• Deciding What to Protect
• Assembling Citizen’s Proposal for Protection
• Citizen’s Proposal = Conservation objective
• Fitting Proposal into a Campaign
Donald Parks
16Oct15

• Definitions of a Citizen’s Proposal
• Tools to Use?
• Major Campaign Phases & Proposal Development Phasing
• Learning the Ground
• Placing lines on a map, where & why
• Assembling Proposal Maps
• Inventorying Values and Issues

Center piece of the campaign, Defines what we are for!
Proposals define:
• Lands & waters to be be protected
• Protected by what tools
• Values at risk (without protection)
• Issues raised by proposal (we must address)
• Components of proposal
– Maps with boundaries
– Written descriptions of lands/waters, values & issues
– Legislative Language (see “ Devils in the Details ”--Sunday)
“Campaign Ready” proposal will stand opposition scrutiny

Focus on Wilderness and Wild & Scenic Rivers
• Why Use Wilderness?
• Strongest protection
• Wilderness prescribes allowed & prohibited uses
• Definition of Wilderness from the Act:
“… An area of undeveloped federal land retaining its primeval character
& influence, without permanent improvements or habitation….generally appears to have been affected primarily by forces of nature, with man’s work substantially unnoticeable …”
• Who decides what qualifies? Congress
• Other conservation tools? National Parks, National Recreation
Areas, Wildlife Refuges, etc….

(continued)
Wilderness is a legal definition that:
• Prescribes management
• Locates conservation unit precisely
Pros and Cons of Wilderness:
Pros :
• Prohibits most resource extraction & new roads; protects lands as fish/wildlife habitat
Cons :
• Hard to designate, requires Congress to act, needs local support & much citizen support, typically opposed by federal agencies involved
Designation is a long process, be patient!

Non-Public & Public Campaign phases:
• Non-public: define/refine what we are ‘for’; time to get our act together; initiate contact w/Champions; start lining up support
• Public phase: acquire champions/political support; expand support; demonstrate broad acceptance; pass legislation!
Major Considerations:
• Once public:
– no more map additions
– a place ‘given up’ is lost
– stand the heat you generate

(continued)
Non-public phase
• Developing “bullet proof” proposal, may grow or shrink
• Understanding, utilizing, & leveraging politics. Doable?
• Developing strategies to “take delivery”
• Assembling campaign team to manage process
– Note presentation “ Team Building & Development ”--Sunday
• Planning campaigns, defining & phasing needed elements
– Note presentation “ How Do You Plan a Campaign ”--Saturday
• Reaching out to likely supporters, potentially adjusting map
• Developing initial messaging (based on proposal)
– Note presentation “ Messaging & Communication ”--Saturday
• Building the base; by deliberate outreach; to demonstrate wide support

(continued)
Public phase
• Deciding when to go public
• What do we mean by public?
• Proposal is ‘ campaign ready ’
• Formally acquiring political Champion(s)
• Lining up further political support
• Broadening public support, including a range of diverse organizations
& individuals
• Note presentation “ Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion ”--Saturday
• Planning for & supporting special public events (bodies)
• Supporting proposal as issues & questions emerge (words)
• Readiness for Congressional bill introduction (answers)
• Supporting the Congressional process

• Assembling & studying maps
• Seeing Land & Its Values Up Close & Personal
• Walk the ground, know it better than anyone
• Drive adjacent roads, float rivers,….
• Become familiar with place
• Take notes & photos,
• Observe….
• Retain collected information
• Locate places with high values :
– Examplesold growth, riparian areas, critical habitat,…..
– Map these places

(continued)
• Digging out non-conforming uses & defining issues
• ORV use areas, mines, undocumented roads, dams….
• Note problem areas: Very high recreational use areas, historic development, etc….
• Find & Talk to local experts
• Discuss carefully with management agency personnel
• Document
• Create opportunities for outings:
• Fact find, bring new activists along
• Education: Champions, local electeds, media, other publics…
• Start proposal ‘map’ to be reviewed internally
• Consider all feedback

• Use geographic features locatable on ground (think gps!) :
• Streams/rivers and/or banks,
• Elevation lines (contours)
• Ridgelines?
• Use legal lines:
– Section lines,
– Federal property
– Private & other Non-Federal property
– Significant right-of-ways
• Use constructed lines:
– Administrative boundaries (like special use areas)
– Set backs from roads/trails,
– azimuths from any feature

(continued)
• Locate lines to include places with high values:
– Old growth, mature forests
– Fragile terrain (wet areas),
– Unroaded lands
– Critical habitat for endangered/threaten species
• Locate lines to include or exclude particular issues
– Old mines, open roads, ORV trails, old logging
– Know what features/issues are included & why
• Location of the lines is very powerful
– Remembercan’t dance forever!

Guiding Philosophy for Mapping:
Include as much land as campaign can justify
• Character of the land:
– Land form?
– Who administers?
– Current management direction & condition?
• Initial political assessment:
– Is this doable?
– Champions?
– Other supporters?
• Conservation history?
– Proposed this before?
– What happened?
– What did we learn?

(continued)
• Using what you have learned:
– Locate areas with key values inside boundary
– Locate areas w/issues either inside or outside boundary
• Complete first cut credible ‘ map ’ for internal review
– Use geographic features and/or legal lines where you can
– Review ‘map’ within campaign
– With campaign approval, show others
– Consider all feedback
• Update ‘ map ’ as you learn more about values/issues/threats
• Integrate proposal & components into campaign, updating when compatible with other tasks (and funding)

Detailed (Working) Map
Show all ‘map-able’ features:
• Map contains :
– Detailed boundary definition
– Non-federal lands, legal lines
– Geographic features: contours, streams/creeks/
– Location of non-conforming activities
– Roads, open/closed/decommissioned
– Recreational facilities
– Key resources & values (timber & fisheries)
• Map Use :
– Allows boundary placement
– Required for values/issues assessments

Maps

(continued)
Proposal (Public) Map
Simple, shows boundaries, adjacent lands, access routes, not much detail:
Map contains :
• Accurate boundaries, course scale
• All ownerships in & near proposal
• Key roads & trails
• Selected notable features: i.e. mountains, rivers, etc
Map Use:
• Facilitates outreach
• Shared widely in public phase

• Values are features to protect:
• High environmental values, rare or special plants & animals
• Issues are potential problems that if you take them on, you must have an answer
– If you choose to avoid, Know Campaign protects less
• Govern your choices by principal of “ no surprises ”
– Possibly OK in ‘non-public’ phase
– Safeguard against when you go ‘public’
– Avoid at all costs during Congressional phase
• Expect to react quickly when new issues arise

Alpine L akes W ilder ness Additions
T he Case for W ilder ness
Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pr att and Middle For k Snoqualmie Rivers Pr otection Act (H.R. 361; S. 112)
Just 45 minutes east of downtown Seattle, the Pratt, Middle Fork and South Fork
Snoqualmie Valleys are the closest mountain valleys to Puget Sound population centers.
This remarkable area includes glacier-cut u-shaped valleys, snow capped peaks, oldgrowth forests, whitewater rivers and strong native trout runs.
In 1976, the Alpine Lakes Wilderness was designated by Congress and has become one of the most visited Wildernesses in the country. Now, thirty years later, there is an opportunity to permanently protect 22,100 acres of key additions to the Alpine Lakes that will preserve important wildlife habitat,
Bear grass c/o Harry Romberg existing recreational opportunities and local economies that rely on both.
Congressionally-designated Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River Designations are the strongest and most durable means to ensure that these special areas are preserved for our children and grandchildren to experience.
Pr otecting Rar e L ow Elevation For ests
The Pratt Valley c/o Harry Romberg
·
The proposed additions in the Pratt, Middle Fork and South Fork Snoqualmie Valleys provide an opportunity to protect rare low elevation old growth and mature forests. Such lands were largely excluded from the existing Alpine Lakes Wilderness in
1976. Statewide, of the roughly 2.7 million acres of designated Wilderness on national forest land, just 6 percent includes lands below 3,000 feet elevation. Approximately half of the lands protected by the Alpine Lakes additions proposal are below
3,000 feet in elevation.
·
Low elevation lands are snow-free for much of the year and are more biologically productive, supporting many more species than higher elevation habitats. The lands to be protected provide critical winter and spring habitat for wildlife when high country is deep in snow.
Pr eser ving Existing Recr eational O ppor tunities
·
The Middle Fork and South Fork valleys are the closest and most accessible mountain valleys to residents of the greater Seattle-Bellevue Metropolitan area. The proposed additions have been carefully crafted to preserve existing recreational opportunities for hiking, camping, rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, mountain biking and wildlife viewing. It also protects a large area of accessible lowland forests, preserving hunting and fishing opportunities in primitive settings.
Pr otecting W ildlife H abitat
·
These wild mountain valleys boast abundant elk and deer populations. Cougars, bears and bobcats are present, and at least one grizzly has been sighted in the Pratt River Valley.
Although salmon are not present in the Middle Fork because it is above Snoqualmie Falls, there are substantial populations of resident trout.
Pr eser ving Downstr eam Benefits of Clean W ater
Middle Fork Valley c/o Tom O’Keefe
·
The Pratt, Middle Fork and South Fork watersheds are sources of clean water, important for downstream fisheries and commercial and residential water users. Preserving the forests as Wilderness would ensure maintenance of flow during the dry summer months, and aids in flood control.
·
The Snoqualmie basin is subject to flood events on a regular basis (many areas are in the ‘rain on snow’ zone). Low-elevation forest valleys are critical to controlling runoff rates here and the proposed additions would preserve intact forest ecosystems, protecting against increasing flood severity on downstream infrastructure and residents.

Consultations with local residents, affected landowners, various usergroups a critical part of shaping carefully crafted & balanced bill.
• Mountain Bike Use on the Middle Fork Trail
• King County Search & Rescue Landing Site in the Pratt Valley
• Avalanche Threats in the I-90 corridor
• Ski Area Operations near Snoqualmie Pass
• I-90 Thin Sale & Existing Rock Quarry in the South Fork
Snoqualmie Valley
• Private Land with Hot Springs Near Burnt Boot Creek
• Private Donation of Cave Ridge Parcel
• State Department of Natural Resources
• Road & Trailhead Access

• Analyses of Issues
– Approaches
– Techniques
– Examples
• Finding useful information
• Assembling the information-briefing book(s)
• Resources and Assistance

Donald Parks
16Oct15

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