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The Cascadia Bioregion: Organizations and Resources in the Pacific Northwest

By Miriam Landman, originally published by The Green Spotlight

January 22, 2026

Noble Knob looking north in Washington.

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) region is typically defined to include Oregon and Washington, and British Columbia (Canada) and the northernmost section of California are often included, as well. Some people also include other states that are in the wider northwestern section of the country, such as Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Alaska.

Cascadia bioregion map

The Pacific Northwest “bioregion”—an area defined by shared natural characteristics, such as watersheds, topography, geography, climate, or ecosystems, rather than by arbitrary human borders—also can be interpreted in different ways. To some, it only includes parts of Northwestern California (from Humboldt County north), Western Oregon and Western Washington, to Western British Columbia—west of the Cascade mountains; this bioregion is characterized by a lot of rain between fall and spring, and it includes some temperate rainforests. But others draw the lines more broadly and include Idaho and other areas in the bioregion. This larger region is sometimes called Cascadia. Bioregionalism is a philosophy that encourages people to organize themselves within and live sustainably within their bioregions. (Here’s a recent article from Resilience.org on “Bioregioning.”)

This listing includes some organizations that cover the whole PNW region, as well as organizations that are focused on specific issues within the states of Oregon, Washington, or the province of British Columbia (BC). (Each section below begins with groups that address issues across the PNW region or even across the West, followed by groups in specific states.)

Note: This is not a comprehensive listing, and I am not personally familiar with all of the groups listed here. Inclusion in the listing does not indicate an endorsement.

Currently, the listing has a somewhat disproportionate representation of groups in Oregon (as it’s the state I’m most familiar with). If you know of additional regional groups based in Washington state and in BC, Canada (or any other areas of Cascadia), please feel free to mention those in the Comments!  While there are also countless local organizations in the region, for the most part this listing doesn’t include local or city/town-based initiatives; it does include a few multi-county regional groups.

The organizations listed here are organized into the following categories:

  • General Environmental
  • Climate and Energy
  • Land Conservation and Stewardship
  • Societal Wellbeing and Social Justice
  • Animal Protection
  • Media and Information Resources

General Environmental

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

Climate and Energy

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

Land Conservation and Stewardship

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

Societal Wellbeing and Social Justice

Oregon:

Washington:

Animal Protection
(wildlife + farmed and domesticated animals)

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

Media and Information Resources

Oregon:

Washington:

British Columbia:

 

Related Posts on the Green Spotlight:

Nourishing a Bioregional Economy

PAST EVENT: January 29, 2026

In this first event of the year, Donna Morton (Salmon Returns) and Michael Shuman (community economist) shared their expertise on investing locally and building bioregional institutions.

Main Street USA, photo by Brandon Jean via Unsplash
Watch the Recording
Teaser photo credit: Mount Baker–Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington. By Pfly (talk · contribs), on flickr – View north from the trail, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6225427

Miriam Landman

Miriam Landman is a strategist, advisor, writer, and editor. Her areas of focus include climate stabilization, regenerative and restorative land stewardship, habitat/wildlife conservation, environmental health, sustainability, resilience, and democracy. She is interested in initiatives that support the common good and create a better world. Since founding M. Landman Communications & Consulting more than 20 years ago, she has developed written materials and provided guidance for numerous organizations and companies. She also publishes a blog: TheGreenSpotlight.com. In the past, she was a reporter and producer for the nationally syndicated public radio show Living on Earth, and she was a green building consultant. Her writings have been published by more than 35 publications and entities, including Island Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, Mother Earth News, Global Green, and the Environmental News Network. Miriam has a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, and an interdisciplinary bachelor’s in Community Studies. She is currently based in the Pacific Northwest, AKA Cascadia Bioregion

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