Marianne Edain wishes she could download the experience and knowledge gained by the grass roots movement she helped found so that others may benefit.
“We’ve got 40-50 years of history in our heads,” Marianne said of the collective knowledge she and her partner Steve Erickson have amassed. “It needs to be out there in the world.”
Marianne and Steve germinated the seeds of WEAN—Whidbey Environmental Action Network in the 1980s. Since then the pair has served as “Eco Cops” for the island’s natural resources. The Eco Cops reference is from a 1998 article published by the Whidbey News Times March 7, 1998. It details WEAN’s commitment to serving the law, especially as it relates to the Growth Management Act—GMA—first adopted in Washington State in 1990.
The GMA established a comprehensive plan for local long-range planning and managing population growth. Many of WEAN’s early battles involved filing cases mandating that Island County comply with the GMA.
These days Marianne and Steve are engaged in supporting WEAN’s mission, though they no longer serve on its board. Their focus is protection of the environment and guaranteeing people’s rights.
On Jan. 30, Marianne sat at her computer communicating about the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement—ICE—raid that was causing a ripple of angst in the community. ICE apprehended and detained an immigrant at the Langley laundromat on Jan. 29. He is a parent of South Whidbey School District students.
“I talked with Marnie (Jackson, also the ED of WEAN) on the the school board,” Marianne said. “I asked her about the panicky story and said I would like to have the facts. One of the points of vulnerability is when kids get on the school bus. School property is public. How do you protect kids? What about parents who pick up their kids? How do we protect members of our community?”
In response, South Whidbey Schools Supt. Jo Moccia posted a letter to the community about the incident. South Whidbey Record/Whidbey News Times reporter Luisa Loi wrote a well researched story Jan. 31.
“I would love to be in boring times,” Marianne said. “But being as we’re not in boring times. I was very pleased that…a Facebook page today was posted on how to deal with ICE. Everybody needs to know.”
Steve joined in the conversation, speaking to the turbulent times we live in.
“I suspect the US will come apart,” he predicted. “We’re In a similar situation just like before the Civil War, where government was captured by the South. Now the system is set up toward catering to another minority. I fully expect Trump to defy the courts. Call it a coup. People need to understand why Trump pardoned the insurrectionists. A real dictator or tyrant needs loyal foot soldiers, goon squads. We’re going to see those people, once convicted of seditious conspiracy, anointed with government protection. We’re going to see more organized (paramilitaries) like Mussolini’s Black Shirts and Hitler’s Brown Shirts to do the bidding. None of this is new. We’ve told ourselves it couldn’t happen here. Well, it is happening here.”
What was happening in the 1980s and 1990s was a battle waged to protect Whidbey’s forests from rampant logging.
Clear cut logging of parcels owned by the Trillium Real Estate Corp. on 2,500 to 3,000 acres ignited the local residents into action. WEAN’s history, as recalled by Marianne Edaine, is posted on the WEAN webpage.
“People were angry, dismayed, and feeling somewhat helpless to do anything about it all,” she wrote. “Steve and I started asking questions and actually getting some answers. We discovered the existence and function of the Department of Natural Resources, the state agency which issues Forest Practice permits. We discovered just how powerless this agency was – and continues to be – to protect critical areas such as wetlands, steep slopes, and prime wildlife habitat.”
The story reads like a thriller, with WEAN as the ‘Eco Cop,’ and the developer as the strong-armed bully posing as an upright citizen. The tale even travels to Tierra del Fuego,Chile where WEAN’s advice resulted in Trillium’s selling of 625,000 hectacres of land that eventually became a national park.
Part of WEAN’s success is due to its dedicated members who are committed to protecting our natural resources of Whidbey Island. They learned to speak up and use their power.
Recently WEAN held a workshop for ‘Finding Your Civic Voice,’ a training session that clearly taught how to get up and talk in a public setting. The Jan. WEAN newsletter details the results of the workshop.
“On January 7, WEAN’s inaugural Finding Your Civic Voice workshop participants started off the year by giving public comment at the very first Board of County Commissioners meeting of 2025 on a variety of topics that reflected the unique civic voices of the speakers.”
“I’m so pleased. So proud,” Marianne said. “Amanda (Bullis, Wean’s Engament Director) has created training for people to get up and speak; how to compact their message. Their ‘final’ was the first county commissioner meeting.”
Another workshop is planned Feb. 23 at the South Camano Grange. Interested parties can register here. WEAN plans on holding a third Find Your Civic Voice workshop in Oak Harbor, date and time tbd.
Meanwhile, Whidbey Climate Action, a separate organization “we love and support” –according to WEAN’s Amanda Bullis–is hosting this workshop Feb. 6:
Marianne also publishes Marianne’s Politiblog—which contains voting recommendations. It’s a guide that many use to inform their voting choices. “I heard that my blog helped elect Dave Upthegrove (for Public Lands Commissioner)—he won by only 49 votes,” she said.
While Dave Upthegrove is committed to ethically managing public land, Marianne and Steve continue monitoring and taking action on policies effecting our ecosystem.
Forest practices, land use, the Growth Management Act, shoreline management and adherence to SEPA occupy much of Steve and Marianne’s attention these days. SEPA–Washington State’s Environmental Policy Act–requires identifying environmental impacts of proposed development. The couple face stiff headwinds in their efforts. They are concerned with the ‘black hole’ that is growing due to lack of enforcement, backed up court cases and fading memories of past history.
Meanwhile, Marianne receives chemo for her ongoing cancer. Her once long hair is now reduced to fuzz in the wake of her treatment. She has survived end of life predictions by her doctors.
“I’ve missed two exit dates—October and New Year ‘s Day (2025),” she said. “My oncologist said, ‘You’re looking so good!’” She mentioned getting to the end of one treatment and being told, “…go home and die. Another treatment, they tell me, ‘We shall see.’”
Perhaps her mandate for protecting our natural world keeps her going.
“It’s our life support system,” Marianne said of our natural world. “It’s not peculiar that you protect your life support system. You don’t park your car in the garage with the gas on. You don’t let people do things that will harm them. As I’ve said a million times, I am profoundly selfish. I like eating, drinking and breathing. I need to support an ecosystem that supports me.”
Learn more about the legacy Marianne and Steve have created in protecting critical areas. Read WEAN’s January newsletter, which shares a link to a podcast interview.
4 Comments
Thank you, Kate, for writing this important story about Steve and Marianne and WEAN.
Thank you! Meanwhile, is there a chance to bring two friends to Tilth March 4 or 5 and have a conversation with you? My longtime friend Linda lives in Maine and has just become involved with creating a community garden that helps folks who need a hand up
Fantastic work & documentation! Inspirational.
Thank you, Judith. I came away sobered by the hard work they both do from the trenches