Happy Oceans Month and Orca Action Month!

These interconnected conservation holidays bring together researchers, advocates, and ocean and orca lovers alike across the Pacific Northwest and the world. They remind us of the crucial role oceans play in everyday life and the impact of human actions.

This year's Orca Action Month theme, “orcas can’t vote, but you can,” hits close to home for Braided River. Through exquisite photography and powerful stories, we believe books are social and cultural touchstones that embody the places and wildlife we seek to protect, helping drive lasting conservation movements and policies. From the coral reefs of Palau to our very own Salish Sea, Braided River fights for ocean health, marine biodiversity, and the communities that depend on them for cultural and economic well-being.

To honor Oceans Month and Orca Action Month, explore Braided River’s multimedia impact campaigns: We Are Puget Sound; ORCA: Shared Waters, Shared Home; and Guardians of Life.

Updates from America’s Arctic

During his first administration, President Trump called for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), much of which Biden overturned during his presidency. In this current term, the Big “Beautiful” Bill mandates five oil and gas lease sales across the Western Arctic over the next 10 years, and another three lease sales on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge, turning 42 million acres of largely intact life and lands into a massive industrial oil patch. But leasing is not drilling.

Last week at Town Hall Seattle, journalist Lynda Mapes shared her recent expeditions to America’s Arctic in a dynamic presentation packed with breathtaking photos by Geritt Vyn, Amy Gulick, Florian Schulz, and Steve Kazlowski, eliciting oohs and aahs from the audience. She described flying at low altitude over the Coastal Plain, seeing caribou tracks, free-flowing rivers, and the contrast between natural shapes and the straight, engineered lines of the Willow development in the Western Arctic. She saw grizzly bear and five-toed wolverine tracks, fox dens, and numerous bird species, including red-throated loons that come to the Arctic to breed before flying to the coast of China. This vast, sacred landscape is home to Indigenous Peoples and massive migrations, leaving the land with a memory of the animals and life, and vice versa.

Lynda reported on the Arctic’s current battles: fighting the Ambler Road and seismic testing. The Ambler Road, proposed since Trump’s first term, is a 211-mile haul road through the Brooks Range, cutting across 4,000 stream crossings and vital salmon headwaters, as well as a National Park. The development serves foreign mining interests and “is a scheme for billionaires to essentially ‘blow up Alaska.’” Seismic testing, as the next step after lands are leased, uses 9,000-pound trucks to send shockwaves through the ground in search of oil, gas, and water, causing lasting damage to the resilient but fragile tundra, and dangers to polar bear dens with new cubs.

There has been tremendous Indigenous resistance to development—88 Native villages and counting—especially as more Native Alaskans are at risk of respiratory illness as industry moves in. Indigenous people are continuing in the fight to honor their culture and their subsistence life. Threats to the Arctic are a matter of survival. It is within our reach to take action. Stay up-to-date on America’s Arctic and what you can do by following our partners: Protect the Arctic and the Alaska Wilderness League.

Lynda’s journeys to and reporting on America’s Arctic are funded by Braided River’sOverlooked & Untold Stories Grant. You can support this timely environmental journalism in Alaska by donating to our fund.

Thank you to 4Culture for supporting this event.

**Bewild speaker Series: Guardians of Life with Kiliii Yüyan**

Why are Indigenous communities so often so good at conservation? Join Braided River and The Mountaineers for an awe-inspiring evening with National Geographic Explorer, photographer, and Braided River author Kiliii Yüyan. Kiliii will share stories and images from the field and from within the heart of the nine Indigenous communities highlighted in Guardians of Life, a Braided River book and impact campaign. Kiliii’s work was developed over ten years of global exploration and years of research and relationship-building with Indigenous leaders and community members. Whether you are a conservationist, outdoor recreationist, budding photographer, or of Indigenous descent, this evening is sure to evoke admiration and a sense of hope for our planet.

Event Details
Date: Thursday, July 23
Time: 7:70 - 9:00 PM, Doors at 7:00 PM
Location: Seattle Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way NE
Books will be available for purchase and signing by Kiliii.
RSVP

We are puget sound exhibit on display at the point defiance zoo & aquarium

We are excited to bring We Are Puget Sound to the Pacific Seas Aquarium in partnership with Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium until the end of 2026! Located in Tacoma, it is the only combined zoo and aquarium in the Pacific Northwest, featuring over 500 animal and plant species.

The exhibit, inspired by the Braided River book published in collaboration with Washington Conservation Action, features powerful photography and stories from across the region. This interactive, free photo exhibit highlights the people, places, and ideas driving protection and restoration efforts of the Puget Sound for future generations. Discover the Salish Sea’s rich cultures, local economies, and diverse wildlife—from Southern Resident orcas to Chinook salmon—by visiting the Pacific Seas Aquarium. Join us and be part of safeguarding Puget Sound's future at the “Act Now” station, based on the campaign’s 10 things you can do for Puget Sound.

Traveling toward an ancestral future

Seven Sisters, Return of the Matriarchy is organized and led by Se’Si’Le, our publishing partner for In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations. This multi-site campaign elevates the leadership of Seven Indigenous Women as they address the intersecting crises of biodiversity loss, climate disruption, and environmental injustice.

By centering Indigenous ways of knowing, Seven Sisters, Return of the Matriarchyadvances solutions grounded in accountability, resilience, and care for future generations. Attendees are invited to rethink their relationship with nature, with one another, and with the responsibilities we share. Learn more about the speakers.

Event Details
Date: Saturday, June 27
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: St. Mark's Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102

Return of the Matriarchy is free and open to the public and is one of many regional events in honor of Orca Action Month. This event is hosted in partnership with Braided River, Columbia Snake River Campaign, Friends of the San Juans, Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center, Native Organizers Alliance, North Cascades Institute, Save Our wild Salmon, Setting Sun Circle, Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Action, and Woodland Park Zoo.

Action item of the month

Protect Clean water in Seattle for Salmon and Orca Recovery

The Seattle City Council bill updating the municipal Stormwater Code sets new requirements for development, roadways, and utilities. The bill–CB12119–passed with an amendment starting the process for performance metrics. But the City Council needs to know Seattleites want accountability for clean water through the next five year code term.

Polluted runoff is a primary source of water pollution in the Puget Sound. Storm water pollution detrimentally impacts fish and fish habitat, and migratory species are particularly impacted by exposures to 6PPD, an organic chemical in rubber products. Recent salmon surveys by Puget Sound Keeper showed increased salmon mortality, and NOAA’s Southern Resident Orca Recovery Plan urged reduced polluted runoff in highly populated areas.

Seattle’s shared water is being threatened by those who profit most. As the largest city on the Puget Sound, Seattle makes the biggest difference. Learn more and email a comment to Seattle City Council here.

Information and action item from Orca Nexus.