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Salmon Nation

By Jay Taber

Geographically, Cascadia corresponds with the Pacific Northwest coastal temperate rainforest, also known as The Lands and Waters of Salmon Nation. Named after the Cascade Range of mountains from British Columbia to California, it is a coastal region noteworthy for its earthquakes and volcanic activity. A region that includes the Skeena, Fraser, Columbia, Coquille and Klamath rivers, Cascadia is presently targeted for a massive energy export assault. From Kitimat, B.C. to Coos Bay, Oregon, the pipelines, rail lines and shipping terminals proposed for exporting Tar Sands crude and Powder River coal would escalate the threat to coastal waters tenfold over the next decade. While accustomed to minor spills of oil and coal in coastal waters, the populations of the Salish Sea in particular are woefully unprepared for an energy invasion of this magnitude.