By Patty Miller
I am writing to you to make sure that you are aware of [today Nov. 12] Critical Areas Ordinance field trips and workshops. The field trip will start at 11:30 am at the Outlook Inn parking lot. It will be a walking tour of some wetlands in Eastsound and a chance to see on the ground examples of wetlands, buffers, nonconforming uses, and ask questions to scientists and Dept of Ecology staff. The public workshop will be from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Orcas Senior Center. It is intended to be focused on identifying what is most important to you, and getting feedback and ideas from the experts on these most important issues.
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
Great question! You should care, whether you are in full support of stronger regulations to protect our county’s critical areas or you feel that the proposed regulations go too far and will jeopardize your ability to use your property in the fashion most important to you.
You should care, if you have wetlands, streams, or other critical areas on your property or if you don’t. You should care because this is a major decision that will come before our County Council in the next 6 months.
They will be faced with a very difficult decision that will likely be contested by one group or another. They will have to walk a very tight line in order to meet the Growth Management Act, the demands of the environmental groups, and the demands of the property rights organizations. It is a tight line but we do have some choices that we are allowed to make locally.
That is why it is so important that they hear from people like you, the silent majority, what you want to see happen within our County. The County has already spend a significant amount of $$$ to get us this far and this is bound to cost our County even more. Our Council needs to know what direction we want them to take. On the guest house issue they had the benefit of a previous public poll/vote. They do not have that benefit here.
So please come and make sure that they have an opportunity to hear from more than the standard cast of characters.
