Arcata, CA proclaims support for recognizing rights of Southern Resident Orca

||| FROM KRISS KEVORKIAN for LEGAL RIGHTS FOR THE SALISH SEA |||

Arcata, CA (July 20, 2023)— Yesterday, the Mayor of the City of Arcata, CA, signed a proclamation describing the City of Arcata’s support for action by local, state, federal and tribal governments that secure and effectuate the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. The City of Arcata is the first city in California to proclaim their support for the rights of the Southern Resident Orcas.

Their proclamation comes a few months after the Washington cities of Port Townsend, Gig Harbor, Langley, Bainbridge, and Des Moines made history by passing similar proclamations. Additionally, Jefferson County passed their own proclamation in January 2023, and the Counties of San Juan and Pierce followed shortly thereafter. Most recently, the City of Depoe Bay, OR, signed a similar proclamation making it the first city in Oregon to do so.

For the past five years, Earth Law Center and Legal Rights for the Salish Sea (a community group based in Gig Harbor, Washington), amongst other partners, have built an advocacy campaign to catalyze a paradigm shift in society’s relationship with Southern Resident Orcas, including through recognition of their inherent rights. “After working on and vetting a draft bill with multiple legislatures, we were asked to show that the constituents would support State level action recognizing and respecting the inherent rights of the Southern Residents. Though nonbinding, local proclamations and resolutions formally communicate community values, opinions or aspirations, and in this instance are serving as a form of stakeholder support for the campaign,” said Michelle Bender, Ocean Campaigns Director at Earth Law Center.

Despite international, federal and state legal protections for nearly two decades, the population of the critically endangered Southern Resident Orcas has continued to decline, with only 75 individuals left in the wild. The Southern Resident Orcas are culturally, spiritually, and economically important to the people of the Pacific Northwest and the world, with their habitat extending across State lines to Canada, Oregon and California. Groups in Oregon have also recently petitioned for the population to be listed under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act, recognizing they need more protection, and NOAA revised their critical habitat designation under the federal Endangered Species Act to include western U.S. coastal waters beyond the Salish Sea.

Izzy Shirah holding the proclamation signed by Arcata Mayor Sarah Schaefer

Izzy Shirah, Cal Poly Humboldt student, intern at the Northwest Animal Rights Network, and member of Legal Rights for the Salish Sea, shared, “As a young person, I am scared to see what the state of our planet will be by the time I have kids – so scared that I consider not having kids. When I learned about the Rights of Nature movement from Dr. Kriss Kevorkian, I became part of a large community recognizing the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. We must protect those we share the Earth with, especially when we are the reason behind their demise. Southern Resident Orcas are an iconic species, and I cannot imagine the ecological problems it would cause if they became extinct.”

“I am so grateful to the Mayor of Arcata for taking this historic step. As a former Arcata resident, and Cal Poly Humboldt alum, I was hoping that Arcata, a city known for being concerned with environmental justice, would be the first city in the state of California to support the proclamation,” notes Dr. Kriss Kevorkian, founder of Legal Rights for the Salish Sea (LRSS).

“The Ocean and seas are the foundation to all life and human wellbeing; providing the oxygen we breathe, sequestering carbon dioxide, regulating climate, and providing a primary source of food and livelihood for millions of people. Within such a broad expanse of space, it may seem like one ecosystem doesn’t matter, but it does. The Southern Residents are keystone species and therefore indicators of ecosystem health.
Therefore, if we protect them and their habitat, we protect ourselves and our rights including the human right to a healthy environment, clean
water, food and to practice cultural life,” added Ms. Bender.

“West Coast cities and counties spanning from B.C., Canada down to California are taking historical steps in deliberating whether to recognize the inherent rights of Southern Residents Orcas. Those that recognize these rights join other forward-thinking bodies around the world who embrace the Rights of Nature movement and respect the notion that humans live as a part of nature, not aside from nature and all the rest of the beings within it.” Hannah Thompson-Garner, Director of Advocacy and Mission Advancement, Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN).

Legal rights for species and their habitats is not new. Indigenous understandings of our kinship with other beings has existed for millenia. Hundreds of Rights of Nature laws exist in over 30 countries, with dozens at the local and tribal levels in the United States, such as the Nez Perce’s resolution recognizing the rights of the Snake River. This movement is prevalent as well within California, such as Santa Monica’s Sustainability Rights Ordinance. In fact, both San Francisco and Malibu passed resolutions in 2014 protecting the rights of whales and dolphins in their coastal waters.

This effort is also supported by an online change.org petition and declaration of understanding, that more than 10 organizations have signed onto. Earth Law Center created a toolkit to help advocates introduce a resolution or proclamation to their local communities, share the campaign
on social media and helpful talking points. You can take action and view the toolkit here.

Earth Law Center (ELC) (www.earthlawcenter.org) works to transform the law to recognize and protect nature’s inherent rights to exist, thrive and evolve. ELC partners with frontline indigenous people, communities and organizations to challenge the overarching legal and economic systems that reward environmental harm, and advance governance systems that maximize social and ecological well-being.

Legal Rights for the Salish Sea (LRSS- http://legalrightsforthesalishsea.org/) is a local community group based in Gig Harbor, WA, founded by Dr. Kriss Kevorkian, educating people to recognize the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. Under our current legal system humans and corporations have legal standing but animals and ecosystems don’t. We believe that animals and ecosystems should also have legal rights, not just protections that can be changed by different administrations.

Northwest Animal Rights Network NARN- https://narn.org) advocates for the rights of all sentient beings—the right to choose, to be free from oppression and exploitation—by pursuing campaigns, facilitating education, and connecting Pacific Northwest organizations.