Ever Green

For almost 40 years, partners Marianne Edain and Steve Erickson have worked continually to retain the rural character and ecological diversity of Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, north of Seattle. Through their organization Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN), Edain and Erickson have monitored county applications for development and logging; challenged projects that violate state environmental law and led the way in science-based environmental public policymaking.In partnership...
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For almost 40 years, partners Marianne Edain and Steve Erickson have worked continually to retain the rural character and ecological diversity of Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, north of Seattle. Through their organization Whidbey Environmental Action Network (WEAN), Edain and Erickson have monitored county applications for development and logging; challenged projects that violate state environmental law and led the way in science-based environmental public policymaking.In partnership with citizens and communities up and down Whidbey Island, they have helped keep trees standing and protected sensitive island ecosystems.The lush, open fields of Greenbank Farm, forest trails of the Saratoga Woods, re-population of native plants at Pacific Rim Institute near Coupeville, and reduction of toxic roadside spraying are just a few of the results of WEAN's work and its collaboration with other island groups. These long-term efforts have made a huge difference in retaining the rural character and intact ecosystems of the island for residents and visitors.The effects of WEAN's work have extended statewide, as the legal precedents of their campaigns have been applied in other regions of Washington.