Washington’s earliest industries—fishing, mining, farming, and logging—depended upon the abundant natural resources that the pioneers found here. Today only farming and logging are major industries, although logging has taken a severe hit from the spotted owl and marbled murrelet controversy, as areas are set aside from logging to preserve their habitat. Farming remains the basis for much of Washington’s economy, and hydroelectric power creates jobs and low electricity costs from the state’s plentiful resources. Over the years, though, manufacturing, shipping, and other industries have become increasingly important to the state’s economy, particularly the trio of Boeing, Microsoft, and Weyerhaeuser.