Dec 2024
Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! Welcome to our December edition.
Call to Action: Tell the Board of Natural Resources to Reject Resolution 1645
We have an urgent message from our friends at the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition regarding a last-minute resolution (Resolution 1645) proposed by outgoing Commissioner of Public Lands Franz. This Resolution would designate most mature forests in our lowlands, potentially including Hooven Forest, as "not suitable for protection." If the proposed Resolution is passed by the DNR Board of Natural Resources, it would likely impact our ability to preserve Hooven Forest.
Please consider writing an email to bnr@dnr.wa.gov NOW to voice your opposition to Resolution 1645 before the next Board of Natural Resources meeting next week, Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 9:00. It is probably better not to mention or draw attention to Hooven Forest; the important message is to Reject Resolution 1645.
Example email: "Dear Board of Natural Resources: Reject Resolution 1645. Do not auction mature forests on public lands. They contain the biodiversity and resilience we must maintain to draw down carbon and protect habitat. This resolution is based on the false assumption that stream buffers and tree plantations can replace century-old native forests. Older, native, lowland forests are reservoirs of genetic and biological diversity. They are fire resistant; resilient to disease and pest outbreaks; efficiently intercept, store, and release rainwater, helping to reduce flooding; and play an outsized role in mitigating the effects of climate change. The continued loss of these irreplaceable lowland forests is perhaps the most urgent environmental crisis we face in Washington State."
To register to attend the DNR Board meeting and/or to comment in person, click here.
Commissioner-Elect Upthegrove at Hooven Forest in February
Following our well-attended Friends of Hooven Forest launch event at the Crystal Lake Clubhouse on November 18, the Friends of Hooven Forest Steering Committee has gotten a commitment from Commissioner-elect Upthegrove to return to speak with the community about legacy forests and Hooven Forest next year. We are currently working to secure a date in the second half of February. The Commissioner-Elect will be sworn in on January 15, and we feel our group is well-positioned to maintain momentum and continue to move this project forward.
Share Your Statement of Support and Photos for our Website
Help us demonstrate and publicize the community support for our effort to preserve Hooven Forest. We welcome your statement of support - preferably one or two sentences that describe how you use Hooven Forest, the services and the value it provides to you and your family (clean air, surface water filtration, wildlife, running, walking and biking paths, traditional native practices space, recreation for you and your children, education about the forest, carbon sequestration, forest bathing, etc.). Please email us at info@hoovenforest.org with your short statement as well as the name you would like to display, along with any photos of Hooven Forest you'd like to share.
Friends of Hooven Forest Applies for 501(c)(3) Status
The Steering Committee is beginning the process of establishing our group as a nonprofit in the State of Washington, and also applying for nonprofit tax status with the federal government. If you have experience with 501(c)(3) applications or nonprofit fundraising, we welcome your contribution to advising us on the process.
Exploring a Hooven Forest Ecosystem Services Inventory
The Steering Committee is looking into the creation of an Ecosystem Services Inventory of Hooven Forest. Such an inventory would help value Hooven Forest for the benefits it provides to Washington residents beyond timber sales or development. An ecosystem services inventory professional is an expert who specializes in assessing and mapping (and valuing) the various benefits humans receive from natural ecosystems, including things like clean air, water filtration, food production, carbon sequestration, and recreation, by conducting detailed inventories of these services across a specific area, often using ecological data and analysis tools to quantify their value and inform land management decisions. Read more here about the DNR Ecosystem Services Work Group. We also welcome any ideas for additional Hooven Forest programming (educational, recreational, spiritual) to bring even more value to the larger community. If you would like to help with this project or have ideas on additional programs, please let us know!
Thank you for reading our Newsletter, and we hope to hear from you soon!
Friends of Hooven Forest Steering Committee
Randy, Rosa, Jeff and Solveig
www.hoovenforest.org
We are a small group of concerned neighbors organizing ourselves to preserve the 180+ acre Hooven Forest. There is a risk of this land being developed for residential or commercial use, and we would like to conserve it for the environment and community.
This newsletter will be published approximately monthly at the beginning of the month. Please forward to your friends and neighbors — we want to get the word out about our effort to preserve Hooven Forest and recruit more support. If you are receiving this email from a friend or neighbor, you can sign up to receive your own copy of Friends of Hooven Forest Newsletters in your inbox by filling out this form at hoovenforest.org.
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