HomeMy WebLinkAbout2961-687
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Public testimony
SMP Hearing
6/17/09
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Those of us who pay full and close attention to the ecological conditions and
prerequisites that sustain all life in the biotic community have a tough time listening to
the discussions among advisory b!Jard members who, first of all, assume duties well
beyond their charge and, in the f"ocess, fail to . deliver anything of significant value in
these ultra-consequential times,Hhat we seldom know how human actions affect
ecosystems or the biosphere gives us every reason to act with informed precaution.
We come this day to comment upon the work of the Planning Board. Judging by talk as
well as end result, one is forced to conclude that precaution lies outside their frame of
reference; or worse---that a revised SMP has been tailored to accommodate development
on the shores of the Hood Canal.
. Testifying in early April, a County planner admitted as much in a presentation made to
the advisory board. And, though the planner was harshly reprimanded by the board chair,
that same chairperson led the charge to support Statesman's wish that shoreline buffers
be reduced from 150 to 50 feet The vote was 4-3 for the reduction. It should have been
7-0 against.
Those of us who pay full and close attention to the dangers inherent in shoreline
development know that, year's ago, Washington's Governor put her signature to a study
blaming developments like Statesman's for the continuing degradation of waters in Puget
Sound. Others have followed suit In their assessment of ecosystem functions, James
Brennan and Hillary Culverwell warn: "The management of coastal areas has been
inadequate in protecting natural resources and maintaining ecosystem functions. The
shorelines of Puget Sound have experienced significant modifications and continue to be
. modified, much to the detriment of shorelines and adjacent waters. Ditto the shorelines
and waters of the Hood Canal.
Pandering to Statesman's wish to reduce shoreline buffers AND OTHERWISE FAILING
TO REFLECT IN AN UPDATED SMP WHAT WENQW KNOW ABOUT THE
.DANGERS INHERENT IN SHORELINE OOVELOPMENT is dereliction of duty taken
to the extreme. Will our County Commissioners insist on something better?
Todd Wexman