Tim Will Be Missed

Sunset on El Cap, Siskiyou Wilderness, July 2006

I deliberated on whether or not to post about the passing of Tim McKay, local and national environmental activist and personal friend. Others will write more eloquently about his achievements, more personally about his impact on their lives. But while reading the accounts of what he accomplished in the Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion, where my beloved Siskiyou Wilderness Area lies, I knew I must share one of his many legacies.

The wild Siskiyou area in southwest Oregon and extreme northern California has the largest concentration of intact, roadless forests and watersheds on the Pacific Coast of the contiguous United States. The unusual soils and biological diversity in these wild lands has led the World Wildlife Fund to name it a "globally outstanding ecoregion requiring immediate protection or restoration." (from Earthjustice.org)

Tim was instrumental in this wilderness area coming into being, and keeping the G-O road out of the roadless area it established. Without the efforts of Tim and his colleagues, my annual pilgrimage to the Siskiyous would look remarkably different.

My heartfelt condolences to Tim's family members and friends; I consider myself blessed to have known him. A memorial gathering to celebrate Tim's life will be held on Sunday, August 13th from 1-5pm in the Kate Buchanan Room on the HSU campus. Please call the NEC office at 707/822-6918 for more information. In lieu of flowers, Tim's family has requested that you consider honoring Tim's memory with a donation to the NEC in his name. Bird on, Tim.

Tags: TimMcKay, NEC, NorthcoastEnvironmentalCenter, Siskiyou, SiskiyouWilderness, memorial