WHEREAS, Vim Wright, a champion of farmers, of the environment, and of her adopted state of Washington, passed away last June after many decades of unflagging service to this Earth she loved; and
     WHEREAS, V. "Vim" Crane Wright sowed important environmental organizations, with some of her most-recent and perhaps most-triumphant endeavors reflected in her Farming and the Environment Project; and
     WHEREAS, With the Farming and the Environment Project, she pioneered works to sustain a spirit of cooperation and esprit de corps on the part of citizens and organizations that make their living from the land with other citizens and organizations that, like the farmers for the land, make their life guarding its cleanness; and
     WHEREAS, The Seattle Times newspaper, in a story last June 4 celebrating her life ("Vim Wright was friend to farmers and the land"), said in its lead that she "believed in ethical treatment of the land and fought to preserve an ecosystem where soil, plants, animals, and humans all played equal roles"; and
     WHEREAS, Vim Wright was the first person who neither owned land nor farmed it to serve on the Washington Conservation Commission, and on two occasions she was elected to chair the commission; and
     WHEREAS, As chair of the commission, in fact, this great gem, treasure, and benefactor of the Evergreen State helped farmers purchase farmland, thereby keeping it safe from asphalt and pavement; and
     WHEREAS, The Washington Environmental Council named Vim Wright an "Environmental Hero" in 2002, and she was also honored with a Feinstone Award for achievements on behalf of the environment; and
     WHEREAS, In recognizing her tireless commitment and contribution, the Washington Environmental Council said of the Farming and the Environment Project that the organization propelled by Vim Wright has itself propelled "an ongoing dialogue between farmers and environmentalists, helping to build trust and solve problems"; and
     WHEREAS, Vim Wright launched and strengthened many environmental organizations; and
     WHEREAS, This legendary environmentalist was also a member in superb standing of such other environmental associations as the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the Washington Conservation Voters, the People for Puget Sound, the National Resources Foundation, and the Blue Ribbon Committee on Old Growth Timber; and
     WHEREAS, Vim Wright was born June 4, 1926, in Istanbul, Turkey, adopted by an American military family, and raised in Baltimore; and
     WHEREAS, She moved to the state of Washington twenty-seven years ago to take the position she was to hold for the next fifteen years - assistant director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Washington;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the State of Washington salutes and celebrates the mettle, the heart, and the devotedness of Vim Wright; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the family of Vim Wright, and to the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, the Washington Conservation Voters, the People for Puget Sound, the National Resources Foundation, and the Blue Ribbon Committee on Old Growth Timber.