Commissioners recognize Olympic Peninsula as National Wildlife Federation community habitat; some residents raise transparency and conflict concerns

Clallam County commissioners on Tuesday read a proclamation recognizing the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society and partner organizations for gaining National Wildlife Federation certification of the North Olympic Peninsula as a community wildlife habitat. The proclamation, signed by Commissioners French, Johnson and Ozias, cited the regional importance of bird conservation and the society’s North Olympic Wildlife Habitat Project, launched in September 2024 in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, the Dungeness River Nature Center and Wild Birds Unlimited. Rhonda Coates, publicity chair for the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, accepted the proclamation and invited landowners to contact the chapter and the Dungeness River Nature Center to learn how to certify properties under the program. During public comment, several people praised the Audubon project but others expressed concerns. One caller said programs run by the National Wildlife Federation operate “in the shadows” and are not sufficiently transparent; the Audubon publicity chair responded that outreach materials and brochures were available and invited further dialogue. Other public commenters raised separate concerns about potential conflicts of interest tied to county relationships with outside organizations, including the North Olympic Development Council and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, and questioned whether those relationships affected county planning decisions. What the board did: The commissioners approved a proclamation acknowledging the Audubon Society and partners for their work toward expanding certified wildlife habitat properties and wildlife corridors across the county. No policy or funding action was adopted at the meeting. Why it matters: The National Wildlife Federation designation is a voluntary, property-level certification program intended to encourage native plants and habitat practices. Several members of the public used the meeting to press the board for clearer disclosures and transparency about county partnerships with outside nonprofit and tribal entities. Quotable: “We are very much interested in getting this program more widely known, more widely participated,” said Rhonda Coates, publicity chair for the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society. “I invite that individual to please look for me at our chapter…we'd very much like to have dialogue on that topic.”