Cascadia today: helping immigrants pay legal fees + no timed entry to see Tahoma + an exhibit of Coast Salish weaving
Good morning! If you haven't read it yet, I looked at the state of the Cascadia bioregion this week. TLDR: Our economy is strong, transit use is on the rise but we face two serious threats: climate change and Donald J. Trump.
Andrew Engelson
Cascadia takes steps to help with immigrants' legal fees
According to OPB, the Portland city council is considering a plan to help immigrants with their legal costs under the the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign in Oregon. This, after King county executive Girmay Zahilay announced a $2 million fund for immigrant legal representation earlier this month. In related news, the Portland city council and mayor Keith Wilson's office are working to refine rules that could impose fees and penalties on Portland's ICE facility – to better insulate the rules from court challenges.
Do you live in King county? Tell the executive and county council to support more protections for immigrants including guaranteed paid legal representation and an end to police surveillance. Sign on to the letter from SuperFamilia KC, an immigrant rights coalition led by undocumented youth.
PacifiCorp owes OR $1 billion for fires
After a court ruling that held the energy company PacifiCorp liable for damage from devastating 2020 Oregon wildfires, the total the corporation now owes Oregon residents has topped $1 billion, Western Edge reports. In related news, KNKX looks at the hurdles volunteers in Whatcom county, WA face as they address damage from last year's floods. The state is still waiting for a response from FEMA to a request for $21 million in flood recovery funds.
Tahoma's national park abandons timed entry program
Mount Rainier national park (the federal park that includes the peak known as Tahoma) has announced it's ending a program of timed entry reservations, according to KUOW. The park had put in place the reservation system to deal with overcrowding in the summer. The Puyallup Tribe is leading a campaign to rename the state's highest peak with a name that's more aligned to original Indigenous names.
“The name that it carries now, and I don't use it, and I don't say it. I call it our sacred mountain. The name that it carries now is somebody who has never stepped foot in this land." --Connie McCloud, Puyallup Tribe heritage division manager
Burke museum displays Coast Salish wool weaving
KNKX reports on an exhibit at the Burke Museum of Natural History in Seattle that showcases the wool weaving work of contemporary and historic Coast Salish artists. Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving runs through August.
Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend! --Andrew
