Vision  Mission  Values

Photo: Bald Eagle in Sunset Park area of North SeaTac Park

VISION

Preservation, restoration, and comprehensive stewardship of the forest ecosystem within the Highline community.
Through research, education and organizing, build community power to achieve:
  1. Permanent preservation of North SeaTac Park;
  2. Reversal of the ongoing crisis of deforestation and decline in the health of the Highline forest, especially near the airport, where pollution levels and health impacts are high and tree canopy is low;
  3. The allocation of resources for implementation of green space and tree preservation plans already adopted by King County, the Port of Seattle, and other governments, and honoring the extensive community input gathered to create these plans.

MISSION

VALUES

We believe that:
  • All in our community have a right to the lifegiving benefits that adequate tree canopy provides, including cleaner air and cooler temperatures;

  • All in our community, including governments, businesses, individual property owners, and the general public, have the opportunity and the responsibility to protect the health, integrity and beauty of the ecosystem in which we live;

  • Protecting and restoring the Highline forest, especially in neighborhoods where tree canopy is low, is a matter of public health, environmental, and racial justice;

  • Governments on all levels must align their policies and actions with commitments they have made to slow climate change and mitigate its impact on people and the environment. This includes the responsibility to invest in preserving and expanding healthy urban forest;

  • The Highline forest advocacy movement must foster participation and leadership that reflects the diversity of the airport-impacted community;

  • We honor and acknowledge that the Highline forest exists on the ancestral lands and waters of Coast Salish tribal peoples who have - since time immemorial - protected and been in relationship with the Salish Sea and these precious lands we know as Highline and our home. We acknowledge our region’s tribal citizens, their ancestors and descendants, and we honor their invaluable contributions to this community’s identity, economy, history, culture, ecological health, and future.