Animals of the Pacific Northwest is an online project dedicated to animal welfare, humane education, environmental justice, wildlife conservation, and the animals and their fans that call the Pacific Northwest home.
The Pacific Northwest is home to many different habitats, flora and fauna species, communities, and domestic animals. In this region, you can find mountain goats, grizzly bears, transient and resident orcas, northwestern salamanders, western pond turtles, red foxes, grey wolves, long-tailed weasels, cougars, bobcats, and so much more. Domestic animals also call this place home as well and have existed with humans for thousands of years. Dogs, cats, horses, chickens, sheep, and more have had a huge impact both on human life and the environment in this region.
Where is the Pacific Northwest?
Also known as Cascadia, this ecoregion is found in western North America and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. There aren’t exact boundaries for the region but generally, it includes the Salish Sea, US states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho plus the Canadian province of British Columbia. Broader maps include southeastern Alaska, western Montana, and northern California.
The Salish Sea
This inland sea is a vital part of Washington and British Columbia – for economic, cultural, and biodiversity reasons. It stretches from Neah Bay on the Olympic Peninsula through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound up to Desolation Sound north of the Strait of Georgia. The Salish Sea covers almost 17,000 square kilometers and is protected by Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. There are more than 4,600 kilometers of coastline, 37 mammal species, 172 bird species, 253 fish species, 3,000 invertebrate species, and more than 8 million humans.
The name for this sea comes from the Coast Salish peoples, the indigenous communities that have called the Salish Sea and surrounding land home for time immemorial, like the Lummi (Lhaq’temish), Cowlitz, Puyallup, Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw), and Tulalip peoples. Many of the names for places in the Pacific Northwest are names for tribes or come from Coast Salish languages.
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How are you celebrating?
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