Gov. Gregoire addresses the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition Breakfast

September 16, 2008

AS WRITTEN

Good morning, and thank you Governor Evans and Governor Lowry for the kind introduction.

I�m pleased to be here this morning in such good company!

You know, I often talk about the Washington Way�

�What that means to me is that we in Washington have a tradition of doing great things because we work with each other based on what we can do for Washingtonians � not on our political or social labels.

And there few more shining examples of this than the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.

For me, the coalition can often be a breath of fresh air in Olympia. And it�s because you bring to our deliberations a real sense of bipartisanship � which I always welcome and always hope is contagious.

That alone solves a lot of problems.

But � if you�ll excuse the adjective � the other big thing you bring is measured in more concrete ways�

�Thousands of pristine acres of property dedicated to our precious salmon and other wildlife now saved for posterity�

And the wonderful array of parks and other recreational venues that our families and tourists enjoy and will enjoy for generations.

And because of the coalition�s bipartisan alliances � these purchases and improvements are chosen without regard to who has political clout.

Since your inception seventeen years, the Coalition has secured over $550 million in state funding for 921 projects, spanning 350,000 acres across the state. Because you are so bipartisan � and because you work so closely with 135 public and private groups in our state �we are truly blessed.

Just since I took office in 2005, we have appropriated a total of $150 million for Coalition projects, $100 million of it in the current two-year budget period � the largest single investment ever in parks and green space in state history.

So, congratulations for the great work you do.

Thank you Governor Lowry and Governor Evans for your vision�

�And thank all of you in this room today who continue to give so much energy to make sure Washington stays green and filled with recreational opportunities for ourselves and our grandchildren.

And now it�s time for me to spring a big surprise.

This morning, I have the privilege of announcing that the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition has created an annual award to recognize lifetime achievement in protecting and conserving our natural landscape.

It�s called the Joan Thomas Award.

And what better person to receive the First Annual Joan Thomas Award than Joan Thomas herself!

Before Joan comes up to receive the award and say a few words, let me say a few words about her.

First of all, Joan is a friend -- and I personally admire and respect all she has done to protect our environment and precious legacy.

For more than 30 years, Joan has been a statewide leader in conserving our landscape and natural wildlife habitat.

Joan has been such a strong advocate and effective leader in protecting and creating parks in this state that you can�t think �parks� or �habitat protection� without thinking of her.

Joan�s advocacy for parks and recreation dates back to the 1960s when she worked on Initiative 215, which established the Recreation and Conservation Office (originally the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation.)

She has been the president of the Washington Environmental Council and League of Women Voters.

She was a founding board member of this organization, and she is currently on her second term as a Washington State Parks and Recreation Commissioner.

I know this organization is going to miss her as she is leaving the board after so many years.

It is my great honor and pleasure to present the first Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition Joan Thomas award to Joan Thomas for her dedication and incredible performance to protect and conserve our natural landscape.