HomeMy WebLinkAbout031 JarvisTarboo Ridge Gun Proposal Hearing - Comments Submitted by
Connie Gallant
Dear Jefferson County Planning committees -
I am submitting my written comments voicing my vehement opposition to this unsound
proposal for a military training compound on Tarboo Ridge since I could not attend
the meeting last evening at the Chimacum Auditorium. First, I want to express my
disappointment in the Jefferson County Commissioners 2 -1 decision to approve an
ordinance addressing commercial shooting ranges in the unincorporated county. I thank Kate
Dean for voting to stand with the public…she still has my trust. Thankfully, though the
ordinance is approved, the year long moratorium on new shooting facilities commissioners
implemented Dec. 17 is still in place! Joe D’Amico wants to build his multi-range shooting
compound at Tarboo Lake. He has chosen to ignore the County ordinance and submitted a
permit application on October 3, 2018–fully 75 days in advance of the moratorium’s
scheduled expiration.
This proposal is very unsettling.Mr. D’Amico, the developer in Jefferson County, intends to
situate his multiple "gun ranges" just feet from the sensitive shorelines of Tarboo Lake
which is at the headwaters of the Tarboo Watershed Restoration Project and Tarboo Wildlife
Preserve. Tarboo Lake is a rare and pristine gem in this area which does not even allow
motorized boats on it and where families swim, fish, canoe and bring their dogs to enjoy
quiet time. Why is this proposed “gun range” (military compound) potentially being allowed
to be so threateningly close to this sensitive area and potentially others?
Jarvis <alte2@mac.com>
Fri 11/9/2018 3:46 PM
To:Planning Commission Desk <PCommissionDesk@co.jefferson.wa.us>; #Long-Range Planning <LRP@co.jefferson.wa.us>;
Cc:jeffbocc <jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us>; DCD Front Staff <dcd@co.jefferson.wa.us>;
18 attachments
Condor-carcass.jpeg; ATT00001.htm; GoldenEagle-carcass.jpeg; ATT00002.htm; Pfund_burger-xrays_sm2.jpeg; ATT00003.htm;
Venison-bullet-fragments.jpg; ATT00004.htm; Hunt 2009_Lead Bullet Fragments.pdf; ATT00005.htm; 0111 Cornatzer.pdf;
ATT00006.htm; Noise Exposure and Public Health.pdf; ATT00007.htm; 15409309-1510215058093.jpeg; ATT00008.htm; pdf-
icon.png; ATT00009.htm;
Page 1 of 4Tarboo Ridge Gun Proposal Hearing -Comments Sub... -Planning Commission Desk
11/13/2018https://owa.co.jefferson.wa.us/owa/
It is my understanding that this developer wants to blow up cars, blast cannons, train
military and law enforcement with helicopters, fire off countless rounds from dawn to dusk
and into the night. This is a very outlandish scenario. When a concerned citizen in
our community asked him why he does not just build an indoor firing range, his answer was
“because I can’t blow up cars indoors”. I find this to be very disturbing, aggressive and on
the verge of a major threat to our community.
Allowing this sort of land use on forest lands in Jefferson County is inconsistent with the
stated use of our forest lands which are intended to be conserved as forest land. This
proposed “gun range” is incompatible with our rural lifestyle and our designation of forest
lands. I am appalled that there is any question as to whether this proposal would go through.
We cannot begin allowing this sort of mongering to take place in our community and
threaten all inhabitants.
It is also my understanding that the Planning Commission is considering amendments to title
18 of the Unified Development Code which deals with allowable land uses. And with
regards to setbacks to lakes and waterways, Kitsap County had the foresight to include at
least a 500 yard setback for their gun ranges from lakes, but this developer in Jefferson
County intends to site his multiple gun ranges just feet from the shorelines of Tarboo Lake
which is at the headwaters of the Tarboo Watershed Restoration Project and Tarboo Wildlife
Preserve. Tarboo Lake is a rare and pristine gem in this area which does not even allow
motorized boats where families swim, fish, canoe and bring their dogs to enjoy quiet
time.We cannot allow military use, we cannot allow use of helicopters, and there must be
restrictions to caliber of weapons allowed (the developer likes to fire off cannons to annoy
his neighbors who complain about him), etc. This is, again, outrageous that this sort of
behavior is allowed in our county. In addition, some of the definitions are very loose such
as “small scale”, “commercial” and I understand the list of allowed uses is not clearly
defined and I wonder why not? No environmental review or SEPA review are currently a
requirement of this development. Is this true? Why is that? I would like to know. Allowing
this land use on forest lands in Jefferson County is inconsistent with the stated use of our
forest lands which are intended to be conserved as forest land. This proposed “gun range” is
incompatible with our rural lifestyle and our designation of forest lands.
Below are some suggestions for specifics...
• All new ranges should be indoors. Indoor ranges alleviate many environmental and noise
problems, and are being promoted all over the United States as a way to accommodate the
needs of both recreational shooters and nearby residents.
• Citizen rights to live in peace vs an individual’s right to insert a non-compatible business.
• No military training in Jefferson County. Our local law enforcement officers’ training
needs are currently being met by the Jefferson County Sportsman’s Club. The Federal
Page 2 of 4Tarboo Ridge Gun Proposal Hearing -Comments Sub... -Planning Commission Desk
11/13/2018https://owa.co.jefferson.wa.us/owa/
Government trains our military, and the military is not allowed to act as a domestic police
force.
• No outdoor night shooting.
• No landing aircraft allowed.
• No overnight accommodations.
• Required environmental testing for copper.
Simply considering the materials that abound in a military training facility is enough to
disqualify any proposals from taking root. The quantity of lead, copper, and sulfur
discharged at such facilities would place the soil, water, humans, fish and wildlife in grave
danger. We MUST protect our shorelines, lakes, streams, and overall environment, not to
mention our health and peace of mind from this waste and noise pollution it would generate
and this would be all erased with a military compound. I did not move to this beautiful area
to be subjected to this sort of invasive and dangerous proposal.
Here are numerous reasons the military training compound on Tarboo Ridge is not a good
idea and is very wrongly placed in our community…please continue reading to the end of
my letter.
•As you know gunpowder consists of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium
nitrate (saltpeter). The sulfur and charcoal act as fuels while the saltpeter is an
oxidizer. Because of its incendiary properties and the amount of heat and gas volume
that it generates, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms, artillery,
rockets, and fireworks and as a blasting powder in quarrying, mining, and road
building.
•According to the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey, an individual
range can go through between 1.5 to 20 tons of lead shot and bullets annually. Outdoor
ranges as a whole may use more than 80,000 tons in that same period.
•The people and creatures who exist around lead are at the greatest risk for health
issues. Increased exposure to the toxic metal can cause paralysis, neurological damage,
and death. “In some circumstances, a waterfowl species could ingest one lead shot and
die, or perhaps even less,” Dr. Barnett Rattner, a scientist for the US Geological
Survey, has stated.
•Indoor ranges in particular pose threats to humans: A blood test for one former
Kentucky gun range manager, as reported by the Seattle Times, detected lead levels 56
times higher than the average adult’s, putting him in danger of organ failure.
Page 3 of 4Tarboo Ridge Gun Proposal Hearing -Comments Sub... -Planning Commission Desk
11/13/2018https://owa.co.jefferson.wa.us/owa/
•In many cases, ranges only confront the problem of toxic debris when so much has
accumulated that it attracts the attention of local government or outside activists.
(Ranges that shoot directly into or near bodies of water are at a higher likelihood of
environmental litigation or government action, for example, due to laws protecting
wetlands from hazardous waste.) Faced with the prohibitive costs of a massive
cleanup, some ranges are forced to close, leaving taxpayers with the bill.
•For locations abundant with wildlife, leaving lead undisturbed isn’t always an option.
In Stratford, Connecticut, the Remington Gun Club operated for almost seventy years
on a peninsula jutting into the Long Island until the mid-1980s, when a group of
fisherman asked what all that shot was doing to local shellfish. One study found that
the club had deposited 5 million pounds of lead and 11 million pounds of toxic target
fragments on its grounds and nearby waters. Half the ducks in the area had acute lead
poisoning, caused by ingesting the shot while diving for food. Mussels, clams, and
oysters were found to contain 10 times the normal level of lead. As a result, the town
banned shellfish harvesting on the site.
•Numerous scientific studies have reached a consensus: Lead poisoning is the biggest
threat facing the successful recovery of the California condor. Semi-annual test results
show that the majority of free-flying condors at Pinnacles National Park have blood
lead levels that exceed 10 ug/dL, which is the same threshold used by the Center for
Disease Control as an initial warning sign that a human child is at risk. Some condors
have been measured with blood lead levels as high as 570 ug/dL, a value that would
potentially kill a human. By the time condors at Pinnacles reach breeding age of 7
years old, almost all of them have received emergency, life-saving chelation treatment
at least once. Numerous condors in the flock have now required multiple chelation
cycles.
Page 4 of 4Tarboo Ridge Gun Proposal Hearing -Comments Sub... -Planning Commission Desk
11/13/2018https://owa.co.jefferson.wa.us/owa/