Action Hour

Season 2, Episode 1 features a conversation with author, scholar, and land access advocate Antonia Malchik. Antonia hails from northwest Montana, where she's writing No Trespassing—a book on ownership, private property, and the theft of the commons. Her first book, A Walking Life, was published by Hachette in 2019, and her essays have been widely published including in Aeon, The Atlantic, Orion, the&n...

On this episode of Action Hour, we are sharing a special recording of a keynote conversation between civil rights activist Grethe Cammermeyer and WEAN Environmental Data Analyst Violet Bluemer, moderated by WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson at the 2026 WEAN Summer Benefit at Dancing Fish Vineyards. Special thanks to Robbie Cribbs of Sound Trap Studios for lending his audio skills to make this recording happen.

Please note: our...

On this episode of Action Hour, WEAN Engagement Director Amanda Bullis chats with Friends of the San Juans' Legal Director and Staff Attorney Magali Cota. A Californian who grew up in the brownfields of Compton, Magali learned that the way she lived as a kid wasn't environmentally safe, a revelation that instilled a strong sense of the importance of local communities using their voices to protect one another.

Listen to her conversa...

On this episode of Action Hour, passionate birder and environmentalist Carlos Andersen shares his love for Deer Lagoon Preserve, an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area (IBA) on Whidbey Island, and dives into the principles of his management plan to protect, preserve, and restore the area for generations to come. With the Comprehensive Planning process underway, Carlos is hopeful that Island County will use his plan to help prote...

On this episode of Action Hour, WEAN Executive Director Marnie Jackson and Engagement Director Amanda Bullis chat about the Comprehensive Planning process, WEAN's history with Island County's Comprehensive Plan, their experience during this current planning cycle, and what they hope the outcome will be for their island communities.

CORRECTION: The Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM)—not the Department of Com...

When Trillium Corporation purchased almost 3,000 acres of land on Whidbey Island from Georgia Pacific in the 1980s, the community had no idea who they were — until they started clearcutting a property on Coles Road. The logging company went on to clear-cut a parcel right outside the front door of WEAN founders Marianne Edain and Steve Erickson. The duo sprang into action, organizing the community to blockade the logging, and ...

On this episode of Action Hour, Oak Harbor Garry Oak Society (OHGOS) board member Kyle Renninger teaches us about Garry oaks, their historical significance in Oak Harbor, and the current protections for these trees in the Oak Harbor city code. Listen to learn about this keystone species and potential upcoming Oak Harbor code changes that could impact Garry oaks and the urban tree canopy in general.

Want to help preserve this specia...

Sea level is projected to rise by one foot in the Puget Sound region by 2050, and Island County is at particularly high risk of hazards such as coastal flooding.

Water activist John Lovie returns to this episode of Action Hour to discuss the complexities of land use in the face of sea level rise, emphasizing the need for a coordinated, sound-wide adaptation strategy to plan for the inevitable.

Check out Dr. Ian Miller’s study,...

Marianne and Amanda demystify the step-by-step process foundational to Marianne’s years of successful environmental activism. Societal problems are complex, government agencies are complex, and local communities that engage with this complexity repeatedly are imperative for making lasting change in the world.

Learn how to tackle an issue, share the workload, and keep showing up for each other and our planet.

Framework guide h...

What exactly is a conservation easement? How do they work? Why would a landowner decide to put one on their property? Whidbey Camano Land Trust's Executive Director, Ryan Elting, joins us on an episode of the Action Hour podcast to discuss the many benefits of conservation easements, bringing conservation values to affordable housing, and WCLT's vision for protected contiguous habitat on Whidbey and Camano Islands.

Conservation Ease...

Amanda and Steve discuss the conservation efforts for the western toad on Whidbey Island, including the challenges faced by the species due to rapid development and habitat destruction. They also explore the potential of using remote sensing approaches, such as bioacoustic monitoring and environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling techniques, to detect and understand the behavior of the species.

WDFW Western Toad Calls: https://wdfw.wa.gov/s...

WEAN founders Marianne Edain and Steve Erickson continue to chronicle their decades-long battle to protect critical areas in Island County and delve into the concepts of “takings” and “no net loss” of ecological function. 

If you haven’t listened to the previous episode, start there. 

Unfamiliar with the laws and terminology? Listen to our episodes on the Growth Management Act, critical areas...

Before 1984, Island County did not have a permanent code for development. Between 1982 and 1984, Marianne and Steve helped the county develop its first permanent zoning ordinance, which may have included the first critical area protections in the state. Then, the Growth Management Act passed in 1990, and Island County refused to comply, so Marianne and Steve took the county to court in a battle that would last decades. 

This ...