PROTECT: Urban and Undeveloped Lands in Washington State

Vast swaths of forests. Undeveloped coast lines. Sprawling prairies, rolling hills, untouched ecosystems.

When prompted to visualize what "wildness" means, these might be some common ideas. In today's bustling urban environments, on first thought, many people consider the wild and nature to be removed from human interference and development. In short, "the wild" is exclusive to things non-human (Warner, 2008).

But further delving into the ideas of wildness and nature reveal a robust debate about the qualities of the undisturbed natural environments, the complexity of urban ecosystems and the historical significance of Indigenous cultivation and modification of natural landscapes (Neff, 2020). Wilderness is a social construct, created by humans to define observations of the natural world. Because of this, humans imagine themselves removed from what is natural and untamed, because humans, especially the humans involved in the early years of the environmental movement in 20th century United States, considered themselves a tamed, modernized creature vastly different from the untamed world around them (Neff, 2020). But recent discussion and research has encouraged humans to stop removing themselves from what is considered to be "natural"; an urban ecosystem, while urbanized, is still an ecosystem, after all. This push to reincorporate human presence and activity into the definition of natural comes during a time of sprawling urbanization, creative conservation and globalization, when recognition of the importance of urban biodiversity points to the potential for creative solutions (Savard, 2000).

Despite this, recognizing urbanization as the force it is is important for conservation efforts as well as urban planning. In Washington state, land cover change has affected the divide between urban and rural, and urban areas are continuing to grow and spread in a "leapfrog" way, where development spreads out at first and then is filled with low-density urbanization as time goes on (Robinson, 2005). As this "urban sprawl" occurs, community planners have to consider how that land is being developed and where the urban sprawl will continue. Conservationists and ecologists also have to take urban sprawl into account as they look at wildlife areas, habitat ranges and species conservation (Brody, 2013).

In this story map, viewers will be taken along on a tour of Washington state and learn about the various land cover changes, land vulnerability, species conservation and habitat and wildlife refuges that have changed and grown over time. By understanding the current landscape of urban growth, land use change and critical habitat areas, more informed decisions about planning, conservation and education can be made to ensure healthy ecosystems for both humans and non-human inhabitants of our local environments.

Washington state has a huge variety of natural landscapes, including temperate forests, island coastlines, mountain peaks and quickly-developing cities, just to name a few. The below map provides an overview of the interactions between some of the developed human features, like cities and interstates, and the preserved natural landscapes, like the national parks and forests. Orient yourself to the spread of human population and the swaths of protected forests.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, logging became an influential industry for Washington's economy. Railroad expansion and western settlement led to a rise in demand, and the forests of Washington were deemed fit to meet it. By 1920, the logging industry was the state's largest employer, with an annual production of 5 billion board feet of lumber (Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest).

This industry would shift over the years, but it remains an important piece of Washington's forest landscape today. While there is less unbridled clear cutting, logging is still a land management strategy practiced on Washington's lands and is largely managed by the Department for Natural Resources. As cities continue to grow, roads continue to develop and the need for resources continues to expand, logging will remain a facet of Washington forests.

Data from Intact Forest Landscapes has tracked how human activity has impacted the health of forests around the world. Data for Washington state shows that while much of the forests remain intact, particularly in national parks and forests, there have been some areas, particularly in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie region, where forests are no longer considered "intact".

This map also shows the distribution of national wildlife refuges in western Washington state. Many of the refuges are along the coastline and protect shore birds, marine mammals and coastal habitat (US Fish and Wildlife Service).

Finally, there are numerous threatened and endangered species that depend on critical habitat in Washington state for their preservation and survival. The critical habitat for Canadian Lynx, Bull Trout, the Northern Spotted Owl and the Marbled Murrelet are shown below.

The four species highlighted all demonstrate key characteristics for being threatened or endangered. Habitat loss or fragmentation and climate change vulnerability play large roles when it comes to the preservation and protection of a species.

Canadian Lynx : High

Bull Trout : Moderate/High

Northern Spotted Owl : Moderate/High

Marbled Murrelet : Moderate

In the Seattle area, rapid urban growth is limited to the bodies of land surrounded by the Puget Sound. The development can only grow to the north or south, and can only spread so far east or west before being hindered by bodies of water. In Bellingham, it's a different story.

Finally, explore the map to its full extent. Examine the intersections between protected areas and critical habitat, urban growth and landscape vulnerability, and landcover change and urban change. Additionally, investigate the connections between Mount Rainier National Park and Olympic National Park as well as their rates of urban change, vulnerability and landcover change. Finally, explore which endangered or threatened species rely on that protected land, as well as land thoroughly within human development centers.

Map data:

WWU Spatial Analysis Lab, 2005-2020

 US Department of Agriculture , 2021 (for National Park and National Forest Boundaries)

 GIS Geography  (hydrology)

 Sarah Packard, WWU  (streams)

 IntactForests.org  (Intact Forest Data)

 Fish and Wildlife Service  (wildlife refuge data)

 Washington Geospatial Open Data Portal , Department of Ecology (urban growth)

 Fish and Wildlife Service  (critical habitat data)

 US Forest Service  (Landscape Change Monitoring data)

 ESRI Environment  (landcover change vulnerability data)

 ESRI Imagery  (National Urban Change Indicator data)

 UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre  (World Database on Protected Areas data)

Secondary sources:

Warner, A. (2008) The construction of "wilderness": an historical perspective. Canadian Parks for Tomorrow: 40th Anniversary Conference, May 8 to 11, 2008, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.

Savard, J. (2000) Biodiversity concepts and urban ecosystems. Landscape and Urban Planning, 48 (131-142).

Neff, M. (2020) Wilderness social constructs. Lecture. Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.

Robinson, L; Newell, J; Marzluff, J. (2005) Twenty-five years of sprawl in the Seattle region: growth management responses and implications for conservation. Landscape and Urban Planning, 71 (51-72).

Brody, S. (2013) The characteristics, causes, and consequences of sprawling development patterns in the United States. Nature Education Knowledge 4 (5-2).

Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest. Seeing the forest for the trees: Placing Washington's forests in historical context. https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Classroom%20Materials/Curriculum%20Packets/Evergreen%20State/Section%20II.html