HomeMy WebLinkAbout062226 email Protection IslandALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing to oppose the transfer of Protection Island and Dungeness Spit from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to be held in trust solely
for the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.
I've been a resident of Port Townsend for 16 years now and moved here, like many others, for the great natural beauty of the area and its unspoiled environment. I am thankful for the
tireless activism of citizens like Eleanor Stopps, Lorna Smith, and countless others who worked hard to to protect our environment and preserve Protection Island as a priceless natural
resource.
Protection Island is managed jointly by the USFWS, the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Tribe. This arrangement has worked well over the years and is a model for
how to cooperatively manage our natural resources and protect our environment in a time when it is under so many threats.
BIA is not the best place to continue this cooperative management. BIA's mission is health, housing, and economic development--not environment. Most importantly, this transfer would
also limit effective public oversight and input.
Finally, Protection Island is part of the complex web of ecosystems that make up the Salish Sea. Transferring ownership of one piece would set a terrible example in a time when citizens
and government have worked hard to manage our environment as a unified whole where air and water pollution know no boundaries.
Peter Guerrero
Port Townsend