Washington state land preservation and conservation

Sharon Pian Chan gets it. In a recent blog post, she notes that as partisan bickering starts in earnest, and thanks to this year’s national political conventions, the truth is that we have more in common than we think [“As political conventions divide, here is one issue state agrees on,” Ed cetera, Aug. 30].

Recently, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition conducted a poll of conservation values in the redrawn 8th Congressional District, looking at the opinions of voters in Eastern and Western Washington, as well as across party lines. We found that 84 percent of voters strongly support conservation, with two-thirds agreeing that we have not done enough to conserve land, water and recreation opportunities in the state.

Clearly, conservation and land preservation, as Pian Chan notes, “appears to be an issue that runs purple,” rather than as many assume, a hallmark of the political left.

I want to commend Pian Chan and The Times for taking note of this important issue and helping to raise the discourse on issues like conservation above the battles of left versus right.

In these times of political divide, it is important that we find the things that connect us, and nothing connects those of us in Washington state like our shared heritage of natural beauty, mountains, forests, rivers, sea and land.

– Joanna Grist, executive director of Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, Seattle

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