Local climate activist Jenny Rieke is bringing together a number of environmentally-focused groups locally, and editing a new section of Tumbleweird called Boots in the Basin.

In an email sent out to various organizations, she said that desptite the various groups’ interconnectedness, they often end up working in isolation.

“What if together we shared cultivation of the pipeline for stewards of our precious environment?” she asked.

This environmental coalition will include the Washington Native Plant Society (Columbia Basin Chapter), The County Conservation Districts, The Lower Columbia Basin Audubon Society, Friends of MidColumbia River Wildlife Refuges, Save Our Shoreline, Sustainable TriCities, the local chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, The REACH Museum, and more.

“In order to further our missions in the MidColumbia, it is high time we join forces to share with the public our perspectives, volunteer opportunities, and events,” said Jenny.

Pictured: Shrub Steppe Landscape by Jenny Rieke

A composite of features found in Eastern Washington, this was created to use as a teaching tool, a classroom visual reference. The original oil painting by Jenny Rieke hangs at at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where, over consecutive summers, a Science Alive cohort led by Karen Wieda and Peggy Willcuts engaged a team of Teacher Leaders in deep studies of our local ecosystems. The intensive professional development culminated in a suite of teaching tools that are still free to download.

Sara Quinn is the Editor-in-Chief at Tumbleweird and serves on the board of Tri-City Area Gaming. She lives with her amazing spouse (Brendan), and her doggos (Jewel and Ruby). Sara makes art, writes stuff, reads A TON, and plays a lot of video games. 💜