Gregoire extends biodiversity council

Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed an executive order to extend the state's biodiversity council, her office announced in a press release today. The order keeps the council's business going through 2010 and requires the group to implement the early action items from the "Washington Biodiversity Conservation Strategy: Sustaining Our Natural Heritage for Future Generations."

The release asserts that the council "provides Washingtonians with economic, health and cultural benefits. These include the economic returns of agriculture, forestry and fishing, which generate roughly $3.5 billion in income in Washington annually. Healthy ecosystems provide services, such as the flood protection, valued at up to $51,000 per acre."

The council's website can be found here.