On January 12, 2011, SeaDoc's Chief Scientist, Joe Gaydos, went down to Olympia to address the Washington State Senate Natural Resources and Marine Waters Committee.

His basic message: Our natural resources translate directly into money for Washington State. 

• 47% of Washington residents participate in wildlife watching.
• Watchable wildlife accounts for a total economic output of $1.78 billion.
• Watchable wildlife generates or maintains nearly 22,000 jobs.

To put that in perspective, 22,000 jobs is just slightly less than Boeing, the state's largest employer, and 5 times the number of jobs at the next largest employer, Microsoft. 

Joe makes a compelling argument that protecting our natural resources is more than just tree-hugging. It's a requirement for our future economic prosperity.

Get Joe's full presentation by downloading the narrative as a PDF.

It's a fast read, and it's entertaining.