Supporters thank Gov. Inslee for leadership to save orcas

Southern Resident orcas may have a friend in Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

On Jan. 29, Environment Washington’s Bruce Speight met with Gov. Inslee and delivered thank-you letters from 450 of our supporters for his leadership to save the Southern Resident orcas. We were joined by our partners from Save Our Wild Salmon, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and North West Energy Coalition.

“Our Southern Resident orcas are on the brink of extinction. We thank Gov. Inslee for his leadership to take action,” said Bruce. “To protect the species, state legislators must act to increase the Chinook population, protect forage fish, reduce vessel noise, and reduce toxic pollution.”

In December, Gov. Inslee called for $1.1 billion for initiatives recommended by his task force to save the critically endangered whales, including reviving salmon runs in the Columbia River, evaluating the Lower Snake River Dams and increasing spill over the dams.

 Photo: Southern Resident killer whale and her calf. Credit: NOAA, Public Domain.