Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Appeals To Transboundary Ecology: Cross-Border Advocacy At The Skagit Headwaters Donut Hole, Derek Moscato

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The Pacific Northwest’s regional news media has directed significant attention toward the Skagit River watershed since 2019 because of a controversial, long-simmering mining proposal at the international border dividing British Columbia and Washington State. At the center of this controversy sits the so-called “Donut Hole”—an area of 5,800 unprotected hectares situated between two B.C. provincial parks—Skagit Valley and Manning—located at the headwaters of the Skagit watershed.

As a result of concerns about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding North Cascades ecosystem, opposition to the project was substantial, led by environmental advocates representing a wide range of ecological, recreational, and community …

The Impact Of Cross-Border Environmental Media And Advocacy At The Skagit River Headwaters, Derek Moscato

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The regional media of Cascadia has directed significant media attention toward the Skagit River watershed since 2018 as a result of a controversial mining proposal at the international border dividing British Columbia and Washington State. At the center of this con-troversy sits the so-called “Donut Hole” located at the headwaters of the Skagit watershed. As a result of concerns about impacts to wildlife and the surrounding North Cascades ecosystem, opposition to the project was substantial, led by environmental advocates and Indigenous community leaders. In turn, they harnessed extensive media coverage and advocacy to facilitate a larger regional dialogue about the …

Unmasking Climate Change: How The Impacts Of Global Warming Alter Disease Spread And Discovery, Ellie Potts, Andy Bunn, Adam Wright

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

What is the relationship between global temperature increase and the number of communicable disease cases, and is this relationship stronger for denser populations? Climate change and communicable diseases are two intertwined global issues. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, business owners, governments, and general consumers have all realized the scale of benefits and risks of an internationally integrated global economy, and how our level of urbanization can cause rapid disease spread. This pandemic has uncovered our lack of preparation for global emergencies. Climate change not only poses a global emergency but will also increase our world’s likelihood of diseases. …

Electrification And Decarbonization For Mid-Sized Municipalities: A Case-Study Marginal Abatement Cost Analysis, Patrick Shive

WWU Graduate School Collection

This project provides a marginal abatement cost curve analysis for the City of Bellingham, based upon the recommendations provided by the City’s Climate Action Plan Task Force. A bottom-up methodology for performing the marginal abatement cost analysis is provided, including the relevant data and assumptions used in the analysis. The results show the massive potential emissions impacts of electrification and driving down the electric grid emissions intensity. The shortcomings and improvements of the resultant cost curves are discussed, and advice on future iterations is given. This project offers a pathway for Bellingham and other mid-sized municipalities to develop marginal abatement …

White Guy Hiking: How I Learned To Think Critically About My Ecological Identity, Nick Engelfried

Summit to Salish Sea: Inquiries and Essays

Our encounters with the “natural” world are made possible by a complex of historical, political, social, and economic forces that shape each person’s ecological identity, or the way in which we relate to nature. I grew up in a White, middle-class family with easy access to green spaces, and this contributed to my growing up to become an environmental activist and educator. I now realize the doors which opened to allow me to embark on this path did not do so by chance and that many other people are prevented from engaging with nature in the ways I did as …

Regional Cross-Border Collaboration Between The U.S. & Canada, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

On October 24th, 2018, the BPRI hosted a one-day forum to assess the state of cross-border collaboration between British Columbia and Washington State. The forum brought together regional experts from government, academia, and private industry to discuss the successes, barriers, and opportunities for cross-border collaboration across three ‘sectors’: transportation/infrastructure, business/economics, and the environment (see sidebar). U.S. Congressman Rick Larsen provided opening remarks about the region and Canadian Coast Guard Regional Director Brian Wooton gave a keynote address on collaboration in the marine environment. This Border Policy Brief highlights some of the findings from the forum, which illustrate the need for …

Root.Ed: A Story That Reconnects, Liz Blackman

Summit to Salish Sea: Inquiries and Essays

This paper seeks to examine grief and despair as entry points toward compassion and environmental renewal. When sharing our own stories of grief and healing we access our deep roots as communities of interconnected Beings and find our way to Active Hope. Ecological grief plays a critical role in the environmental destruction of our time and by interrogating our own death denial and despair paradigms through communal story- sharing we can move away from apathy and toward more impactful environmental education. Below I share my own Root.ED journey from interconnection through grief to healing and compassionate renewal and how the …

Modernizing The Columbia River Treaty, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

In February of 2017, Western Washington University (WWU) and Northwest Indian College (NWIC) hosted a two-day symposium titled, “The Changing Environment and the Columbia River Treaty.” The purpose of the symposium was to develop public awareness and inform treaty negotiators from the U.S. and diplomats from Canada on key issues to address when modernizing the Treaty. This event brought together tribal and First Nations leaders, representatives from government and private industry, non-governmental organizations and academics to discuss the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty (CRT).

The Brand Behind The Activism: Patagonia’S Damnation Campaign And The Evolution Of Corporate Social Responsibility, Derek Moscato

Journalism Faculty Publications

Patagonia’s 2014 documentary DamNation marks a compelling and unconventional milestone in the evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as public relations practice. The company drew from commercial acumen but also grassroots organizing, moving its CSR initiative closer to a form of social and environmental activism. This study, especially relevant for strategic communicators focused on CSR and sustainability issues, assesses DamNation’s impact upon Patagonia’s audience in terms of message effectiveness, company reputation, and willingness to act on Patagonia’s behalf in addressing the issue of dams. An online survey with experimental conditions was used to measure audience views on Patagonia’s campaign, as …

The Pacific Northwest As An Emerging Arctic Region, Heather Exner-Pirot, Joel Plouffe

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This border brief, authored by two Arctic scholars, takes a special look at how borders are changing in the Arctic. The fast-changing Arctic is increasingly defined by boundaries drawn at a regional scale, rather than traditional borders that are based on national lines. This has major implications for the national and foreign policies of both Arctic and non-Arctic actors. The Pacific Northwest, which has an Arctic foothold through the northern subnational units of Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories (NWT), has been playing an active role in this regionalization process for several years, and seeks to expand its presence, …

The Columbia River Treaty Review: A Synopsis, David L. (David Lindsay) Davidson, Jaymes Mcclain

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The Columbia River watershed comprises 258,500 square miles (about the size of Texas), with 15 percent of the watershed located in Canada. Tributaries in the upper watershed drain a substantial portion of the Canadian and American Rocky Mountains; precipitation and snowmelt from the Rockies are main flow components. The river then crosses the arid Columbia Plateau and reaches the Pacific via the Columbia River Gorge. In an average year, the river disgorges 198 million acre-feet (MAF) of water, with 25 percent of the runoff (a disproportionately large amount) originating in Canada. With snowmelt a large component of runoff, the river’s …

Us Dependence Upon Canadian Fossil Fuels, David L. (David Lindsay) Davidson, Austin Rose

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

The energy relationship between Canada and the U.S. is a much-discussed topic within business, government, and the media, prompted in part by the controversy surrounding the proposed Keystone XL cross-border oil pipeline. Having noticed differing statistics regarding the nature of the relationship, we here attempt to provide an accurate picture of the extent to which the U.S. depends upon Canada as a supplier of fossil fuels. Much data can be found online, both at agency websites [e.g., U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), National Energy Board of Canada (NEB), Statistics Canada] and at industry association sites (e.g., Canadian Association of Petroleum …

Metrics Of Policy Effects At The Canada-Us Border: The National Export Initiative And The Effort To 'Green The Border', David L. (David Lindsay) Davidson, Ian Faulds, Stephanie Messa

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Following the announcement of the Canada – U.S. ―"Beyond the Border" (BtB) vision, there has been increased emphasis upon measurement of various things associated with national borders. Many of the specific elements within the BtB plan include an associated metric, so that bureaucrats and the public are able to measure progress toward realization of the vision. Of course, BtB is not the only border-related policy goal adopted by governments—other goals have been established by Canada, the U.S., and states and provinces. This article focuses upon two such policy goals: the U.S. National Export Initiative (NEI), and the effort to "green …

Environmental Factors Affecting Transboundary Conservation Strategies For Endangered Salish Sucker In British Columbia And Washington, James M. Helfield, Nathaniel S. (Nathaniel Stuart) Lundgren

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Effective policies for the conservation of endangered species must be informed by robust scientific study. In cases where endangered fish and wildlife species move across international boundaries, conservation policy requires transboundary cooperation and collaboration among researchers as well as regulatory agencies. The Salish sucker (Catostomus sp.) is one such species, an endangered fish found in river systems surrounding and crossing the Canada – U.S. border in southwestern British Columbia and northwestern Washington (McPhail 1987). Despite its limited geographic distribution, the Salish sucker’s range encompasses a variety of land uses and differing habitat threats on either side of the border.

Borders, Barriers, And Breakthroughs In The Cascadia Corridor, Troy D. Abel, Jenni Pelc, Lauren F. Miller, Jacqueline Quarre, Kathryn Mork

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This project focused on dilemmas of political biogeography through a case study of wildlife conservation and management efforts in the transboundary Cascadia region. Our team examined the interface of political science and biogeography, or “political biogeography,” through its manifestations in the evolving opportunities and barriers to regional wildlife conservation in the shared terrestrial ecosystems of British Columbia and Washington. Our research combined content analysis of policy documents and semi-structured stakeholder interviews and questionnaires.

Trans-Boundary Metals Pollution In The Okanagan Regions Of British Columbia And Washington State: An Assessment Of Metal Toxicity And Speciation In The Columbia River, Ruth M. Sofield, Catherine P. Bollinger

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

An assessment of the tools available to decision makers responsible for managing allowable concentrations of metals in aquatic environments was conducted. The emphasis was on surface waters in the Okanagan Valley of BC, Canada and Washington, US. The assessment was framed around four primary goals, which included an evaluation of the validity of hardness corrected values, the Biotic Ligand Model (BLM), the Visual MINTEQ model (VMINTEQ), and a preliminary understanding of what site-specific qualities made one model a better predictor of toxicity than another.

Management Of The Shared Lower Fraser Valley Airshed, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article discusses issues involved in the management of the Lower Fraser Valley (LFV) airshed, which straddles the border of Washington State and British Columbia. Many factors influence the management of the airshed, including geography, asymmetric patterns of growth, and differing regulatory contexts. There have been episodes of controversy associated with airshed management, with the greatest recent controversy centered around a 1999 proposal to build an electric generation facility in Sumas, Washington. The socalled “SE2” facility (Sumas Energy 2) received construction permits from Washington State, but died when Canada’s National Energy Board denied a power-line permit that was needed to …

Sustainability And The Border, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article reflects upon how the concept of sustainability relates to the Canada – U.S. border. How does the border contribute to sustainability? In what ways is sustainability hindered by the border? In the Pacific Northwest, sustainability is an increasingly important collaborative goal of state and provincial governments, so consideration of these questions is worthwhile.

Local Stakeholders Governing Water Across The 49th Parallel, Emma S. Norman, Karen J. Bakker

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This article analyzes how local stakeholders along the Canada – U.S. border are increasingly involved in binational governance of water. The article highlights the growing influence of regional, multi-jurisdictional organizations such as the Washington – B.C. Shared Waters Alliance, as well as the changing role of long-standing supranational institutions such as the International Joint Commission. Particular emphasis is given to the topic of the relative institutional capacity of local groups within multi-jurisdictional, international structures. The article concludes with remarks that can guide public policy on local involvement in transboundary water issues.

Risk Evaluation Of Invasive Species Transport Across The U.S.-Canada Border In Washington State, Laura J. (Laura Jean) Sellens, April J. Markiewicz, Wayne G. Landis

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

Non-indigenous invasive species (NIS) create a multitude of undesired economic, social, and ecological effects. Financial costs include reduced revenue and property value, and prevention and control expenditures (Pimentel et al., 2000). Social impacts include reduction in preferred uses including cultural and recreational activities, as well as loss of valued aesthetic qualities and civic pride in the surrounding ecological landscape (Bureau of Land Management, 2006). Ecological impacts include changes in soil and water quality, alteration of habitats, and displacement of native species (Elton, 1958).

Canadian Natural Gas & Washington State, Border Policy Research Institute

Border Policy Research Institute Publications

This report examines the natural gas relationship between Canada and Washington State, emphasizing the regulatory and economic changes that have influenced past availability of this energy source, and identifying some future challenges.