OPAS Getting “Good Press” from City and County Officials

Swainson’s Thrush and red elderberry - Photo: Mick Thompson

OPAS Getting “Good Press” from City and County Officials

by Rhonda Coats, Publicity Chair

Recently, the OPAS environmental initiative, the North Olympic Wildlife Habitat Project, has caught the attention of elected officials generating a series of proclamations from the City of Sequim (July 28), the Board of Clallam County Commissioners (August 19), and anticipated from the City of Port Angeles (September 2). All proclamations are similarly worded to the version signed by the county commissioners. Click here to read the proclamation as a PDF.

These documents acknowledge the efforts of OPAS and our local project partners (Dungeness River Nature Center and Wild Birds Unlimited) that have gained National Wildlife Federation recognition of the north Olympic Peninsula as a Community Wildlife Habitat™ as well as an ongoing commitment to expand the number of certified properties in our area into “wildlife corridors” connecting with established natural areas.

Despite the many challenges of governing small townships within a rural county, it is gratifying to witness elected officials who find time to acknowledge the importance of answering the question: Why Birds? These officials know that the answers begin with recognizing that the health of birds signals the health of the environment, upon which our own human health depends.

Please learn more about the North Olympic Wildlife Habitat Project. And, please bring family and friends for a special celebration in Rainshadow Hall on Saturday, September 6, when OPAS will receive an official Community Wildlife Habitat™ certificate from the National Wildlife Federation, followed by a special Backyard Birding class featuring hummingbirds and their pollinating cohorts. Click here to view the event.