Gov. Gregoire addresses the Washington Forest Protection Association 100th Anniversary Celebration

March 11, 2008

*As Written*


Good Afternoon, and thank you Toby for the kind introduction.

Let me extend my congratulations to the Washington Forest Protection Association on your 100th anniversary!

To say the least, you have traveled a long way since 1908 -- when a bunch of timber companies formed as a volunteer organization to protect your timberlands from fire.

Growing up in Auburn, I remember it well!

Seriously, the Association has been a big part of Washington�s natural- resource world since Henry Ford produced the first Model T�Hollywood made the first fully animated film�and the great �Convention of Governors� spurred by President Theodore Roosevelt was held in Washington.

That convention was all about how to conserve our resources for future generations, and the Association has been at the center of that conservation ethic from the beginning.

Today we live in a far different Washington. We are 6.5 million people -- and the relentless pressures of population and development have challenged the stewards of our forests like never before.

But you have stepped up to the challenges.

You have helped us set a path to a sustainable future through the 50-year Forests and Fish Agreement � a common sense, holistic approach to problem-solving that protects our forests, the fish and critters that depend on them, and our economy.

I believe we can all be proud to say that we are the Evergreen State, in part because of the private investment in forestlands, not only for their economic values, but for the environmental values they protect, and the cultural value important to our rural resource-based communities.

I also want to thank the Association for your help with our Climate Change legislation. I look forward to working with you to ensure commercial and working forests are part of the solution.
Again, my congratulations to the WFPA on its 100th Anniversary.

(I�m very pleased to sign this proclamation honoring your achievement and your work.)