Secretary Salazar to Visit Washington State, Host Town Hall on Future of San Juan Islands with Senator Cantwell

02/16/2012

ANACORTES, WA—On Saturday, Feb. 18, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell will host a town hall meeting in Anacortes to hear about the ongoing progress to conserve and protect the San Juan Islands. The visit marks Salazar’s third time to the area, showcasing the importance of engaging in a dialogue to learn how the Department can be a better partner in supporting community-driven conservation efforts, a key component in President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative.

Located between the mainland of northwestern Washington and Canada’s Vancouver Island, the proposed San Juan Islands National Conservation Area (NCA) was identified as one of 18 backcountry areas Interior highlighted as deserving protection by Congress as national conservation areas or wilderness areas. The area includes public land on dozens of islands within the San Juan Archipelago and attracts large numbers of visitors each year due to the islands’ unique cultural and natural resources.

Obviously Salazar and Cantwell don’t want to hear from us or else they would have scheduled this in the San Juans