"I commend your organization for its diligence and perseverance."
Whidbey Environmental Action Network
Defending vital ecosystems on Whidbey, Camano, and beyond since 1989
Our Mission & Vision
Our mission is to protect wild spaces and promote healthy ecosystems in and beyond Island County.
We envision an Island County whose protected environment supports myriad species in harmony, and whose engaged community recognizes the interdependence of all life and actively participates in stewardship of and advocacy for our shared home.
Our Work
Environmental Education
Providing resources and experiences that connect our neighbors to nature and support their understanding of environmental science and ecological processes.
Engagement & Civic Action
Supporting and inspiring people to advocate for the environment, engage in civic processes, and take collective responsibility for the wellbeing of our island ecosystems.
Preservation & Restoration
Preventing damage to ecosystems when possible and restoring them when necessary, with attention to species diversity, natural systems, and habitat health.
Policy Advocacy & Litigation
Working to improve and enforce local ordinances and public policy. When necessary, we use legal means to enforce laws that protect the environment.
Our Commitments
We hold ecosystem function at the heart of our work.
We promote preservation and restoration of biodiversity, native species, and their habitat.
We do our work with integrity and ground it in the best available science.
We honor one another’s dignity, even in the presence of differing perspectives.
We recognize the harms of colonization on these islands and their indigenous peoples.
We acknowledge and challenge the ways racism harms ecosystems and people.
We build coalitions and work collaboratively.
We are communicative and transparent.
Current Legal Filings
List of Services
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WEAN Complaint Against City of Oak Harbor, Aug 30, 2024List Item 1
On August 13, 2024, the Oak Harbor City Council voted against the will of the people to pass Ordinance 1999, which greatly impacts an election provision in the city code that previously gave the citizens of Oak Harbor the right to vote any time the City proposes to sell or transfer public park lands to a private entity. Ordinance 1999 took away this important right of the people, as an alleged “impediment” to a private developer’s proposal to pave over a significant portion of Hal Ramaley Memorial Park in downtown Oak Harbor, for use as a hotel parking lot. This lawsuit challenges the City’s passage of Ordinance 1999.
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City Of Oak Harbor Answer And Affirmative Defenses, Sept 19, 2024List Item 2
The City admits that in 1997 the City of Oak Harbor chose to adopt a law that required citizen approval in an election for disposal of developed park land under certain circumstances. As to the remaining allegations or inferences contained in the Complaint, the City denies the same.
Watch EVER GREEN: A Community Conservation Story from Moving Images
"EVER GREEN is an inspiring tribute to the power of sustained, committed, and smart local activism to preserve the integrity of land and communities in the face of unrelenting development pressures. It confirms the aphorism that 'the world is run by the people who show up.' And it doesn't hurt to know the law and hold local officials accountable to it."
—Philip Brick, Professor of Politics and Environmental Studies, Whitman College
Proceeds from the film benefit WEAN.
In the News
March 2025 Newsletter
We bid a very fond adieu to board members Bob Gunn, Katie Shapiro, and Nathaniel Talbot who completed their board service early this year.
Register For Final Civic Voice Workshop, May 3
WEAN Board Member Linda LaMar answers questions about her land conservation journey.
February 2025 Newsletter
What Is The Comprehensive Plan, Exactly?
January 2025 Newsletter
December 2024 Newsletter
Five Stories: What WEAN Achieved In 2024
What They Say About Us . . .
“1000 Friends will continue to support WEAN as much as we can. We feel they are headed in the right direction."
1000 Friends of Washington (now Futurewise) 2000
“WEAN is a small hard-core group monitoring EVERYTHING”
Associate Vice President of SPU 2003
"WEAN is pressing Island County commissioners to tighten the regulatory vise on animal owners to protect the island's wetlands and waterways from unsafe levels of bacteria."
Wall Street Journal
“WEAN has made its mark on environmental policy in Island County”