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From Baja to British Columbia The Sierra Club here seeks sustainable human communities with clean water and breathable air, and coastal rivers and watersheds that provide habitat for a rich array of wildlife. On Our Agenda
The Land This ecoregion extends from the fjords of British Columbia past Puget Sound and the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula, along the rugged Oregon, Washington, and California coasts to the desert shores of Baja California. The Willamette and Great Central valleys, among the most fertile and productive in the world, lie between the coastal ranges and the region's eastern boundary, the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada. Population 40 million. Economy The agriculture, fishing, and timber industries are powerful political forces, but taken together they contribute less than 2% of the gross regional product. Dominant economic forces are aerospace manufacturing, high tech, and Pacific Rim trading. 150 Years Ago Millions of salmon migrated each year through San Francisco Bay and up the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, and through the Columbia River and Puget Sound to the streams of the Northwest. Nature Meccas The velvet rainforest and jagged peaks of Olympic National Park in Washington; the tule elk, heavy fog, and strong winds of Point Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco; the dramatic beaches and moist redwood forests of Big Sur along the central California coast. Superlatives The California floristic province, which extends from Oregon's Coos Bay to northern Baja California, contains one-forth of all the plant species in both the United States and Canada. Half of these species are unique to the region. Popular Play Sailing and kayaking in Puget Sounds, San Francisco Bay, and the Gulf of California; surfing along the California coast; hiking and camping in the redwood, cedar, fir, hemlock, spruce, and chaparral of the Coast Range, Olympics, and Cascades; windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge. Enviroclimate An environmentalist strong in coastal cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The Sierra Club has 180,000 members in this ecoregion. But in many rural areas, the timber industry and agribusiness control local politics, resisting environmental reforms. Conservation High Most recently, passage of the Condor Range and Rivers Act in 1992, protecting more than 400,000 acres of wilderness, 83 miles of wild-and-scenic rivers, and 109 miles of wild-and-scenic-study rivers in the Los Padres National Forest in California. Progress The Sierra Club played a major role in establishing North Cascades and Redwood national parks in 1968; Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in 1978; and Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area in 1986, it helped draft and pass California's Proposition 65, the nation's toughest toxics-control law. Unprotected Treasures The region's wetlands, fecund havens for waterfowl, have already been reduced by 90% in California and by 30% in Oregon and Washington. Biggest Threat A burgeoning population. California grew the fastest: up 25% between 1980 and 1990. The Puget Sound area may outpace California in the future, however: it is expecting a 40% increase over the next two decades, while the Golden State's expansion is slowing. Celebrators Poet Robinson Jeffers' work was infused with the spirit of California's wild Big Sur country. "The seabeaten coast, the fierce freedom of its hunting hawks, possessed and spoke through him," said Loren Eiseley. "It was one of the most uncanny and complete relationships between a man and his natural background that I know in literature." Others singing this ecoregion's praises are Gary Snyder and David Rains Wallace; its photographers include Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Philip Hyde, and Cedric Wright. Tells It Like It Is The Last Redwoods by Philip Hyde and Francois Leydet (Sierra Club Books, 1963); Not Man Apart; Photographics of the Big Sur Coast and Lines from Robinson Jeffers (Sierra Club Books, 1965); The Wild Cascades, Forgotten Parkland by Harvey Manning (Sierra Club Books, 1965). To Learn More
Contact: For the California portion of the Pacific Ecoregion, subscribe to the Sierra Club California Legislative Alerts. You may also want to read the California EcoWatch newsletter. Up to Top |
