Riverkeeper recognizes long-time member, Sandra Davis of Longview, Washington. Her grandparents settled in the area in the mid-1920s, Sandra shared, "Having grown up in this area, I feel the need to want to protect it."
In 2005, Davis and her husband along with others in Cowlitz County and Oregon received a notice of a proposed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pipeline project. "We were all unprepared as to what we could do to prevent this project from harming our area and the Columbia River. With the guidance and support of Columbia Riverkeeper we mobilized and formed an organization called Landowners and Citizens for a Safe Community," she said.
One of her favorite memories was when she and 12 volunteers traveled to Washington D.C. and New York City to meet with state legislators regarding the LNG proposal: "We held a protest rally in front of the LNG investors' corporate office in downtown Manhattan during a snowstorm. To warm up from the freezing weather, we sheltered in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Such a quiet, dignified cultural experience after an invigorating protest rally!"
After stopping the LNG project, Longview was hit with the prospect of coal. Recently Sandra had the privilege of personally thanking Washington State Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Peter Goldmark for his denial of a request to sublease aquatic land for Millennium's proposed coal export terminal. Sandra noted, "Goldmark is a remarkable man and great protector of our state lands."
She concluded, "In my involvement as a citizen activist, I have been inspired by the commitment, knowledge, and passion of volunteers and coalition members in this growing movement in and around the Pacific Northwest. Our motto is: 'We can do better' - we certainly deserve better, however 'better' is not free."
Thank you Sandra and the members of Landowners and Citizens for a Safe Community for all you do!
