally, landowners should receive taxincentives for voluntary conservation efforts along shorelines.

Priorities for a Healthy Washington cont.

Banning Toxic Flame Retardants

PBDEs are persistent toxic chemicalused as flame retardants in countlessconsumer products includingtelevisions, computers, furniture, andcarpet. These toxic flame retardants -chemical cousins of the now bannedPCBs - are rapidly building up in our

bodies, food supply, and wildlife.

Phasing out PBDEs is both feasible and beneficial to the people of

Washington. Levels of PBDEs in the environment and in people wdecline if Washington State bans all PBDEs now. It is possible tomeet the standards of fire safety and have healthier children andsafer breast milk by phasing out toxic flame retardants. Companielike Dell and Ikea are already phasing out PBDEs. Major publichealth organizations like Washington Chapter of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics are calling for a ban on all PBDEs.

How this relates to birds and habitat:PBDE levels found in wildlifeStudies in wildlife have shown that PBDE levels are rising atalarming rates, doubling every one to five years.

In the Columbia River system, levels of PBDEs in fish doubled in mere 1.6 years. High levels of PBDEs have also been documentedstudies of orca whales, salmon, peregrine falcons, terns, osprey, another wildlife.

Studies of gulls in polar regions have shown extensive deca-BDEcontamination in livers, plasma, and eggs. Also, recent findingsshow that polar bears are contaminated with deca-BDE.

The Legislation:Sponsored by Senator Regala (D-27) andRepresentative Hunter (D-48)

Legislation is needed to ban all PBDEs by 2006. Despite a volunt phase-out of two forms of PBDEs, the public will not be protectedfrom toxic flame retardants linked to brain and nerve damage if Washington fails to ban the third and most heavily used form calledeca-BDE (deca). Eighty percent of all deca use is for consumer electronics and a ban on this use is slated to take effect in Europe i2006. Washington should join other governments around the world

by banning all PBDEs, especially deca.





Early in January, outgoing Governor Locke submitted hisrecommended biennial budget to the Legislature. Meanwhile,Governor Gregoire has taken office and is expected to release her budget proposal at the end of February. It is too early to know howthe Gregoire administration will approach the budget. They couldsubmit an entirely new proposed budget, or simply highlightpriorities for the new administration.

Regardless, the Legislature and the Governor have a real challengeahead of them because we are facing a $1.8 billion budget shortfall.The budget process will begin in the Senate this year, so we will bewatching the Senate closely to see what they propose to fund, andwhat they do not. Here are Audubon Washington's budget priorities

complete with their status in Governor Locke's budget. We willmake every effort to keep the programs that Locke proposed in hisbudget in the final budget bill, and to get the others added by theHouse or Senate.

Capital BudgetSeward Park and Leavenworth Nature Centers ($500,000 each)(Locke: $0)Audubon continues to support a growing network of nature centersthat function as nature-based community centers where families andstudents can safely explore the natural world. The recent ReportCard on the Status of Environmental Education in Washington Stateshowed that these learning centers help student achievement by

providing opportunities for real-world application book andclassroom learning. These two centers will serve thousands of students and families each year.

Seward Park: Six legislators from the 37th, 41st and 11th legislativedistricts are requesting $500,000 in capital funds to renovate anexisting building at Seward Park in SE Seattle.

Leavenworth: The delegation from the 12th legislative districtrequested that Governor Locke include $500,000 to renovate anexisting building on the 5+ acre Barn Beach preserve near downtownLeavenworth.

Despite these requests, Governor Locke did not propose any fundingfor these projects. We hope that the new Governor understands theimportance of connecting people with nature and providing qualityenvironmental education opportunities for students and families.

Operating BudgetState Parks Beach Safety, Education and Enforcement $891 General Fund State (GFS) & Transportation 108(Locke: $891 increase) This $891,000 State Parks Ocean Beach request is part of a larger $2.7 million “Public Safety and Risk Reduction” package. Lockeprovides nearly $2 million from GF, Motor Vehicle Account andStewardship Account, including the full Ocean Beach request.

Funding supports State Parks and localcounties to increase beach patrols, andeducate the public about beach drivingrules to protect the safety of beach-usersand sensitive bird habitat.

Department of Natural Resources

Gravel Mining Program Aggregate resource mapping & programmatic EIS $1,300,000 and 6.8 full time employees(FTEs)(Locke: $0)

We are supporting an agency request for funding to complete astatewide resource inventory and map all the deposits of sand andgravel in Washington. This will provide cities and counties with tscientific tools necessary to update their comprehensive plans, anddesignate Resource Lands of Long Term Significance. The mininindustry, developers and concerned citizens all benefit from this

because they can work with municipal planners to designate minerlands that will minimize impacts the natural environment and to th

building trades.

DNR would also like to develop a Programmatic EnvironmentalImpact Statement for gravel mining to create a consistent andtransparent environmental review for all gravel mines in the state.This could increase the efficiency of the permitting process andstrengthen protections to the environment.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 2010 Olympics/Skagit County wildlife viewing $340,000 (GFS/Wildlife Account State [WLS])(Locke: $0) We work closely with the Washington Department of Fish andWildlife (WDFW) to promote watchable wildlife. We supportfunding requests to market and promote wildlife viewingopportunities particularly in anticipation of tourist traveling to thePacific Northwest for the 2010 Olympics. Our five-year supply ofGreat Washington State Birding Trail--Cascade Loop Maps arenearly gone after three years! This map drives bird watchers to

many sites in Skagit County that are managed by WDFW.

Lead shot poisoning studies and remedial action$90,000 (WLS)(Locke: $65,000) WDFW and Canada's Wildlife Service are tracking Trumpeter Swans so they can begin to understand where lead "hot spots" mig

be. These hot spots are where, due to decades of hunting with toxlead shot, Trumpeter Swans are dying of lead poisoning. We arealso working with legislators who are interested in helping us solvthis problem.

Audubon Washington’sBirds Eye View January 21, 2005 Page 5 of

Audubon's Budget Priorities & Governor Locke’s Budget Proposals




WDFW cont.Local Conservation and Education Project $300,000 and 1.5 FTEs (GFS)(Locke: $0) WDFW Director Koenings is emerging as a strong advocate for

environmental education programs that help connect students'classroom learning with real world wildlife conservation andmanagement efforts sponsored by the Department. These newpositions would provide a new level of coordination, support andtechnical assistance to great programs like Project Cat in Cle Elumand Project Mule Deer in Spokane.

New License Plate Options*Combining background plates $240 (WLS)*Orca Special background license plates $300,000 (WLS)*Watchable Wildlife background license plate $234,250 (WLS) (Locke: $30,000 WLS--.3FTE) Wildlife viewing is one of the fastest growing non-consumptive fishand wildlife activities within Washington State. Since there are veryfew ways for people to provide money to support the agency, thedepartment is proposing legislation to allow the creation of variousfish and wildlife background plates, providing a new way to supportWDFW's Watchable Wildlife programs.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) Environmental Education Partnership Fund $250,000 (GFS)(Locke: $0 ) This grant fund, created in 2003 and funded with $75,000 in 2004 isbeing administered by OSPI to provide non-profit organizationspartnering with public schools, opportunities to implement qualityenvironmental education programs. Based on the demand for the

PIE Grant program (see below) we are asking the Legislature toincrease and biennialize the funding. (Biennialize, means thefunding would be sustained from biennium to biennium).

Expanding Environmental Education Programs$156,460--1 FTE (Locke: $0) OSPI wants to expand its support and coordination for environmental education within public schools. This is a criticalposition that in ways will replace a FTE dedicated to EE who retiredand whose Federal Funding was lost several years ago. We applaudOSPI for making this request and will support the growing

constituency of EE advocates as they ask the legislature to fund th

position.

Puget Sound Action Team (PSAT) Public Involvement and Education (PIE) Grants$500,00 (GFS)(Locke: $100,000 Water Quality Account) From the Governor's Budget Summary: PSAT's "publicinvolvement and education funding has not kept pace with publicinterest. Citizens want to get more involved in their communitiesand find solutions to serious water quality and habitat protectionissues that are harming Puget Sound: storm water runoff, toxiccontamination, diminishing near shore habitat, and decreased

populations of salmon, orcas, and other aquatic life. During the

2003-05 Biennium, only 14 percent of projects were funded.Additional grants will be awarded to organizations pursuing theseefforts".

Census of Burrow-nesting Seabirds in Puget Sound $160,000 (GFS)(Locke: $160,000) Audubon’s State of the Birds report lists the rhinoceros auklet andtufted puffin as two species that have declined in Puget Sound andneed to be monitored. We support this PSAT budget proposal todocument the steep decline in these populations.

Long Term Monitoring of Puget Sound Marine Birds and Waterfowl $175,000 (GFS)(Locke: $175,000) We continue to support this program by requesting that the fundin

be continued for long term monitoring of marine birds andwaterfowl. Without the continuous monitoring efforts we will nevknow if our state’s environmental programs are working.

Orca Conservation, Recovery and Monitoring $350,000 (GFS)(Locke: $0) We have watched with concern as the Orca populations in PugetSound have declined by 18% in recent years. WDFW and PSATmust be funded to complete an Orca recovery plan. The plan will

assist all species dependent on a healthy Puget Sound.

Eco-Regional Assessment Implementation – Guidance to Counti$400,000 (GFS)(Locke: $0)The Important Bird Areas program within Audubon contributes dato state or local governments about priority bird habitat inWashington. Our data has been included in the pilot project buWDFW to assess priority habitat in Kitsap County. We supportfunding to implement the Eco-Regional Assessment mapping projso that other counties in Puget Sound can benefit from WDFW’swork.

Budget Priorities cont.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:Let your legislators know you

support these budget priorities!

1-800-562-6000




Learn to how to better protect water quality,drinking water sources, andfish and wildlife in your town, city, and county.1000 Friends of Washingtonand the WashingtonEnvironmental Council are

sponsoring workshops totrain community membersto effectively participate inthe critical areas regulationupdates that will take place

in every Washington town, city, and county.

The workshops run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All participantswill receive a checklist, a data CD, and tools to use to evaluate andimprove critical areas policies and regulations.

Counties, cities, and towns use critical areas ordinances (known asCAOs) to protect people and property from natural hazards such as

flooding and landslides, to protect water quality and drinkingwater sources, and to protect fishand wildlife habitat.

CAOs must meet the requirementsof the Growth Management Actand citizens play an important rolein helping cities and counties adopt

effective CAOs. Most CAOs havenot been updated in at least sevenyears and require major changesand strong public input.

For more information or to register please [email protected] Please include your name, address,e-mail address, the workshop youwish to attend, and the city or county you are most interested in focusing on.

2/ 5 B e l l i

n g h a m

2/ 2 6 S h e

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3/ 1 2 E v e

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Critical Areas Regulation (CAO) Trainings

Bellingham

Saturday Feb. 5, 2005

Senior Activity Center

315 Halleck Street

Bellingham, WA 98225

Shelton

Saturday Feb. 26, 2005County Fairgrounds

751 W Fairgrounds Rd

Shelton, WA 98584

Everett

Saturday Mar. 12, 2005

Community College

2000 Tower Street

Everett, WA 98201

As always, we represent the shared vision of our chapters and

members to protect birds, wildlife and their habitat for the benefitof humanity and the Earths biological diversity. We are alwayslooking for strategic opportunities to advance that mission anddefend against any measures that could weaken our existingprotections of habitat. To that end, we look at every piece of legislation introduced each day and analyze it to see if it is arollback or a new opportunity. Here are a few of the bills andissues that have already come to the surface that we will beworking on.

Reduce Toxic Shot -- Support Teaming up with the Trumpeter Swan Society we are working toadvance the dialogue about how to prevent further contamination of

critical bird habitat by toxic shot in Washington. More than 1,400trumpeter swans have died in the past five winters, and over 100have died so far this winter. Currently, toxic shot is not permittedfor waterfowl hunting, and is restricted on some WDFW lands.

Watchable Wildlife Funding for Citizens

SB 5005 -- Support with changesSenator Jacobsen (D-46) has introduced a bill that opens up thehotel motel tax revenues to support "tourism promotion" broadlydefined to include expenditures to owners of farms, forests, andopen lands for habitat management that promote wildlife tourism.The tax is used to promote tourism.We strongly support the concept and intent of providing incentives

for private landowners for habitat management that promote

wildlife tourism. This may not be the best way to do it. We willwork to amend this bill to address our concerns. More to come.

Reforming Hydraulic Project Applications

SB 5059 -- OpposeThis bill, prime sponsored by Senator Doumit (D-19), is similar ta bill we worked hard to oppose/fix in 2003. This regulatoryreform, (i.e. environmental rollback) suggests that a county'scritical area ordinance or shoreline master plan is equivalent to ahydraulic project application, and therefore does not needindependent environmental review by the Department of Fish anWildlife.

Environmental EducationWith the Environmental Education Association of Washington,Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, PacificEducation Institute, Washington Forest Protection Association anothers, we will present the findings of the Report Card on the Staof Environmental Education in Washington State. The report isavailable on our websitehttp://wa.audubon.org/new/audubon/default.cfm?pageID=238 anreflects the state of EE in 2004. Growing support and interest inEE's ability to improve test scores and bring private resources toschools may lead to some EE legislation this session.

Other Legislative Priorities and Issues



Hot Tips for Legislative Advocacy


Every biennium committees are restructured to reflect changes in the Stateas well as changes in the Legislature. Leadership also reflects these changesand always depends on which caucus controls the chamber. Listed below isa list of committees and their members that will hear our issues.

HOUSE COMMITTEES:Appropriations

Sommers-Chair, Fromhold,-Vice Chair, Alexander, Anderson, Armstrong, Bailey,Burl, Clements, Cody, Conway, Darneille, Dunshee, Grant, Haigh, Hinkle, Hunter,Kagi, Kenney, Kessler, Linville, McDermott, McDonald, McIntire, Miloscia,Pearson, Priest, Schual-Berke, Talcott, Walsh.

Capital Budget

Dunshee-Chair, Ormsby-Vice Chair, Jarrett, Blake, Chase, Cox, DeBolt,

Eickmeyer, Ericks, Ericksen, Flannigan, Green, Hankins, Hasegawa, Holmquist,Kretz, Kristiansen, Lantz, McCune, Moeller, Morrell, Murray, Newhouse, O’Brien,Roach, Serben, Springer, Strow, Upthegrove

Economic Development Agriculture & Trade

Linville-Chair, Pettigrew-Vice Chair, Kristiansen, Blake, Buri, Chase, Clibborn,Condotta, Dunn, Grant, Haler, Holmquist, Kenney, Kilmer, Kretz, McCoy,Morrell, Newhouse, Quall, Skinner, Strow, Sullivan, P., Wallace

Education

Quall-Chair, P. Sullivan-Vice Chair, Talcott, Anderson, Curtis, Haigh, Hunter,McDermott, Santos, Shabro, Tom

Hood Canal, Select CommitteeEickmeyer-Chair, McCoy-Vice Chair, Pearson, Appleton, Chase, Sump, Walsh

Local GovernmentSimpson-Chair, Clibborn-Vice Chair, Schindler, Ahern, Ericks, Takko, Woods,

Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks

Sullivan B.-Chair, Upthegrove-Vice Chair, Buck, Blake, DeBolt, Dickerson,Eickmeyer, Hunt, Kretz, Orcutt, Williams

Rules

Chopp-Chair, Chandler, Anderson, Armstrong, Blake, Clibborn, Ericksen,Flannigan, Grant, Hudgins, Hunt, Kessler, Lovick, McDonald, Morrell, Shabro,Tom

SENATE COMMITTEES:Agriculture and Rural Economic Development

Rasmussen-Chair, Shin-Vice Chair, Schoesler, Delvin, Jacobsen, Morton, Sheld

Early Learning, K-12 and Higher Education

McAuliffe-Chair, Pridemore-Vice Chair Higher Education, Weinstein-Vice ChaEarly Learning and K-12, Schmidt, Benton, Berkey, Carrell, Delvin, Eide,Kohl-Welles, Mulliken, Pflug, Rasmussen, Rockefeller, Schoesler, Shin

Natural Resources, Ocean and Recreation

Jacobsen-Chair, Doumit-Vice Chair, Oke, Fraser, Hargrove, Morton, Spanel,Stevens, Swecker

Water, Energy and Environment

Poulsen-Chair, Rockefeller-Vice Chair, Morton, Fraser, Hewitt, Honeyford,Mulliken, Pridemore, Regala

Ways and Means

Prentice-Chair, Fraser-Vice Chair Capital Budget, Doumit-Vice Chair OperatingBudget, Zarelli, Brandland, Fairley, Hewitt, Kohl-Welles, Parlette, Pflug,Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rockefeller, Schoesler, Thibaudeau

COMMITTEES TO WATCH:

In order to be an active advocate it helps

to know words such as, “Caucus”

“Hopper” and “Sine Die”. Here is a look

at some of the legislature’s common used

terms.

BUMPING - Slang term for suspending therules to allow a bill to be advanced fromsecond to third reading without having the

bill revert to the Rules Committee.

CAPITAL BUDGET - Appropriations madeto state and local agencies for building andconstruction projects.

CAUCUS - A meeting of members for abody who belong to the same political party.

ENGROSSED BILL - A bill which reflectsall amendments made in the house of itsorigin.

EXECUTIVE SESSION - A meeting of committee members to discuss and vote on

bills they wish to report out of committee.These meetings are open to the public but notestimony is taken.

FIRST READING - First of three readingsrequired to pass measures. Bills on firstreading are introduced and referred tostanding committees.

GALLERY - Areas of both chambers where public visitors may observe the Legislature insession.

HOPPER - Box located in the bill draftingarea in which legislative measures aredeposited for introduction.

INTERIM - Time between regular legislative sessions.

OPERATING BUDGET - Two-year planfor funding ongoing activities of stateagencies, except transportation.

SINE DIE - To conclude a regular or specsession without setting a day to reconvene.

SPONSOR - Member offering a bill,amendment, resolution, or memorial.

ULCER GULCH - Slang term for area inthe Legislative Building used by lobbyistsand general public for telephone calls andmessages.

WHIP - An assistant to the majority or minority leader, the duties of the whipinclude counting votes, checking attendancand maintaining caucus discipline on partiissues and procedural questions.

WHAT DID THEY SAY?



Audubon Washington is a partnership of the Washington state office of theNational Audubon Society and Washington’s 25 independent Audubon Chapters.

Audubon Washington Policy Staff:

Nina Carter Heath Packard Lisa Remlinger Executive Director Lobbyist Policy Intern(360) 789-0792 (360) 790-5680 (360) 786-8020 ext. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

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PO Box 462Olympia, WA 98507(360) 786-8020

Mission of the National Audubon Society

To conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity .

Audubon Washington’sBird’s Eye View January 21, 2005 of

2005 issue #2 bird's eye view newsletter washington audubon society

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