Commentary: Western Gray Squirrel now endangered

Why should we care about Western Gray Squirrels, these little bushy-tailed rodents we rarely see and that don’t affect our lives very much, except sometimes when they get in the way of our cars? Aren’t extinctions just a part of the life of the planet?

We know the answer, of course. It’s not just about the squirrel — it’s about the environment they live in, and that they share with us, whether they want to or not. It’s about how we humans are affecting the environment, and whether we are comfortable with the results we see. Many of us are not comfortable. We see too much focus on taking from the trees, water, land, and creatures around us, and too little focus on wholeness of natural systems, including little bushy-tailed rodents. We are blindly affecting our environment in a way that will make it uninhabitable not just for squirrels, but for humans too. When we start pulling threads out, the fabric itself will start to unravel.

It felt good, seeing the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission vote 9-0 to move Western Gray Squirrel to a level of higher protection. We never expected uplisting to be immediately followed by stronger protections for the squirrels. We anticipated a process of consideration and dialogue, a process that was going to take time.

Friends of the White Salmon like forests, and we value our forest resources  and their part in our lives here in Klickitat County. We think motivated timber professionals could be valuable partners in protecting squirrels. So, we were looking for the anticipated process to bring everybody’s expertise to find ways to protect the squirrels with acceptable levels of impact on timber harvest. Western Gray Squirrels could lead us to a better situation for all.

However, it appears that industrial timber is not really interested in that process. We are seeing a surge of applications for timber harvest that have dropped even the minimal protections provided voluntarily before the uplisting. This will result in damage to the already fragile squirrel population. This is alarming.

So, we have a choice to make — do we let this happen, or do we try to stop it? To Friends of the White Salmon River, there’s not much choice. We are activists. We work to stop harmful actions, using the tools at hand. So, we have appealed some of the forest practice permits along the White Salmon River, and we are involved in another legal action to require the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to follow the law.

The work to stop these immediate impacts is part of an effort by individuals and groups to fundamentally change our society’s perceptions about the environment. We need to be humble and cautious in the face of complicated natural systems, acting with respect for all living beings large and small, with respect for the public interest, and with respect for the common good.

We must engage, consistently and persistently, in the world of government, media, public processes, policy, boards, communications, and hearings. We don’t do this work because it’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys. We do it because there is an urgent need for change, right here and right now — for the Western Gray Squirrel, for all of us, and for future generations of living beings.

Activism is an art and using that art to change the conversation about nature is an expression of love and respect for nature, including human beings who cannot exist without the natural systems that provide suitable food, air, and water.

Working together, using the art of activism, perhaps we can move our little corner of the world, Klickitat County, toward healthy populations of Western Gray Squirrel and strong action to protect the environment that sustains us all.