Action Hour

Public Engagement And Environmental Justice with Magali Cota

On this episode of Action Hour, WEAN Engagement Director Amanda Bullis chats with Friends of the San Juans' Legal Director and Staff Attorney Magali Cota. A Californian who grew up in the brownfields of Compton, Magali learned that the way she lived as a kid wasn't environmentally safe, a revelation that instilled a strong sense of the importance of local communities using their voices to protect one another. Listen to her conversation with Amanda, where they discuss why it's so important for communities to be involved in civic processes for environmental justice to be possible.

Preserving Deer Lagoon With Carlos Andersen

On this episode of Action Hour, passionate birder and environmentalist Carlos Andersen shares his love for Deer Lagoon Preserve, an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area (IBA) on Whidbey Island, and dives into the principles of his management plan to protect, preserve, and restore the area for generations to come. With the Comprehensive Planning process underway, Carlos is hopeful that Island County will use his plan to help protect Deer Lagoon and other preserves in the County.

An Island County Comprehensive Planning Update With Marnie And Amanda

On this episode of Action Hour, WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson and Engagement Director Amanda Bullis chat about the Comprehensive Planning process, WEAN's history with Island County's Comprehensive Plan, their experience during this current planning cycle, and what they hope the outcome will be for their island communities. CORRECTION: The Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM)—not the Department of Commerce, as stated—is the agency responsible for producing 20-year population projections for counties in Washington state.

All About Wetlands With Allison Warner

Learn all about wetlands! Wetland ecologist Allison Warner teaches us how to identify a wetland, how wetlands can bolster our communities' climate resilience, and how Island County could improve its wetland buffers. Plus, she makes a pitch for beavers and gets nerdy about soil composition.

The Ripple Effect Of WEAN's Battle Against Trillium Corporation

When Trillium Corporation purchased almost 3,000 acres of land on Whidbey Island from Georgia Pacific in the 1980s, the community had no idea who they were — until they started clearcutting a property on Coles Road. The logging company went on to clear-cut a parcel right outside the front door of WEAN founders Marianne Edain and Steve Erickson. The duo sprang into action, organizing the community to blockade the logging, and Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN) was born. For the next couple of decades, WEAN would track Trillium Corporation's activity on Whidbey Island and beyond, a practice that would ultimately lead to WEAN helping to protect 1.5 million acres of land in Patagonia.