U.S. Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz was leaning on President Gerald Ford to veto legislation creating a 393,000-acre Alpine Lakes Wilderness in the “land of 600 lakes” between Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes.
Enter three-term G.O.P. Gov. Dan Evans of Washington, given a ten minute Oval Office audience. Evans borrowed a friend’s Mountaineers photo/essay book. He told Ford about taking his boys over Asgard Pass into the Enchantment Lakes in the midst of a storm.
The meeting stretched to 45 minutes, and a converted President Ford signed the legislation. The Alpine Lakes, a half century later, have become vastly popular and an advertisement for living here. A lottery determines who gets to visit the Enchantments.
Nor was Evans finished. The governor’s last year saw Shi Shi Beach and Point of Arches added to Olympic National Park, and creation of a Skagit Eagle Sanctuary, protecting one of the nation’s largest winter concentrations of its national symbol.
Later, in the U,S. Senate, Evans would craft a million/acre Washington Wilderness bill plus legislation creating a Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. When more than 90 percent of Olympic Park was given wilderness designation, the wilderness was named for Evans. In his 90’s, Evans managed a vigorous hike en route to the dedication ceremony.
Dan Evans, who died this week at 98, had music in his soul. He was a lifelong Republican, part of a now critically endangered species of conservation-minded members of the Grand Old Party. Nowadays, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference has panels debunking Theodore Roosevelt.
Evans came by his love of mountains and wild places as a Boy Scout, hiking out of Scouts’ Camp Parsons on Hood Canal. He would deliver one line over and over: Once wilderness is penetrated by development, it is forever lost. Hence, it is best to be generous with protection.
He became governor just as societal values were changing, with a public realizing how exploiters were despoiling the Evergreen State. A full page picture of Bellingham’s polluting pulp mill graced Life magazine’s first cover issue on the despoiling of America.
Evans was not of the keep-everybody-out-but-us species of environmentalists. He wanted folks to visit protected places, agitating in recent times to reopen the flood-damaged road up the Stehekin Valley into the North Cascades National Park.
He helped create that national park with a timely intervention in closing days of the Lyndon Johnson administration. An engineer by training and temperament, impatient with jargon and posturing, he sensed what levers to pull and when. The “timber beasts” were not the enemy but fellow Republicans to be reasoned with.
In retirement, Evans and former Senate campaign rival Mike Lowry midwifed the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition, identifying endangered places and getting money to protect them. Numerous blue herons in the Puget Sound area owe life to this effort.
Evans kept hiking, delighting in taking rebuilt knees on a vigorous trek up to Talapus Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. He went skinny dipping upon reaching the lake.
It was always so with Evans. My mother went on a backpack trip with Evans along the route of the North Cascades Highway, then under construction. Evans, then governor, would be up early, doing the grunt work in camp, packing up portable latrines.
Much later, I drove up to the “magic Skagit” for dedication of the eagle sanctuary. A caravan of vans arrived, carrying State Land Commissioner Bert Cole (a Democrat) and executives from Crown Zellerbach, intent on claiming credit after making a minimal contribution.
Evans looked to a few people, and gave orders with his eyes. He led up away from the parking area, over cow pies and into wetlands to watch the eagles. That trek was muddy but wonderful. If you want to appreciate Dan Evans’ contributions, hit a trail or walk a beach and just look around.
I was hiking just last week in the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness and thought gratefully of “Kaleetan.” We all owe him thanks.
Wonderful, as always Joel.
Thanks, Joel. I served on the staff of the state Human Rights Commission during his tenure as Governor, and later got to know him while serving on various boards, including the UW Board of Regents. He was an early and ardent advocate for civil rights, and a standout among his political peers for this, also. Democrats like me respected him for his principled and respectful approach to governing. I saw him at a UW gathering about ten days ago, accompanied by his son, Dan, Jr. He was a devoted Husky to the end. And, he was a model of selfless service and civility in public leadership.
Dan Evans was the first and almost only Republican politician I have really respected. Honest to fault, forthright and true. He was a great governor and superb senator. Gawd could we more than a few like him today-at all levels of government. A sad day indeed
Once again Joel, thanks for the words and thoughts.
He’s my standard of decency when I say in a larger contemporary context
“I’d be happy to vote for a Dan Evans Republican.”
You were the perfect person to write this tribute, Joel. Spot on and full of wonderful details. But this nagging question lingers: Why can’t America have more leaders like Dan Evans? He was the gold standard.
I met Dan Evans only in passing. But as a pre-voting teen, he exuded a decency and enthusiasm that inspired, literally got the heart pumping. In my sedentary life, I have visited only a few of the places he worked to preserve. But just knowing those miraculous realms continue to live and evolve as they have on earth is balm to the soul. Thanks Joel.
Beautifully written, Joel. You do know whereof you speak. Dan was probably the last Republican I ever voted for. At the P-I where you and I landed at about the same time in 1970-71, I was sent up to the annual spring reopening of Cascade Pass. The elderly lady from Marblemount was there passing out her amazing cinnamin rolls. Suddenly there was a clatter of chopper blades above. It landed on the highway, as I recall, and out stepped a very chipper and jovial Gov. Dan Evans. I crossed his path off and on over the years and he was kind enough to start remembering my name. I covered his investiture as President of the brand new Evergreen College. My daughter went there for her first two years, but decided that Western, in B’ham suited her better. She got her degree in anthropology, worked for a couple of years and then enrolled in the Daniel J. Evans school of public affairs at the UW. She graduated with her masters degree a couple of years later. Dan was seated on stage with other dignitaries berobed in academic black. He circulated among the crowd of graduates and proud parents after the ceremony. I grabbed him and asked him to pose for a photo with my also berobed daughter, Talia. He was happy to do it. Few politicians have given more to our state. Today’s Republicans would scoff and ask, “what was in it for him?”
Joel, thanks so much for your on-point tribute to Dad. He loved the outdoors as much as I know you do.