Encompassing Washington, Oregon and Idaho, the Northwest region’s diverse landscapes extend from the marine waters and old growth forests of the Pacific Coast to the Cascade Mountains to the arid high desert of the interior basins and its plateaus.
Energy development, state wildlife and resource management, and expanding human activity are all threatening the habitats and wildlife in the Northwest. Expanding human populations and development are encroaching on forested and floodplain habitat, which leads to more human-wildlife encounters and conflicts.
Road construction and unsustainable forestry practices have fragmented critical habitat for wildlife, creating barriers to wildlife movement. Climate change is also increasing the severity of drought and wildfire and threatening both habitat and wildlife of the Northwest.
Defenders' Impact
Defenders is engaging in landscape-level planning processes that benefit multiple species in the Pacific Northwest and partnering with coexistence programs in the Selkirk Mountains of eastern Washington and northern Idaho to provide pragmatic and proven solutions for avoiding conflicts between people and grizzlies and wolves.
We are engaging in community science initiatives that increase our knowledge about rare carnivores and working as part of the Oregon Habitat Connectivity Consortium and the Pacific Northwest Coast Landscape Conservation Design process to describe, understand and enhance habitat connectivity.
We are also promoting proactive wildlife conservation legislation at the state level, focused on state wildlife agency reform and protection of threatened and endangered species. We are advocating ways to reduce pollution in the Salish Sea with our Orcas Love Raingardens program and to remove outdated dams from rivers in the region to restore salmon.
Northwest Blog Posts
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1402 Third Ave
Suite #930
Seattle, WA 98101
United States
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Defenders Responds to FWS Steps to Remove Gray Wolf ESA Protections
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