By Jerome Tuaño
A group of environmentalists is working to enact “Rights of Nature” laws for Washington rivers across the state.
Olympia-based Rights of Nature Initiative (RONI) Coalition is pushing for an ordinance that recognizes the rights of the Deschutes River.
RONI is in its early stages and started its outreach last week when it pitched its vision to the Local Good Governance Coalition. They also held a webinar this week and talked to interested residents about the concept of the rights of nature.
During the webinar, Thomas Linzey, a legal counsel from a partner organization working with RONI Coalition, said that rights for the natural environment often confuse people as rights are often reserved for humans. Laws often treat nature as property subject to the rights of an owner who may choose to exploit or even destroy it.
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