We must not forget: We have a justice system. Each of us has a constitutionally protected right to a fair trial. Each of us, when accused of a crime, is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Facts will be presented, testimony will be given, and all evidence will be weighed at a public trial.
Proposed changes to the county’s Critical Areas Ordinance would have significant impact on how we build, and where we build, in the San Juans. In these guest columns, Gordon White of the Department of Ecology and attorney Dennis Reynolds argue the science behind the proposed changes.
Local and federal government agencies will make decisions soon that could have far-reaching effects on how we build our homes, how we can use our fairgrounds, how our urban growth areas accommodate growth, and how we develop the waste transfer station on San Juan Island. Several public meeting are scheduled to take public comment on these issues. Go. Listen. And share your view. This is your opportunity to influence decisions that could affect you.
The resident orcas are here mostly from May to September, hunting once-abundant salmon runs. Today, that prey is depleted. A major humpy run is passing through the San Juans right now, but if you’re an orca you have to catch more humpies than you do a massive chinook. And you have to do it in waters that are polluted. Those problems extend beyond a half-mile boundary, and they extend beyond May to September. Those problems are regional and they are year-round. We need to enforce the laws we have now. We need to promote alternative ways to watch the whales and other wildlife. We need to keep improving salmon habitat. We need to keep cleaning up the sea.
Change will not happen without ongoing community input. As such, I encourage you to contact the Town Council to make appropriate modifications in the current roads and for future construction before somebody is hurt.
It is time to evaluate all the options we have with regard to the orca protection proposal by NOAA. The public comment period ends Oct. 27, less than a month from the end of our busy season. We need more time to analyze the whole of the situation and formulate alternative proposals. There are some good ideas floating out there of options and ways to deal with this.
The Friday Harbor Town Council should grant David Taylor’s request for a driveway at his house on Guard Street. For two years, Taylor has wanted to get in and out of his car without fear of getting struck by a passing vehicle. For two years, he has wondered how his property, facing a minor arterial road, came to be landlocked, without access from the front or rear of the property. And he’s wondered why he can’t have a driveway although his neighbor has one.
But this is only a beginning. Whether on island or the mainland, we should always ask for to-go containers made from compostable or recyclable materials. We should always seek to reduce the packaging that comes into our lives when we shop. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” must be our mantra.
When I thought about the experiences and challenges I’d face as your state senator, I didn’t think that in my first year I’d find myself on the front lines of a fight that’s been brewing over the last 40 years. From the Stonewall riots of 1969 in New York, to the protests last year in California over the passage of Proposition 8, to rallies at state capitals this year, same-sex couples have been fighting against discrimination and working toward equality all across America — with limited success.
Ecology has provided training on wetland science to more than 1,500 people from local, state, federal and tribal governments and business. Over 100 local jurisdictions have already based their wetland ordinances on our guidance.
With the recent news that NOAA Fisheries has proposed vessel regulations to reduce vessel disturbance to the endangered population of Southern Resident killer whales, it is important that everyone take the time to better understand the very real issues we are facing.
At one time, the Best Available Science told us only that the earth was flat and that it rotated around the sun. This was based on limited observations without correct scientific study. Unfortunately, we have a similar situation facing San Juan County today. It is of the utmost importance that as legislators you maintain the independence of science from policy pressures. This is the only way to ensure legitimacy and quality of science.
We’re starting to see some light on the horizon when it comes to restoring salmon, and we have good management to thank for it. But despite the ground we’ve gained, we are losing habitat faster than we can restore it.
