Cascadia
The Cascadia region has meaning for the mainstream and counter cultures and is considered a physical and psychological frontier. Maps of this area include the Northwest of the United States, including southern Alaska, as well as parts of British Columbia, Canada.
The so-called Republic of Cascadia was mentioned as an aspiring nation by Time Magazine in 2011. The Cascadia mega-region of Oregon and Washington is promoted for economic cooperation and potential. The tall, evergreen trees, whose soft fibers once fueled a thriving logging industry, are the most identifiable species of many majestic flora and fauna in the region.
The human side of the Cascadia social movement further illustrates the issues. One definition of the movement is an outgrowth of the "tree-huggers" of past decades and the idealism of Woody Guthrie's folk music. It is a tradition of radicalism born out of individualism and the ruggedness of the West.
With climate change, local environmental issues now span a global scale, and stakes are as high as ever. Both travelers and residents, from activists to businessmen and fishermen to politicians, embody characteristics of sometime harmonious and other times conflicting ideals.
A young woman prays amongst the tear-gas, rubber bullets, and a burning dumpster in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1999.
A 21-year-old traveler who was working in social services tosses a stick to their dog in Seattle, Washington, USA, on January 25, 2014.
The Mendenhall Glacier, on July 9, 2014, is an example of a rapidly retracting glacier near Juneau, Alaska, USA.
Young men pause in the high planes of Western Montana during a Rainbow Gathering on July 3rd, 2014.
Salmon spawning through Seattle, Washington, USA on October 10, 2021.
Sofie (center), from California, participates in the Folklife Festival in Seattle, Washington, USA on May 28, 2016.
Stark remnants of the forest remain after the Holiday Farm Fire of 2020 along the McKenzie River in Oregon, USA, seen on February 7, 2021.
Activists take a refreshing plunge into Fall Creek, Oregon, USA in 2001, near the sites of many contested timber sales.
Young people play music and enjoy the Folklife Festival in Seattle, Washington, USA on May 27, 2012.
A woman with her daughter, who was born at their home, and father in the background, Seattle, Washington, USA on January 29, 2010.