Happy March, and happy Friday everyone! As I walk around, I can see the beginning moments of Spring. The daffodil bulbs, spots of sunshine through the clouds, and baby birds are all signs of hope that our ecosystems will keep growing even when environmental policy is at threat.
At Braided River, we are committed to highlighting the joy, art, and culture that comes with our commitment to protect wild and sacred places. We invite you to join us in the feeling of hope in one of these upcoming opportunities! Please reach out with any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!
Big River—Foreword indies finalist
David Moskowitz’s Big River: Resilience and Renewal in the Columbia Basin has been selected as a 2024 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards. Finalist in the Ecology & Environment category! Honoring the very best of indie publishing each year, the Foreword INDIES Books of the Year Awards celebrates breathtaking books from independent presses and authors. Thousands of books are entered annually, and over 100 librarians and booksellers participate in the judging process. Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners are selected in 55 categories, representing the best in independent publishing. Congrats to David, author Eileen Delehanty Pearkes, and everyone involved in the development of Big River!
Take action—for the love of orcas
Join the Endangered Species Coalition, Save Our wild Salmon, Washington Conservation Action, the Sierra Club, Browsers Books, and us at For the Love of Orcas! This event is March 26th at New Traditions in Olympia, WA, including a reception with light refreshments at 5:30 pm and a program starting at 6:30. Various local artists and poets, including The Blackfish Prophecy author Rachel Clark, will share their work in honor of Orcas. Gabriel Newton, artist, and Orca advocate will deliver hundreds of postcards from Washington citizens and gift a 46-piece collection of Orca artwork to Governor Bob Ferguson after kayaking to the event from Seattle across three days.
If you are unable to make it to the event, learn more on orca and salmon restoration through Braided River title ORCA: Shared Waters, Shared Home by Seattle Times journalist, Lynda V. Mapes.
Celebrate world rewilding day!
March 20th celebrates the rewilding movement! This global, dynamic conservation movement seeks to support nature’s recovery by embracing natural solutions to environmental, social, and economic challenges. Rewilding addresses three critical environmental issues - climate change, biodiversity loss, and eco-anxiety - by restoring habitats, reintroducing species, involving local and Indigenous communities, and intervening only when necessary. Acts of rewilding have taken place in our own backyard and beyond, including the Grizzly Bear reintroduction to the North Cascades this past September and the wolf reintroduction to Isle Royale in 2018.
Photo Credits
Top and fourth photo by Dave Showalter, author/photographer of LIVING RIVER: The Promise of the Mighty Colorado and Sage Spirit: The American West at a Crossroads