HomeMy WebLinkAboutPROCLAMATION re: OrcasJEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Adiel McKnight, Executive Assistant
DATE: January 17, 2023
SUBJECT: PROCLAMATION re: Declaration of Rights for the Southern Resident Orcas
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
The proposed proclamation recognizes the importance of the Southern Resident Orcas. Southern Resident
Orcas are culturally, spiritually, and economically important to the people of the Pacific Northwest. Despite
federal protection under the Endangered Species Act, the Southern Resident Orca population continues to
decline, with fewer than 80 individuals left. Earth Law Center and Legal Rights for the Salish Sea are calling
on local communities, state legislatures and governors to recognize the inherent rights of the Southern
Resident Orcas and the ecosystems upon which they depend, and to take immediate actions to protect and
restore the Orcas' rights by addressing their main threats to survival.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Today's proclamation has no direct fiscal cost.
RECOMMENDATION:
That BoCC approve the attached Proclamation.
County Administra r Dat
PROCLAMATION
Declaration of Rights for the Southern Resident Orcas
WHEREAS, the Southern Resident Orcas are culturally, spiritually, and economically important to the
people of Washington State and the world. However, despite legal protections for nearly two decades, the
population continues to decline and is critically endangered, with only 73 of these magnificent creatures left in
the wild; and
WHEREAS, the Orcas' survival is dependent on healthy and functioning ecosystems including the
Salish Sea, the Fraser River Watershed, the Columbia River Basin, and the lower Snake River Watershed; and
WHEREAS, over 20 countries, dozens of local communities in the United States, and several tribal
governments have recognized that Nature has inherent rights, and that Human Society has the responsibility to
protect and steward Nature in a manner consistent with our interconnected relationship; and
WHEREAS, Nature and all living beings, including the Southern Resident Orcas and the ecosystems
upon which they depend, are recognized as possessing inherent rights, including the right to exist, flourish,
evolve, regenerate, recover, and be restored; and
WHEREAS, the rights of the Southern Resident Orcas include, but are not limited to, the right to: life,
autonomy, culture, free and safe passage, adequate food supply from naturally occurring sources, and freedom
from conditions causing physical, emotional, or mental harm, including a habitat degraded by noise, pollution
and contamination;
NOW THEREFORE, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners does hereby proclaim a
Declaration of Rights for the Southern Resident Orcas and urges action by local, state, federal, and tribal
governments to secure the ecosystems upon which these orcas depend.
PROCLAIMED this 171h day of January, 2023.
SEAL:
ATTEST:
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Greg Brotherton, Chair
Kate Dean, Member
Carolyn Gallaway, CMC Clerk of the Board Heidi Eisenhour, Member