Citizen action can have lasting impact.
If not now, when? If not us, who?
Below is a list of current actions you can take as a member of the public to protect vital ecosystems in Island County and Washington State.
Calls To Action
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Tell DNR Not To Clearcut Doc Holliday
Doc Holliday has been sold for harvest, but it’s not too late.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a unique opportunity to work with stakeholders to develop a win-win solution that would keep this forest from being immediately destroyed.
Send a letter to DNR.
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Attend Moratorium Public Hearing, June 3
On April 15, 2025, the Board of Island County Commissioners adopted a 12-month emergency moratorium, effective immediately, on development in the Mixed-Use Rural Areas of more Intensive rural Development (RAIDs) zones of Rural Center, Rural Village, and Camano Gateway Village.
The BOCC is holding a public hearing on the moratorium at 10:00 am on June 3, 2025.
When: June 3 at 10:00 am
Where: BOCC Hearing Room, Room B-102 in the Courthouse Annex Building, 1 NE 6th Street, Coupeville, WA, or via Zoom
Attend, listen, learn, and comment.
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Attend Open House And Comment On Cleanup
Whidbey Marine & Auto Supply, which operated as a retail gas station, boat supply store, and auto repair facility from 1971 to 2014, is the site of a toxic cleanup through the Department of Ecology.
Ecology is currently seeking public comment regarding alternatives proposed for clean-up from May 19 through June 20 and will be holding an open house on June 3, 2025 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Whidbey Water Services in Freeland.
Register to attend the open house, review the materials, and submit your comment below.
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Sign Petition To Protect Legacy Forest In Chehalis River Watershed
Legacy forests are a rare and rapidly disappearing fraction of forest lands managed by DNR in the Chehalis River watershed. Support a Moratorium on Logging of Legacy Forests in the Chehalis River Watershed by signing the petition below.
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Learn About Wetlands And Comment
WEAN's Executive Director, Marnie Jackson, gives an overview of the current state of wetlands across the nation and asks our community to advocate for the protection of wetlands on the county level. Send a letter to our commissioners or give public comment, asking the county to hold violators accountable, specifically Parcel R32928-523-1940/Ewing Road, for filling a wetland. Watch the video for details on how to take action.
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Take WEAN's Environmental Survey
We are asking our community to complete this short online survey to help us present the environmental issues that most reflect our community's concerns to Island County as they enter the refining phase of comprehensive planning.
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Fill Out Coupeville's Comp Plan Questionnaire
The Town of Coupeville is looking for community feedback on its comprehensive planning process through a questionnaire exploring land use, housing, climate change, historic preservation, parks and natural systems, and infrastructure.
Fill out and return to Town Hall, or email to Community Planning Director Joshua Engelbrecht at planner@townofcoupeville.org.
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Take Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) Survey
Commerce and the Agency are seeking your feedback to inform our state and regional CCAPs. Your feedback is critical to guiding the priorities for CCAP development, as well as topics for further engagement in your region over the next year. Topics include priorities for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures, sectors of focus, and important co-benefits of climate action.
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Comment on the Island County Comprehensive PlanList Item 1
What will Island County look like in 2045? That is the question Island County’s next comprehensive plan will be answering. By 2045, Island County is anticipated to have 102,639 residents, that is more than 15,000 new residents.
Make sure the county knows how important protecting vital ecosystems are to Island County residents.
Ongoing until June 30, 2025
Take Further Action
List of Services
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Center for Biological DiversityList Item 1
Center for Biological Diversity believes that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, the Center works to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction.
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EarthjusticeList Item 2
Founded in 1971, Earthjustice has saved irreplaceable wildlands, cleaned up the air we breathe, and fueled the rise of 100% clean energy. Earthjustice has protected countless species on the brink of extinction, and secured long-overdue, historic limits on our nation’s worst polluting industries.
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Washington Conservation ActionList Item 3
Washington Conservation Action is the leading policy and political voice in Washington’s environmental community, mobilizing for conservation and environmental justice. WCA's mission is to advocate for environmental progress and justice through actions that mobilize the public, elect champions for the environment, and hold our leaders accountable.
Making Positive Change:
A Framework for Activism
WEAN founder Marianne Edain has built her life on principles of ecology and environmental activism. Below she shares with us her framework for showing up in the world in a tangible way to make it a better place.
Marianne Edain. Photo by Linda LaMar.
1.
Define the Problem
Understand the issue you are addressing. Most problems have many parts — tease those parts apart to figure out which is most important and where you can make the biggest impact.
2.
Understand The System
Understand which governmental body and/or elected official is the decision-maker for your particular issue.
3.
Do Your Homework
Be able to substantiate everything you say in public. PAY ATTENTION to the details in notices you read. They usually contain deadlines. You snooze, you lose.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Show Up
Showing up is the biggest part of success. Show up in person and online to public meetings, organized protests, and community events.
Make Yourself Heard
Comment on everything you can, based on the reading you have done, in the appropriate venue.
Measure Success
Determine whether or not your actions have moved the needle on your issue.
Continue To Show Up
Be patient, persistent, and present. Your voice matters — using it allows others to do the same.
Making Positive Change - A Beginner's Guide
A full beginner's guidebook for starting your journey as an environmental activist in your neighborhood, township, and county based on Marianne's framework for activism.
Show Up
Use Your Voice
Do Your Homework
Stick With It
"We’re all short on time and energy. We need to make the most of what we’ve got."
Marianne Edain
Co-founder, Whidbey Environmental Action Network
Additional Resources
See Something?
Say Something
A guide for civic action when faced with active logging or un-permitted development in your neighborhood.
"Alphabet
Soup"
A list of agencies and laws that have environmental impact in the state of Washington.
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