The Washington Legislature’s 60-day session now underway will end March 12th barring a special extension. National news tends to dominate our attention, but what happens at the local and state levels is also important to accomplishing Audubon’s goals. Three state legislative districts overlap the boundaries of Skagit County: the 10th, 39th, and 40th. Most Skagit Audubon members living outside Skagit County also live in one of these three. Each district has two elected representatives and one state senator. Most state elected officials really do want to hear from constituents, and there are multiple ways to communicate with them. Voting and advocacy are essential to the Audubon mission of protecting birds and other wildlife and their habitat.
The Washington Legislature’s website and the bill tracking provided by Audubon Washington and other organizations make it easier to be an active citizen and to communicate your stance on bills and budgets to your representatives in Olympia. It's worthwhile to take a look around the legislature’s website and become familiar with using it (Welcome to the Washington State Legislature). A place to start is a video on the website at Class: Navigating the legislative website. There are additional tutorials with more detail: Classes and tutorials. Skagit Audubon’s website also describes how to use https://leg.wa.gov/ to tell your representatives and senator where you stand on a bill. It also explains how to indicate prior to a committee hearing whether you support or oppose proposed legislation: Advocacy — Skagit Audubon Society (this is under “Take Action,” then “Advocacy”).
Legislators have introduced over 500 bills in this current session. Only a fraction will complete the lengthy legislative process and reach the Governor’s desk. Audubon is particularly focused on preventing conservation agencies and related programs from being disproportionally cut to close the state’s budget shortfall. Washington’s natural resource agencies make up just 1.5% of the state’s general fund. Another focus for Audubon is opposing diversion of Climate Commitment Act revenue from addressing climate change and its impacts. Recent media reports have focused on the imperfections of this important act’s implementation while ignoring the larger story of its long-range horizon and important role in addressing the climate crisis.
Here are ways to focus your attention and act on the bills of concern to Audubon Washington:
· Sign up for Audubon Washington’s Action Network. You will particularly be contacted when one of your elected representatives or your senator sits on a committee hearing a bill important for Audubon: Join Our Action Network | Audubon Washington
· Audubon Washington has also set up a new and improved Bill Tracker website for the 2026 legislative session: Bill Tracker: 2026 Legislative Session | Audubon Washington. On this site there are succinct summaries of legislation and budget matters. As the legislative session gets underway, you will find links for taking action alongside the bill summaries.
· Audubon Washington joins 26 other organizations in the Environmental Priorities Coalition - Washington Conservation Action to focus on a few common priorities. As related bills are introduced, you can track their progress by signing up at “Subscribe to updates” at the top of the Environmental Priorities Coalition website and also by scrolling to “Bills to Watch” and clicking on “Read our Hot Lists” and then on “Sign up for Hot Lists.” At most once a week you’ll receive an email with a short list of relevant bills in the House and another for the Senate with a suggested stance and a link to details.
Other environmental organizations, such as RE Sources, Bellingham-based but also Skagit-focused, have useful bill trackers. To receive RE Sources’ weekly updates, at Take Action - RE Sources scroll down to “Join our legislative action list.”
All of this is not to ignore the dire environmental happenings in Washington, D.C. If you haven’t already, please add your voice to boost the work of National Audubon’s staff. Sign up at Action Center | Audubon.